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EXTON, Pa., March 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This week Peterbilt Motors Company began offering its advanced training program to students at Universal Technical Institute's (NYSE: UTI) Exton, Penn., campus. The successful program is already in place at UTI campuses in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; and Lisle, Ill.

In 2014, Peterbilt collaborated with UTI to create the Peterbilt Technician Institute (PTI), a comprehensive program to give students who have completed UTI's core Diesel Technology education program advanced, specific training in Peterbilt trucks and technology.

During the 12-week program, students get exclusive classroom and hands-on instruction in diagnosing, maintaining and repairing the full line of Peterbilt trucks and PACCAR engines, and in customer service, dealership shop operations, and laws and regulations. Peterbilt dealerships sponsor qualified PTI students and place them in service technician positions when they complete the program. ^[1]   

"The Peterbilt Technician Institute has been extremely successful for Peterbilt, its dealer network and the many graduates now with successful careers as professional service technicians. We are pleased to build on this success with the addition of the Exton, Penn., location," said Darrin Siver, Peterbilt General Manager and PACCAR Vice President. "PTI provides our dealers with a strong resource for employing highly skilled, comprehensively trained and fully certified technicians to help ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction."

For UTI students, the program provides a path to successful careers as service technicians. For the industry, it helps fill a growing, nationwide demand for highly skilled diesel technicians. By the year 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor projects there will be more than 1.2 million jobs in the automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine industries. To reach that total, the transportation industry will have to fill more than 37,000 technician job openings on average every year.^[2]  

"The addition of the PTI program at Exton reflects the shortage of diesel technicians industrywide and will help train the next generation of qualified and certified Peterbilt technicians," said Chuck Barresi, Senior Vice President of Customer Solutions at Universal Technical Institute.

The PTI program is part of UTI's manufacturer-paid manufacturer-specific advanced training program.^[3] Each PTI class is taught by a dedicated UTI instructor with support from Peterbilt, which has more than 300 dealerships throughout North America.  Applications for future class enrollment are currently being accepted for all three PTI locations.

About Peterbilt Motors Company:
Peterbilt Motors Company, located in Denton, Texas, has a global reputation for superior quality, industry leading design, innovative engineering and fuel efficient solutions, and is recognized as the "Class" of the industry. Peterbilt provides a comprehensive array of aftermarket support programs through its 300-plus North American dealer locations that complement its full lineup of on-highway, vocational and medium duty products, including alternative fuel vehicles. Peterbilt offers industry leading service and support, including SmartLINQ remote diagnostics, preventive maintenance plans, expedited Rapid Check diagnostic services, automated parts inventory replenishment and 24/7 complimentary Customer Assistance through 1-800-4-Peterbilt. For more information about Peterbilt, visit www.peterbilt.com. Peterbilt is a PACCAR Company, traded publicly on the NASDAQ as PCAR.

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians. With more than 190,000 graduates in its 50-year history, UTI offers undergraduate degree and diploma programs at 12 campus locations across the United States, as well as manufacturer-specific training programs at dedicated training centers. Through its campus-based school system, UTI provides specialized post-secondary education programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech). 

For more information, visit www.uti.edu. Like UTI on www.facebook.com/UTI or follow UTI on Twitter @UTITweet, @MMITweet, and @NASCARTechUTI.

^[1] UTI cannot guarantee employment or salary.

^[2] Based on data compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2014-2024), www.bls.gov, viewed Dec. 8, 2015.

^[3] Admission is not guaranteed. To be eligible, students must successfully complete UTI's core training program and meet certain Manufacturer-Specific Advanced Training terms and conditions. This program is offered by UTI's Custom Training Group and is not part of UTI's accreditation. For information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program and other important information, visit our website at www.uti.edu/disclosure.

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SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc.