Ed Shults Ford recently donated a 2014 Ford Fiesta to Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Automotive Technology program at the Hewes Educational Center in Ashville. Pictured, from left, are Jake Hoffman, Ford Motor Company field service engineer for WNY; Ron Sopko, Ford Motor Company field service engineer; Chad Ramsey, Ed Shults Ford service manager; Chad Daugherty, Ford Motor Company regional technical talent specialist; and Robert Head, E2CCB Automotive Technology instructor at the Hewes Educational Center. Submitted photo

ASHVILLE — Students enrolled in the Automotive Technology Career and Technical Education program at the Hewes Educational Center will have a new vehicle to help hone their skills as technicians.

The Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES program was the recipient of a 2014 Ford Fiesta donated recently by Ed Shults Ford-Lincoln of Jamestown.

“A little over a year ago, we started the Automotive Career Exploration (ACE) program for students enrolled in Career and Technical Education to utilize Ford training,” said Chad Ramsey, Ed Shults Ford-Lincoln service manager. “(Through ACE) we were able to get Ford to donate the vehicle to us and we donated it to the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Automotive Technology program at the Hewes center.”

The Automotive Technology program also received a Ford VCM diagnostic tool and the applicable software required to operate it.

“We want the students to be able to have the tools to gain the knowledge they need and hopefully have a few of them come through our shop as interns and as future employees,” Ramsey said.

Ed Shults Ford-Lincoln currently has two former Automotive Technology students who attended the Hewes Educational Center program and is in the process of hiring a former student who interned last year.

For more information about Career and Technical Education programs at the Hewes Educational Center please contact Leighton Swanson, counselor, at 763-1801, ext. 3004, email lswanson@e2ccb.org or follow on social media @E2CCB.