Ohio Technical College (OTC) and Edelbrock LLC last week celebrated the grand opening of The Edelbrock Performance Academy in Cleveland, OH. This new program is designed to give students a solid foundation in the building and tuning of high-performance products.
The Edelbrock Performance Academy at OTC will provide students with the skills necessary to efficiently increase a vehicle’s performance through planning, installation and modification of high-performance engine components, superchargers, nitrous, fuel injection systems and more.
The 12-week, 300-hour course consists of nine different training modules covering intake manifolds and carburetor design, cams and lifters, cylinder heads, computer tuning, fuel injection, forced induction, nitrous oxide, data acquisition systems as well as the history of Edelbrock and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).
"It is important for the students to learn and understand the origins of Edelbrock and SEMA. We constructed this curriculum with the help and input from Vic and Christi Edelbrock. So much so, the Edelbrock Performance Academy will share a resemblance to Vic’s own garage – right down to the photos on the walls," said Bill Abbott, head instructor of the Edelbrock Performance Academy at OTC. "The course is offered to advanced OTC students and features training from the school’s High Performance and Racing program. This is a true, hands-on course that’s based on learning through discovery.
"The students will break down many of the parts on their own and will work on actual vehicles from configuration and installation to dyno-testing and tuning. As with all OTC classes, the Edelbrock Performance Academy will focus on more than just mechanics, teaching students the importance of a strong work ethic, customer service skills and the technical know-how."
The first-of-its-kind course starts a new class every six weeks and will hold up to 12 students each to offer optimum one-on-one training.
The idea for the Edelbrock Performance Academy originated when Christi Edelbrock, vice president of business development at Edelbrock, and Justin Brenner, director of corporate development for OTC, met at SEMA to create a concept of a training course that directly teaches the manufacturer’s catalog product line.
OTC and Edelbrock spent months diligently developing the ideal curriculum and facility to help today’s student technician. OTC learned the Edelbrock philosophy behind its history as well as how its parts are manufactured to create an authentic course, and received direct feedback from Christi and Vic during the planning stages.
"Students gain an advantage in the workforce by completing the Edelbrock Performance Academy by receiving hands-on training using the latest products from Edelbrock," said Christi Edelbrock. "This course is ideal for those pursuing a career as an engine dynamometer test technician at a performance shop or other tuner positions on a unique builder, race team or at a specialty aftermarket installer."
Upon completion of the Edelbrock Academy program, the students receive a certificate signifying their specialized, high-performance training.
Click here to watch video footage from the Edelbrock Performance Academy grand opening ceremony.
