Ford nurtures 7 auto technicians through 8-week hands-on training program

FL Auto Korea has wrapped up a talent development program that placed university students enrolled in automotive programs directly inside Ford and Lincoln service centers to gain hands-on maintenance experience. Over eight weeks, participants received specialized technical training and one-on-one mentoring designed to help them apply classroom theory in a real workshop setting.

FL Auto Korea announced Monday that it had concluded the 2026 Ford Future Talent Development Program. Launched in 2013 as an industry-academia partnership to identify and cultivate skilled technicians for the automotive sector, the program is now in its 14th edition.

This year's participants were selected through recommendations from five universities: Daeduk University, Duwon Technical College's Paju campus, Yeoju University, Yeungnam University of Science and Technology, and Korea Polytechnics' Busan campus. Seven students majoring in automotive-related fields completed the full program.

Training ran for eight weeks beginning in July. Participants received specialized technical instruction on Ford vehicles and were paired one-on-one with working technicians to learn maintenance procedures and the full scope of service operations.

The program went beyond classroom instruction to include real workshop experience. Trainees observed vehicle inspection and repair work firsthand at Sunin Auto service centers, the official Ford and Lincoln dealership partner. Sunin Auto plans to award scholarships to all seven participants who completed the program.

As electrification and vehicle electronics advance rapidly across the automotive industry, the technical demands placed on maintenance personnel are rising. The need to understand electrical and electronic systems and software — beyond conventional mechanical repair — has prompted automakers and dealerships alike to invest more heavily in developing skilled field technicians.

FL Auto Korea also runs a separate program aimed at raising the technical capabilities of its service staff. In June, it held the 2026 Ford Technical Skills Competition, bringing together technicians from Ford's authorized service centers nationwide to share maintenance expertise and field know-how.

"I extend my congratulations to all graduates of the 2026 Ford Future Talent Development Program," said Lee Yun-dong, chief executive of FL Auto Korea. "We will continue our efforts to share Ford and Lincoln's specialized technical expertise and global field know-how, and to identify and nurture the outstanding talent that will lead the future of the automotive industry."

Meanwhile, FL Auto Korea has been expanding its new-vehicle lineup this year after restructuring Ford's domestic business operations around a dealer-centered model. Starting with the Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid in March, the company has introduced four models to the Korean market in succession — the Ford Explorer Tremor, the all-new Ford Expedition, and the all-new Lincoln Navigator.