When Collin College launched its Toyota Technician Training & Education Network (T-TEN) program, it did more than add another pathway for automotive students — it raised the bar for technical education in Texas. In partnership with Toyota Motor North America and local dealerships, Collin is preparing students for the shop floor with certifications, real-world experience, and a career trajectory that puts them years ahead of their peers.
Fast-Tracking Certification and Careers
Becoming a fully certified Toyota/Lexus T-TEN program school wasn’t easy. According to Sean Boyll, instructor for the first-year program, Collin College faced a compressed timeline that demanded quick adaptation.
“Most T-TEN schools get a year to align their curriculum before classes begin. We had about eight months — and we were building courses as we taught them,” he explained.
Despite the challenge, Collin College secured certification in July 2023 after nearly two and a half years of preparation. That work is paying off. The program’s first cohort graduated eight students, with 14 currently in the second year and 17 in the first year — growth that reflects the demand for skilled Toyota and Lexus technicians.
Students in the two-year associate program graduate with two ASE certifications and credit for nine Toyota instructor-led courses. Under Toyota’s system, those nine courses could otherwise take three or more years to complete in a dealership setting, making the program a career accelerator.
Graduates enter the workforce as Toyota Expert Level Certified technicians, and with additional ASE completions, they can achieve Toyota Master Certification within a year of graduation.
A Distinctive Curriculum
Sean Boyll, instructor for the first-year T-TEN program at Collin College, helped lead the fast-track certification effort that secured the program’s launch in 2023.
Unlike Collin’s general automotive technology program, which includes hybrid coursework, T-TEN is fully face-to-face. Students spend two and a half full days per week in class and labs, leaving the remainder of the week for employment at a Toyota or Lexus dealership.
That balance between classroom learning and on-the-job training is intentional. “We’ll cover theory in class, practice in the lab, and then students can take that knowledge straight into the dealership with a mentor,” Boyll said. If students are working on brakes in class, they’re encouraged to shadow brake jobs at the dealership the same week — connecting learning directly to real-world service.
Collin College also brings in general education instructors to teach core courses in the same classroom, reducing scheduling barriers. The result is a streamlined experience that keeps students focused on their technical growth while meeting degree requirements.
Collision Pilot Adds a New Dimension
While the T-TEN program is primarily focused on mechanical training, Collin College is also one of Toyota’s pilot schools for a collision-focused track. After completing the college’s two-year collision program, students may opt into an advanced skills certificate that immerses them in Toyota’s approach to collision repair.
Raven Luna, lead collision instructor at Collin College, is guiding Toyota’s pilot collision-focused track, equipping students with manufacturer-specific repair skills.
“The students are immersed into the scan tools, even Toyota vehicles and software, to give them real-world experiences so they’re prepared to work in the dealership environment,” explained Raven Luna, lead collision instructor at Collin.
The advanced certificate runs as a 10-week program, two days a week and serves as a “crash course” in Toyota-specific repair methodology. It builds on students’ broad training by aligning them with manufacturer standards — a critical step as repairers face increasingly complex vehicle technology.
Strong Partnerships, Strong Outcomes
Collin’s proximity to Toyota headquarters in Plano has been an advantage, giving instructors direct access to Toyota’s T-TEN team throughout the certification process. Local Toyota and Lexus dealerships are equally vital to the program, offering students employment opportunities and hands-on mentorship.
Graduates leave Collin with real-world dealership experience, industry-recognized certifications, and a significant head start toward Master Technician status.
Boyll, a T-TEN graduate himself, takes pride in that. “I’ve seen what this program can do for students firsthand, and being able to bring it to Collin is a big achievement,” he said.
With steady enrollment, strong dealership demand and the added collision pilot, Collin’s T-TEN program is carving out a place as one of the premier training grounds for Toyota and Lexus technicians. For students, it’s a career pathway that shortens the road to success. For the industry, it’s a timely response to the urgent need for skilled talent in both mechanical and collision repair.
Leona Scott