Belle Tire, which has 80 locations across Michigan and Ohio, is offering advanced training for its technicians.

Saying that the educational opportunity is “unlike any other offered by retailers in the area,” the company’s classes are being conducted by Master ASE Technician Larry Bluford, who has more than 30 years of experience in automotive service.

The 90-day training program is made up of five students who are chosen based on their aptitude and motivation for a mechanical career. The students are selected by Bluford from the more than 800 employees.

Sessions are taught at the Belle Tire Auto Tech Development Center at the company’s Allen Park, Mich. headquarters and distribution center. The classes are conducted five days a week, combining “a rigorous curriculum of classroom training, testing and hands-on training.”

To enhance the hands-on aspect, Belle is offering customers a discount of up to 50 percent on services performed at the development center.

Bluford oversees the repairs to ensure every job is done to the company’s standards. Most of the work takes a day to accomplish; an appointment is required.

City employees from Melvindale and Allen Park have already taken advantage of the discounts by bringing their personal vehicles to the development center, according to Jeff Kruse, vice president of retail operations.

“Belle Tire has been in business for over 85 years and is invested in Michigan,” says Kruse. “By offering advanced training to our current employees, it gives them an opportunity at a solid career foundation and advanced career opportunities. It also provides consumers with a way to save even more on auto service,” he notes.

The curriculum includes wheel alignment and balancing, brake systems, steering and suspension, air conditioning, batteries, starters and alternators, shocks and struts and cooling systems.

Upon graduation, Belle provides each student with a mechanics tools set valued at more than $8,000 and they are promptly placed at a retail location to begin their new careers.

The company currently employs 289 technicians with ASE Certification; 87 of them are ASE Master Technicians.

“This new training program is just another way Belle Tire continues to strive for excellence and provides customers with an exceptional level of service beyond compare,” says Kruse.

The company was founded in 1922 with a single site in Detroit. In addition to tires, services now include auto glass repair and replacement, brakes, alignments, batteries, shocks and struts, exhaust systems, batteries and oil changes.

For more information, visit www.belletire.com.