The Girl Scouts Get Moving! program is all about helping girls learn what they can do to protect the planet for themselves and future generations.

That mission aligns well with the ATL sector, and Statewide Director Jannet Malig was pleased to learn recently that one of the sector’s resources was used by a Junior scout troop working on the Get Moving! Project.

Scout leader LouAnne Taylor emailed Malig to say that the sector’s Green Academy Links website, which includes information about wind energy and green careers, was extremely helpful as the girls were working on earning their badges.

“Since going remote, we’re always looking for online material for the girls to use while working towards earning their badges,” Taylor wrote. “While doing some research on renewable energy, we discovered your wonderful page and have been using it as a resource ever since.”

Taylor suggested another site, All About Renewable Energy for Kids, that might serve as a complementary resource for younger students. Her Junior scouts found the website while doing research for the same projects that led them to the ATL sector.

“It’s gratifying to hear that our efforts to bring up-to-date training materials and resources to educators also reaches and impacts our youth,” Malig said. “We are happy to add the suggested renewable energy site as a complement to our resource page.”

Automotive education is at a crossroads.

On the one hand, the industry is changing rapidly as more technologically advanced vehicles hit the roads and California’s emissions reduction deadlines draw closer. At the same time, enrollment in automotive technician programs from communities of color is falling — precisely at the time that employers need them most to help address the changing industry.

The Next Gen Auto: Expanding Enrollment and Equity campaign aims to solve both problems by raising awareness about high tech auto careers and develop leads for the Bay Region’s 14 colleges among women and under-represented groups. Read More →

Thanks to support from Jaime Gonzalez, ATL Regional Director in Orange County, the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association Automotive Technology Competition Finals were held virtually and provided an important opportunity for the county’s high school students to learn automotive skills and connect to area employers.

The competition began with a field of hundreds of students from 11 Orange County high schools and ended May 1 with 28 students competing in the final round. OCADA worked with community college faculty to design an interactive online test on the e-learning platform Electude, another event sponsor. The online learning platform mimics gaming technology, allowing students to manipulate tools and parts as they would in real life. Read More →

As workforce shortages continue in the automotive industry, the Los Angeles region is taking a new approach to presenting career pathways to high school students.

Katie Mishler, ATL Regional Director in the Los Angeles region, is partnering with Electude, a leading e-learning platform in technical education, to create short online modules that expose students to subjects and knowledge related to the automotive industry.

Lessons will be short and encourage students to think technically and continue their education after high school. Specific lesson topics include measurement, pressure, hydraulics, electrical fundamentals, and chemical reactions. Read More →

By Jonathan Kropp, Regional Director-Employer Engagement, San Diego & Imperial Valley Region

Logistics and supply chain management have become a critical business function in today’s global economy^[1].

Companies who actively manage their supply chain do so to lower costs and increase competitive advantages. Supply chain & logistics practitioners can be found in almost every type of business from manufacturing to healthcare.

After some exploratory research in 2020 it was determined by the San Diego Regional Director for Advanced Transportation & Logistics that there was a need to develop a regional strategy for Supply Chain & Logistics. The first step in this process was collaborating with the Centers of Excellence to dive into labor market data and educational supply & demand gaps. Read More →

Nearly 100 high school and community college students attended a webinar that provided a glimpse into what it’s like to work in the automotive industry and what skills are necessary to be successful in the field.

The “Test Drive an Automotive Tech Career” session was organized and conduct by a partnership between the automotive tech program at Chaffey College, the automotive apprenticeship program at Mt. San Jacinto College, the California New Car Dealers Association Foundation (CNCDA) and the ATL Regional Director in the Inland Empire/Desert Region. The idea for the program came from Jonathan Polidano, a faculty member at Chaffey College. Read More →

As anyone who works in the automotive industry knows, not every car that a dealer purchases from an auction ends up for sale in the showroom.

In fact, the reality is that about 20% of vehicles purchased go back to the auction because the maintenance costs are just not worth it.

Bakersfield College’s (BC) Automotive Instructor Andrew Haney realized this phenomenon was an opportunity, not just for his program to receive the new cars they could not afford to purchase otherwise, but also for his students to get the hands-on learning experience they needed. So, Haney created a model in which dealers within the Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association (GBNCDA) could have his students refurbish vehicles purchased at auction, then return them to the dealer to sell. Read More →

Inland Empire ATL Regional Director Larry McLaughlin recently spoke with students from Arroyo and Cajon High Schools about logistics career opportunities in Southern California and beyond as part of a project between Amazon and CSU San Bernardino to expand the region’s pool of logistics talent and build career pathways for students.

The “What Are Your Plans” webinar was organized and hosted by the Leonard Transportation Center at CSU San Bernardino and covered labor market trends, local job opportunities, and how automation will continue to change the logistics job market for years to come. Read More →

Thanks to a team effort, the Orange County Automotive Pathway event was a resounding success, with some attendees saying it was more valuable than an in-person event would have been.

The event was a collaboration among the ATL sector, Orange County Automobile Dealers Association (OCADA), Vital Link, five community colleges in the Orange County region, and 25 high school automotive programs.
Read More →

Sixteen Fresno City College automotive students are enrolled in a program that offers the highest training standards. The college is one of eight new locations for Toyota’s T-TEN program, which recently launched the Technical Education College Support (TCES) program.

TCES partners with schools and organizations to offer students an opportunity to earn degrees and certificates that comply with both National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications and Toyota and Lexus technician training certifications. Read More →