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.
Students learned what automotive careers pay, what training options are available to advance in the field, how to make the transition from school to job, and a look at a day-in-the-life of an automotive technician from dealership managers and former students. Attendees also received information about the CNCDA Foundation’s new scholarship program and the automotive programs at Chaffey and Mt. San Jacinto.
Based on the success of the initial program, ATL Regional Director, Larry McLaughlin, plans to expand it to reach even more students in the region with the help of the CNCDA Foundation.
“This webinar was developed to be a pilot offering on career information that will be expanded to include all nine of our region’s automotive programs,” McLaughlin said. “The project also established a new and much-valued partnership with California New Car Dealers Association Foundation, which we believe will enhance our programs and help connect students with dealership employers.”
To view the webinar, visit https://www.cncda.org/foundation/0-to-60-news-events/
