Ep 152 | Auto Shop is Back?! New & improved

SPEAKER_01 0:00

When you pull into this shop, you're going to feel like you brought your car to the fanciest car dealership in town to have it worked on. We're not building an old greasy shop that, you know, you wouldn't eat your lunch in there, you know, back in the day. We're building a state of the art facility with all of the latest and greatest tools because we want the students to feel like this is what the industry standard and expectations are.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambi County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. If you have a car, you likely also have experienced the frustration of mistakes at your local auto repair shop. And if you're a parent of a teenager, you may also be wondering how your child can get ahead after graduation. Now, these things may not seem related, but my next guest is here to discuss an academy that will help both. He's the director of Escambia County School District Workforce Education. And today he's going to share how the new Automotive Technology Academy is bringing student interest into the classroom and opportunities for our community. Bridging passion and the practical, likely to be wearing a tie with his kids' faces on it. Tate High graduate Stephen Harrell. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Good morning. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to talk about this new opportunity for our community.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

And welcome back, by the way. This is your second appearance. So that makes you a veteran in case you didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Sure, sure. Excited to be here again.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

So this program is possible through the Triumph Grant. So maybe let's start there. How does that work? What's the grant cover?

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Sure. So Triumph Gulf Coast is money that has been given to the Gulf Coast communities that were affected by the BP oil spill. And that money goes to economic development activities that will help develop the economies of the communities that were affected. So one of the things that they do is invest in education so that you build a talent pipeline to build the economy from the ground up. And the Triumph Gulf Coast Board has agreed to help us start this program by investing about $617,000 into it. And the school district isn't has matching funds. It will bring the total up well north of a million dollars. So there is some community investment in this program because we know just how important it is to have skilled automotive service technicians in our community.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Is it really rare for a grant to kind of be structured in that way? Because to me, not knowing anything about grants, that sounds like a lot of money all at once.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Well, it actually is spread out over a total of six years, five years of actual academics and one year of build out. We are in the coming to the end of the year of build out at this point. So the money will be spent over a good period of time, but the bulk of it from Triumph is coming right up front. So, not really that rare that the grants come into our community to do projects like this, but it's rare for one to see the importance of hands-on skilled trades like this. So kudos to the Triumph Board for understanding just how important skilled trades are for economic development. And we really would have a lot tougher time building this program without their support and help. We're very appreciative of the Triumph Gulf Coast Board for contributing to this program. And it's helping us get it started in a way that probably wouldn't have had such a fantastic visual effect if it weren't for their help.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Because one of the unique things is that you're able to buy all the equipment up front, correct?

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Correct. So we're not going to be building this program as we go. Now, that's not to say we won't continue to invest in it, but when the students come in in August, we will have lifts, all new tools. We're hoping that the tools are coming from a very well-known vendor that I don't want to say on the podcast yet, but you will all recognize the toolboxes and the tools in the facility in a way that will take your breath away.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

I think that makes students feel something and teachers, because when you have new things, you put your shoulders back, you feel proud about your space. It also communicates that somebody believes in you and cares about you. I mean, am I getting too deep in the psychological?

SPEAKER_01 4:23

Absolutely. It is very important. In fact, it was important to me that we resurface the flooring in the facility with epoxy with the school colors in the epoxy. So, you know, those little details are important because when you pull into this shop, you're going to feel like you brought your car to the fanciest car dealership in town to have it worked on. We're not building an old greasy shop that, you know, you wouldn't eat your lunch in there, you know, back in the day. We're building a state-of-the-art facility with all of the latest and greatest tools because we want the students to feel like this is what the industry standard and expectations are. We don't want the students to feel like this is what you do as your second choice, your third choice. We want them to feel like this is a first choice for a career because it's meaningful. And you can't get that if you put a bunch of old junk in there for them to work with. We need new state-of-the-art equipment that looks like the finest facility at one of our local dealerships that you're going to find.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Yeah, because also vehicles are changing very quickly. Like the naturally aspirated engines, my husband's going to be so proud that I said that on the podcast. Thank you. Thank you very much. That's all I got, though. So that's the end. You know, it's now electric and a lot more tiny details that maybe weren't when I was in high school.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

No doubt about it. I can recall when I was growing up watching master mechanics take a two and a half foot long screwdriver and put their ear to it and put the other end of the screwdriver on the block of the engine and diagnose it that way. Awesome. We don't, we're not going to be doing that with these students now. If we bring some old engines in, there may be an old timer who comes in and says, let me show you how we did it back in the day. But what we really want is for them to understand the new computer-controlled vehicles, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles of today. So, you know, now you plug a computer into the OBD2 port and you get all the diagnostics that will tell you what to do step by step, but you still have to be masterful in the skills of knowing how to do that right and safely. That's what we want to prepare students for. They're going to work on all the new cars, all the new technologies. We want them ready to leave high school and go somewhere and be prepared with the skills to earn an income that can support a family.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Well, speaking of bringing people in, you said, you know, maybe we'll we'll tap someone in an old timer, but I wonder if part of the plan is to bring in outsiders who are maybe employed by mechanic shops, own mechanic shops. I just imagine them walking in and going, wow, this is state of the art. And then them kind of having that thought, maybe this could be some of my future employees are in this class right now. Is there is that in the works?

SPEAKER_01 6:59

Absolutely. So the entire genesis for this comes from our existing program at Georgetown College. We have automotive service technology there, and we have an advisory council for all of our programs that includes community who own businesses, who are employers, who have an interest in that particular career field. So at our advisory council meetings for automotive service, we've been told we need more technicians, we need to start earlier, we need to get them ready coming out of high school so they can come right to work for us and then come back to George Stone and become a master level mechanic. So all of those folks are interested in this. All of those folks are going to be on our advisory council for the high school, and they're going to be looking to employ students when they're a junior or a senior and they're doing their DCT, OJT. For those of you who don't know what that is, it means that student's got most of the credits that they need to be able to graduate. So part of their day can be spent working in field for the area of concentration that they have. So here's the ideal situation. Student comes in the ninth grade, they take one class of automotive service technology, come back in the tenth grade, take another class, and they have potentially earned some ASE certifications in the ninth and tenth grade. When they get to the 11th grade, maybe they go to work for part-time for somebody, maybe they continue for another automotive service. But when they get to their senior year, we want them in the class and working somewhere in conjunction. So a lot of our partners in the community are going to be looking for those students who are ready to turn wrenches right now before they're even out of high school. So I hope that answers your question that people are looking to hire these young people now, and we want them to hire them with some skills that they've already built up, but we also want to develop that student to be a lifelong learner. So they're not just going to go work for somebody and say, this is a part-time job that I'm going to do temporarily. We want them to look at it as a career where they can continue on and it and go from take high school to George Stone and become that master level ASC technician.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Speaking of ASC technician, can you explain why that's important? Because there was a time where I needed to get a sign-off from an ASC technician for my vehicle, and it was very difficult. There were two, and of the two, only one of them had up-to-date certifications that allowed him to actually sign my paper.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Yeah. So let I I wrote it down so I wouldn't say it incorrectly. It's the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. And everyone kind of shortens that to ASE. When you go to a mechanic shop, if you look around at people's work shirt and you don't see ASE letters on a badge on their shoulder, you might want to take your vehicle somewhere else. That's just my personal opinion and the world, according to Mr. Harrell. Because someone who has an ASE certification is a person who has demonstrated skills in the automotive service industry. And I brought a list of the certifications here. They range from everything from here, I'll read a few of them to you auto, automatic transmission and transaxle, automotive service technology, automotive brakes, automotive electrical and electronic systems, automotive engine performance, engine repair, heating and air conditioning, manual drivetrain and axles, and the list goes on and on. These certifications that I'm reading off to you are certifications that we plan to get at the Tate High School Automotive Service Academy. Each one of those tests requires the student, the mechanic, to demonstrate the skills in a real world environment, take a paper test. They've got to prove that they know this stuff. So when they have that badge and they say, I have the brakes certification, you know this is a person who can service your brakes and your vehicle is going to leave that shop safe and roadworthy. So that ASC certification is meaningful. It means something in the industry. I I hope that's answering the question because you know the big goal here is that we want the best certification that prepares students to work on cars that anyone can get. I don't want them to just go through the program and learn the skills and not leave with a way to verify that to the community. I want them to graduate with a diploma in their left hand and the right shoulder of their shirt to have that ASE badge on.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

I love that you have the vision in your mind already.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

I think what you're saying is important because the reason that I was asking, do employers kind of have a clue this is happening. Why does ASE matter? Is because I always try to put myself in the mindset of the most skeptical listener. And they might say, oh, well, that BP money could have gone to other things. Yeah, how fun and shiny for them to have these new tools and this new program. But what does it mean in the long run?

SPEAKER_01 11:38

It means a good paying job for those students that finish this program, is what it means. And even if they decide to not go into automotive service, they are going to learn skills that are going to benefit them for the rest of their lives.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

No, not to mention the skills that are secondary anytime you learn something. Because I think a lot like language learning, I think you'll agree, like you learn one language that's second to you, then you can add on a third and a fourth with more ease than that first, second one.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

I absolutely agree. And it it builds self-efficacy in the learner to realize that you know what's happening under the hood of that car is not necessarily magic. It just takes skill and training to learn how to make that car operate properly. And, you know, I'm not saying that I want to take the magic away, quite the opposite. I want the students to learn how magical it is to be a lifelong learner and working on cars is a valid way to do that. I should also add that the state of Florida believes the ASC certification is so important that up until last year, ASC certification of the program was required to even teach automotive service. So you weren't even allowed to have a program that taught automotive service unless the ASC, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, approved the program. So, with that said, we are going to have this program ASC certified. Even though the state doesn't require it anymore, we are still going to make sure that this program is ASC accredited because it's important. It's important. So, and you know, any employers out there who are listening and say, wow, I want to hire some of these kids, you can bet that where they're going to leave our program with the skills to be good entry-level technicians for you.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

And is this like most other academies where the kids have to enroll their freshman year or they are not eligible?

SPEAKER_01 13:22

I'm glad you asked that question because I've had some parents in the community say, Oh, my child's in the tenth grade at Tate. They won't be able to be in the Automotive Service Academy. And that's not true. We welcome all students to apply to be in this program. We want them in the program, regardless of grade level. It is important that students have choice and voice in their education. And for a student who wants to work on automobiles, we've got the place for you. It's at Tay High School.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Okay. I love that. And I have kind of a silly question based on my experience as a high schooler. I had a 1974 Jeep Cherokee. It was amazing. And so I wanted to take automotive class. And I did. I did take the class. But I will admit to you that I got a little in my head on the days that we were planning on working on the vehicles about what to wear. And that may seem like just a real tiny detail. I don't know if you've received this feedback. Is that something that is overcomable? Are there any accommodations?

SPEAKER_01 14:20

It is absolutely overcomable, and we are making accommodations in this program. So I to give you a little history on the program, there used to be automotive service and automotive collision at Tate High School approximately 25, 30 years ago. And when the programs closed down, the facility kind of just became a storage area. Well, when we decided to revive this, I could see that the bones of the building were still there and that there was a viable place to put this, but it needed some upgrades. So we cleared everything out and remodeled this facility and we thought about the things that you're talking about because a student doesn't want to go and work on cars and get sweaty and greasy and then have to go back to class and be distracted by the fact that they're sweaty and greasy. So we put in locker rooms, we put in a washing machine so that the students can wear coveralls or boots and put their other clothing in a locker, and then the coveralls can be washed right there on site and cleaned up. So we're thinking ahead of making sure that we check all the boxes to give everybody some accessibility to this program.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Do the students know about all of this already? Do they know all the details?

SPEAKER_01 15:26

They know all the details yet. That's why I'm so glad that we're having this podcast right now so people can hear it. Because this is not going to be old school mechanic shop. This is going to be a state-of-the-art facility where if we haven't thought of the things ahead of time now, I can promise you we're going to be taking care of them as we move forward. Because there's no doubt when you build a new program, you're going to discover things that you need additionally. We will be able to take care of that. So we're going to be listening to the new instructor, to the students, and adjusting the program as we move forward as needed. But the ultimate goal of this program is to get between now and June of 2030, we want 225 students to leave that program with at least one ASE certification. Hopefully multiple ASE certifications. So by June 2030, look out community. There's going to be plenty of folks looking for a job working on cars.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Any idea of what the student interest might be yet?

SPEAKER_01 16:25

It's awesome. It's awesome. Yes. I literally have had zero negative feedback on this program. Everywhere we go, someone is interested in it. Everyone is excited that we're reviving it. But we are having no problems filling the program.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

You know, you came on the show, that episode aired in 2022 when we talked about it last. Is that common? I didn't grow up with them. Is that pretty normal for our area? How does Escambia County compare to neighboring counties?

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Well, I think it has become normal in our community all across the panhandle. I think there is a revival of skilled trades and career and technical education and just cybersecurity. The things that don't fit into the normal general education mold, but their job-related job skills. And academies are just a great way to for students to have access to those things. So yeah, our neighboring county actually has a few more academies at this point than we do. And it's, you know, it's not a competition to see who can have the most academies. What we're trying to do is provide the most opportunities for students for all of our communities. And career academies are just a great way to do that. We have 60, Santa Rosa County has 66. I think it says something that career and technical education is important across the panhandle for all of us. And kudos to Santa Rosa County for doing the same as we are and recognizing that. I'm I'm happy that they're doing that because it doesn't matter where you live, the right opportunity for you is available somewhere there. And I think I said that back in 2022 that not every school has every opportunity for every kid, but every kid can find the right opportunity somewhere in Escambia County, somewhere in Santa Rosa County. Those opportunities are there. And these various career academies being available to them kind of open it up so that a child can go where their interests are.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Well, it's kind of reframing what a future for a community looks like and the tools that build it in an upward trajectory, right? Because I think for so many of us, we've thought four-year university is the way to go. You've heard the boomerang of, oh, that person's a boomerang, right? You go off to university from Pensacola and then you boomerang back after you've worked somewhere like maybe close to where you graduated from, and then you come back to the community. And that's like the way that you reinvest in your hometown. But I think the career academy route, the technical trade route, could be a new way of thinking about that upward slope.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Absolutely. Well, I think that skilled trades have always been there as an opportunity, but I think that you're absolutely right that it's a new way of thinking for the community to see how great an opportunity the skilled trades are. I mean, when you look at something like aviation maintenance, not to sidetrack this conversation about automotive service, but aviation maintenance, you can be in the Aviation Technology Academy at Booker T. Washington High School and articulate right over to George Stone for our aviation maintenance program there. And two years after high school, you are making a great income. And I'll tell you what, if you graduate from one of our high schools in Escambia County and you qualify for any type of aid, Pell, that kind of thing, we will pay for the first year of school at George Stone with our recent graduate scholarships. Now, there's some things that you have to qualify for to do that, but for most students, they will qualify for that. What I'm saying is you can potentially leave George Stone with the an airframe and power plant mechanic certification within two years and probably not have paid for it.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

You know, so you're finishing with no debt and you're ready to go work at a great place like ST Engineering out of the air or any one of our local partners that work in aviation maintenance and supply parts to other places. There's tons of places to go work. The four-year university isn't the only option. And I think people's eyes are being opened up to that.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

And when you have more young people who don't have a heavy debt load, then you have better communities overall because that is a real switch in the economy and the choices that make. You make different choices when you're debt-free.

SPEAKER_01 20:33

What a great concept that the money I'm earning on the job so close to being out of high school can actually go in my pocket instead of the bank's pocket. What a great concept.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

So many benefits. I mean, we're all definitely uh cheering you on for this one. Your passion is contagious, and I am really excited to see this coming to our community because this affects all of us, whether we have children in the house, out of the house, no children. We pretty much all have vehicles and we all live in the county where that economy is affected.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

So absolutely. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of Scambia County Public Schools.