There's More Than One Road Into the Automotive Industry
When we think about preparing students for automotive careers, it's easy to picture the traditional path: learning to diagnose, repair, and maintain vehicles.
But what about the student who discovers they'd rather work with customers than under the hood?
During a recent NACAT AEC Roundtable, a conversation about the challenges facing automotive programs took an interesting turn.
Sean, a high school automotive instructor from Michigan, shared how he'd been working to expand opportunities for students through automotive competitions. After helping bring back an automotive electrical competition in Michigan, he began laying the groundwork for something different: a competition focused on the service advisor role.
His reasoning was simple. Automotive education shouldn't be limited to preparing students to repair vehicles.
Service advisors, shop managers, business owners, and other industry professionals all play important roles.
What makes conversations like these valuable is the opportunity to hear how fellow educators are approaching familiar challenges from different angles.
One instructor's idea might become another instructor's classroom activity, program improvement, or new opportunity for students.
Because sometimes, the best way to move automotive education forward is to learn what the instructor next to you is doing differently.
Special thanks to by Sean Reisdorf, with North Farmington High School in Farmington Hills, MI, for sharing this perspective.