Can they fix it? AYES they can

The Wasilla and Palmer high school automotive shops got a big boost Thursday, when they were officially recognized and certified by the National Automotive Technology Education Foundation and the Automotive Youth Educational Systems.

So what does that mouthful mean? It means the Valley's automotive students have some of the best opportunities for automotive education in the country. The two schools are now among only 350 schools around the country that have earned the certification.

"It's a great opportunity for our kids," said Palmer teacher John Egan. "It does a lot of different things, including adding money to scholarships for them."

It will also put more than a $100,000 into the automotive shops at the schools, which is the largest grant or donation ever received for the programs. AYES is essentially a consortium of dealers, service shops and schools, and through participation in the AYES programs, students will receive almost limitless opportunities.

There are cars sitting in the shops right now that were donated through the AYES program, so students can get hands-on experience working with them. Opportunities also include mentorships through local dealers, paid internships and first-class equipment and technologies within the shops.

"The students have the chance to graduate as automotive technicians, which is largely computer-oriented, and step right into the work force if they want," said Kim Floyd, the public information specialist for the Mat-Su School District. "They can also go on to get a higher education. The knowledge they get through this program will put them much farther ahead of other students entering the work force or college."

Wasilla and Palmer are the only two high school programs in the state to be certified.

"Typically, this type of education is something you would have to go to a university for, not get in high school," Floyd said. "But our students will have that opportunity while they are still in high school now."

At the heart of the program is a partnership between local dealers and service centers and the schools. Some of the dealers attending the presentation Thursday included Nye Ford, Tony Chevrolet, Anchorage Chrysler Dodge, Alaska Sales and Service and Continental Motors. Virtually every major manufacturer had a dealer in attendance.

"There is a low out-of-pocket cost for dealers to get involved. We give materials to the schools, but the dealerships provide the expertise and mentorships," said AYES Western Region Manager Roger Tadejewski. "We have to work together to not only raise the technical standards for students coming out of school and entering the automotive workforce, but also the educational standards."

Tadejewski said high school counselors and vocational education teachers follow up with students who enter into mentorships and internships to make sure the student succeeds.

"It may be that the student can fix everything he or she touches, but they are having problems moving that decimal point when doing math," Tadejewski said. "That's as much a part of this program as automotive instruction.

"Every student I talk to says the same thing. 'Why do I need to study this math?' It's the same question we asked when we were in high school. As dealers, you can show that student the real-world application of those studies," he said. "Take them into the shop and show them why math is important when you are using the computers. Take them into the finance department and show them why math is so important in the computations."

Both auto shops have enjoyed successful programs in the past, and this partnership will only bolster them. Palmer High School has had state champions in automotive technician competitions for the last two years, and students in the Wasilla High School program have remodeled older cars and raffled them in the past. The partnership and certification through AYES should only strengthen the programs.

AYES was launched in 1995 with five schools in Oklahoma. With the addition of Palmer and Wasilla high schools, the number of AYES schools has reached 350, in 45 states. The goal of AYES is to have certified schools in all 50 states by the end of next year.

According to the AYES dealership packet, there are three major strategies to the AYES model.

The first, and most important, goal is to develop students and provide a good school-to-career program. Without that goal realized, the other two strategies are useless.

The second component is to enhance the image of dealerships as a place to establish a career.

The third and final component is to enhance the dealership work environment for AYES graduates.

At the heart of the program is establishing the relationships between dealerships and automotive programs in schools, and Thursday's event at Palmer High School was the first step toward that for Valley students.