The Havana Motor Mile Auto Technician Committee has been meeting since last September to come up with an automotive technician tool incentive program to encourage trained auto techs to come to work in our Havana Motor Mile shops. The committee is made up of Gary Sliger of Gary’s Full Service Auto Repair, Ben Vavra service manager at Tynan’s, Blaine Anderson service manager a Mike Naughton Ford, Cliff Hergemueller service manager at Shortline Automotive Group, Coy Carter owner of Our Garage, Nick Bakarich service manager at Suss Buick GMC, Sam Choi from Stevinson Automotive Group.
We have worked with Pickens Tech’s automotive technician program administrators and instructors to design this program. Pickens Tech set up a foundation to accept the funds from the Havana Motor Mile for this program and will be using the money to purchase tool packages from partner companies. For 2017, we have a total of $20,000 to put towards this tool incentive program.
The Pickens Tech instructors will be working with the shop managers & supervisors of our Havana Motor Mile shops to connect and place students in employment in the shops upon graduation in May of 2017. The students placed in our shops will be awarded a tool package on their first day of employment to use on the job. If they stay employed at the shop for 2 years, he/she gets to keep the tool package. If they leave employment before the 2-year mark, the tool package goes back to Pickens Tech to be used for a future student entering into employment in a Havana Motor Mile shop. We will be awarding 8 tool incentive packages in May, when the next class of students graduates from the Pickens Tech automotive program. We feel this is a win-win for both the Havana Motor Mile and Pickens, and the students are very excited about this new program.