Auto Tech Career Fair Sparks Students’ Passion
Last night, the Automotive Technology Department hosted a career event on campus for its students to discover how to take the next steps on their career paths. The Orange County Automobile Dealers Association co-organized this “Classroom to Career” fair and brought together representatives from dealerships across the county to talk to students about job opportunities in their field.
In the lift bay between Auto Tech and Automotive Collision Repair shops, students walked among giveaway tables and new model cars that the dealerships had brought to exhibit. Ford, General Motors, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Toyota, Mazda, and Land Rover were all represented, and students heard from professionals about how to be a part of these companies.
“It was really motivating to see how far you could get from just working at the dealership,” student Alan Davalos, who studies the Mazda MAST curriculum, said. “The dealers are looking for people who have a passion about cars and working on them.”
The Mazda MAST partnership has its own professional pipeline, with dedicated coursework and an in-person component that brings senior technicians to campus get students up to speed. Once that is complete, student Daniel Juarez says, “they can see you know what you’re doing so they can place you and work as a master apprentice.”
Daniel talked to other dealership personnel as well and learned how high this career option could take him: “Someone at Ford said he started as tech and climbed the ranks. Now he’s a Regional Manager for the West Coast.”
Toyota was represented, too, aligning with the Toyota T-TEN program that trains dedicated Toyota technicians. Students spoke with Auto Tech adjunct faculty Andy Fu, who currently manages the service at Toyota Place in Garden Grove, and learned more about career trajectories from Andy and his colleagues.
“We got to talk to them about what it takes to get in,” student Matt Shandy said. “There were about nine people I met who got in as techs and became service directors.”
This year’s event differs from previous years, which combined the career fair with an auto skills challenge for high school students. The separation has so far surpassed expectations.
“It was a big success,” Russ Bacarella, Automotive Technology faculty and co-organizer of the event, said. “This is the first in a series of hiring and outreach events for our students and feeders which will conclude on March 13 with the high school tech competition. We’ve expanded the capacity for both our current and future students, so we can get even more students working in these great jobs.”
Russ and other organizers encourage the campus community to stop by the March 13 auto skills event, which begins at 5, to learn more about the department’s opportunities for students.