Seven local automotive groups in the Greater Chattanooga area donated $81,000 to purchase 15 fully stocked toolkits for students in the automotive technician training program at Chattanooga State’s Tennessee College of Applied Technology.
The dealer groups, which represent more than 20 automotive brands, also pledged to hold job fairs and meet-and-greets with industry professionals and organize work-study programs that would allow students to work at a dealership while completing their studies.
Brad Cobb, president of the Bowers Automotive Group, heard a talk by someone running a local business incubator who was working with Chattanooga State and the trucking industry. He wondered whether the local dealerships could do a similar program.
“I reached out to Chattanooga State and we developed the concept for the program to address the need” for tools, Cobb said in a statement. “I then contacted the local dealers to ask for their support and almost all of them immediately signed up. We are so excited to see this program create new opportunities and remove barriers for future technicians through the Toolkit Initiative.”
The toolkits include all the necessary tools for an automotive technician and a seven-drawer tool cabinet. Each toolkit is valued at about $5,000.
Additionally, the automotive groups involved in the initiative were honored this spring with the Silver Star of Excellence Award by the American Technical Education Association in collaboration with the National Technical Honor Society. The award recognizes a business or group of businesses that support technical education.
Automotive groups participating in the initiative are:
- Acura of Chattanooga;
- Bowers Automotive Group;
- Capital Toyota/Lexus of Chattanooga;
- Crown Automotive Group;
- Integrity Automotive Group;
- Mountain View Auto Group; and
- Sonic Automotive Group.