Grant Career Center summer interns Coty Thompson (Pep Boys), Pearce Williford (Beechmont Toyota), Roger Thornberry (Performance Lexus), and Jeffery Stevens (Beechmont Toyota), have shared their work experiences with their Automotive Service Technology classmates.

Grant Career Center summer interns Coty Thompson (Pep Boys), Pearce Williford (Beechmont Toyota), Roger Thornberry (Performance Lexus), and Jeffery Stevens (Beechmont Toyota), have shared their work experiences with their Automotive Service Technology classmates.
Each spring, the Automotive Service Technology juniors gear up their interview and technical skills and present themselves to area dealership service managers in hopes of landing an AutomotiveYES Summer internship position. These paid internships reinforce their classroom learning and lab experiences by partnering them with mentors and experienced technicians in the field and preparing them for success in the industry.

This year, four Grant Career Center AutomotiveYES interns spent the summer earning and learning the ins-and-outs of the automotive industry.

As well as gaining valuable work experience, the students improved their technical skills and focused on their goals for the future.

The interns have now come back to school ready to share their new skills with their classmates and learn all that they can before they head back to the workplace. Several students are still accumulating hours and experience working after school hours.

Jeffery Stevens studies by day and works in the evening at Beechmont Toyota. Returning to school this fall, he felt like he knew so much more than he did before, and appreciated the chance to work on a large variety of projects.

“The Automotive Service Technology program at Grant has provided me with a great opportunity to get my foot in the door and propel my career in the right direction,” he said.

Roger Thornberry started the summer as an intern for Performance Lexus. “I now feel more prepared for the workforce and have learned many valuable skills (and earned lots of money). I feel my career has been accelerated and I know more of what I want to do with my future.”

The Automotive Service Technology department is grateful for the partnership with area dealerships and independent shops that have provided training stations for the students over the years. Their belief in “training their own” has been very effective as the interns return after college to build their careers with their sponsoring dealerships.

The AYES internship program allows the students who maintain grades and attendance to continue to work half days during the third quarter with an approved placement. During the fourth quarter of the school year, the interns report to their job site four days a week, returning to Grant for their academics on the fifth day.

For more information about careers in the automotive industry, visit our website at www.grantcareer.com or call the Career Center for more information at (513) 734-6222.