EVIT students with perfect attendance will have the chance to win this at the end of the school year:
Steve Marley, service manager at Thorobred Chevrolet, dropped off the truck and passed the keys over to EVIT Campus Director James Fisher on Monday.
Now, it's up to the EVIT automotive and collision repair students to look it over and give it a fresh coat of a paint and an updated look.
This school year is extra special for perfect attendance students because they'll have two chances to win a vehicle. EVIT seniors with perfect attendance will also be in the running to win a brand new Chevy Cruze as part of General Motors' Chevy Drive for Perfection Contest.
The Automotive Technology students at East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) went from "under the hood" to "behind the desk" today. They may know all about cars, but can they sell themselves to a future employer? Industry professionals were on hand for mock interviews with the students to help them learn how. A good, firm handshake is a tried and true interview skill as taught by Bob Jones, owner of Quality Transmission.
Mike McAfee with the Arizona Automobile Dealer's Association interviews the students then gives feedback on what they did well, or how they could improve.
Students learn job seeking skills by filling out resumes, writing cover letters and now by actually practicing the interview process itself.
The practice has proven to be successful. EVIT's Automotive Technology program is #1 in the United States for placements of students in jobs.
East Valley Institute of Technogy (EVIT) students filled the EVIT auditorium three times to celebrate completing another grade period with perfect attendance. Thanks to contributions from Thorobred Chevrolet, two cars are the incentives to be at school every day.
All EVIT students are in competition for a car that will be spruced up by EVIT's Automotive Technology and Collision Repair classes. But, this year EVIT seniors will have another chance to win a brand new Chevy Cruze as part of General Motors' Chevy Drive for Perfection contest.
Steve Marley, Service Manager of Thorobred Chevrolet, says that this is a chance for industry to promote a perfect attendance work ethic while students are still in training. The drawing will take place on May 23rd!
Sheralynn Sampson, a senior at Salt River High School was celebrated last week for both her excellent track record as a successful female student in a male dominated program, and her drive to bring change into this competitive field.
Sheralynn recently contacted the local auto celebrity Sarah "Bogi" Lateiner, owner of 180 Degrees Automotive, to visit EVIT and help the East Valley recruit more females in the Automotive industry.
Randy Baker's automotive technologies students got a crash course in air conditioning repairs during class today.
John Brunner, who is on the advisory council for EVIT's auto program, travels the country teaching various groups about air conditioning repairs. He met with the EVIT students for about two hours and demonstrated different techniques.
"He's very knowledgeable, coming straight from industry," Mr. Baker said. "It's nice to be able to have that exposure to industry for the students."
And besides, Mr. Baker said, sometimes the students just get sick of listening to him talk and are happy to learn from someone new!
The EVIT automotive technology program received a very generous donation from Lowe's, Kobalt Tools and SkillsUSA this week: $1,100 worth of tools!
The donation was given as part of the national Toolbox for Education Program. EVIT teacher Derek Hall and students Ola Wladyszewski and Ted Cheeseman went down to the Lowe's of Tempe store on Wednesday to thank store manager Jaime Cordova and collect the donation.
The students were very excited to see how many new tools they were getting.
A big "thank you!" to Saturn of Tempe for donating this 2004 Saturn Ion to the EVIT automotive program:
EVIT auto students will be able to use the car for lots of hands-on training. Donations like these from our industry partners help the students keep up-to-date on the skills they need to be successful employees in the field.
On Friday, the folks at Saturn handed over the keys. EVIT automotive teacher Randy Baker (on the left in the picture below) then brought the car back to campus. Also pictured are Arik Watts, service manager for Saturn of Tempe; Mike Isham, special finance manager for Saturn of Tempe; and Michael McAfee, director of education for the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association.
Our students can't wait to get to work on this car!
Two teams of EVIT automotive students competed in the 19th Annual Ford Motor Company Arizona High School Pit Crew Challenge on Friday at Firebird International Raceway.
Last year, an EVIT team took first place, winning this brand new 2009 Ford Lincoln MKZ for their program:
This year, the students practiced hard right up until the very last possible moment. Here are a couple of the students, getting in one last practice before heading to the competition.
They didn't win this year (one team was a just half a second away from getting into the finals!!), but they worked hard, and we're so proud of them!
Congrats to all the students for competing well. Here is the AM team:
Wednesday became "Cool Race Car Day" on EVIT's campus, when two different groups brought two different race cars on campus to show off to students.
First up was Elaine Larsen, a jet dragster driver who brought a car designed by students and professors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. EVIT students learned about educational opportunities at the university, as well as some stats about the car, which has 5,000-6,000 horsepower and can go from 0 to 100 in 1 second.
Meanwhile, NHRA racer Tony Schumacher and a group from the U.S. Army were on campus to talk about the military, ROTC opportunities at local universities and racing in the NHRA. Here is Tony's car, which was retired from NHRA racing in 2005:
Tony set a variety of records with this car, including a national elapsed time world record and a national speed world record.
EVIT automotive technology students spent a few days earlier this morning learning about vehicle parts, service and sales while job shadowing at car dealerships across the SoutheastValley.
The students spent their class time during three days this week getting an up-close look at the industry they hope to work in someday. The experience helps them figure out which career paths will best suit their interests, said Randy Baker, an automotive teacher at EVIT, a career and technical school in Mesa.
“It’s better to know now rather than later,” Baker said. “It really opens their eyes, to be able to see what goes on behind the scenes.”
Students even have the potential to land jobs at the dealerships by making contacts and doing well during their job shadowing.
Second-year EVIT automotive student Branden Aguirre said he learned how to work with tools he doesn’t normally use, during his shadowing at Riverview Toyota in Mesa.
“I like working on Japanese cars, so coming here was beneficial for me,” said Aguirre, 18, who also attends Sun ValleyHigh School in Mesa.
First-year student Ricky Venzor, 15, said he wants to join the U.S. Marine Corps after high school and attend college before opening his own automotive shop. Attending EVIT has been beneficial for him because it has given him opportunities he wouldn’t otherwise have had, he said.
“It helps you figure out what you want to do; you learn a lot,” said Venzor, 15, who also attends Mountain ViewHigh School in Mesa. “Plus, you don’t have to do it after school, so that’s great.”
About 50 SoutheastValley car dealerships opened their doors to show students the ropes and allow them to shadow their employees. The partnership is beneficial for the dealerships, too, because it helps them meet future potential employees.
Riverview Toyota service manager Cory Oliver
said he likes hiring EVIT students because they already have a jumpstart on their education and are further in their training than most entry-level employees. And it helps them figure out what department would be a good fit for each student.
“They might think they want to do this, but they don’t really know what it is like,” Oliver said. “Or they might get into the parts department and think that’s cool and decide to get into that aspect of it.”
It may be Friday, but EVIT students and staff aren't winding down for the week -- they're ramping up for several weekend events.
Automotive technology students will be on campus bright and early Saturday for a FREE community Car Clinic. From 8 a.m to noon, students will conduct basic maintenance inspections, checking things like brakes, fluids and tires. Actual service will not be performed that day, but drivers can make an appointment to come back if any issues are discovered uring the inspection.
Meanwhile, fashion merchandising students will spend their Saturday running a yard sale to raise money for a class trip to California. The sale will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 212 W. Verano Place in Gilbert.
And then at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night, health students are hosting a comedy hypnosis show to raise money for Autism Speaks. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. To purchase tickets, call (480) 461-4001.
One lucky EVIT student who has perfect attendance will win a truck at the end of the school year.
The truck, a donated 2001 Chevy, is spending the school year on campus, being checked over by the automotive students and souped-up by the collision repair students.
And students have a say in exactly what the final product will look like. Any student who still has perfect attendance during the next assembly can vote on which custom paint theme Mr. Carroll's class should use. Here are the choices:
Last week, automotive students got tips from an industry expert on what types of skills employers will expect them to have and how to hone in on what type of career they want.
The speaker, Bob Jones, started up Quality Transmission Service in Tempe 32 years ago and also serves on the automotive program's advisory board.
He said it is important for students to concentrate on these "soft skills" in order to successfully hold a job: attendance, skills, teamwork, attitude, appearance, communication, ethical behavior, responsibility, accountability and dedication.
He also offered tips for student who are still trying to figure out what job they want. He suggested students visit career fairs, look at the various exhibits and collect information from those that interest them. Then they should plan a visit to the places they are interested in and ask the employees questions, such as what they like and don't like about the job, and write down the answers to refer to later. After the visit, he said they should decide whether they have an interest in that particular job. If they do, they should inquire about job shadowing or a part-time job opportunity to try it out.
He reminded students that they should be proactive about figuring out what job they want while they're still in school, rather than waiting until after their schooling is complete and hoping to find a job that is right for them.
Congratulations to Jesse Knox, EVIT automotive student and the Mesa East Rotary Club’s September student of the month!
Jesse was nominated for the honor by his first-year automotive instructor, Derek Hall, who said Jesse’s positive attitude and willingness to always learn something new made him stand out in his class.
“I wish I had a classroom of Jesses,” Mr. Hall said.
Jesse was honored by the EVIT governing board at the Monday, Oct. 12 meeting. He told board members that he credits his education at EVIT with landing him a part-time job at Purrfect Auto Service.
“EVIT definitely taught me everything I know,” he said.
Jesse hopes to intern at a Toyota dealership and then go on to become certified in Toyotas.
Students in Randy Phillips' automotive technology class spent this morning learning about all the tools they'll be using this semester. Don't they look sharp in their uniforms?
Now, it's up to the EVIT automotive and collision repair students to look it over and give it a fresh coat of a paint and an updated look.
A good, firm handshake is a tried and true interview skill as taught by Bob Jones, owner of Quality Transmission.
All EVIT students are in competition for a car that will be spruced up by EVIT's Automotive Technology and Collision Repair classes. But, this year EVIT seniors will have another chance to win a brand new Chevy Cruze as part of General Motors' Chevy Drive for Perfection contest.
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