General Automotive Instructor David Boggs shared details of the new program Oct. 18, 2007 during the Alamo Chapter meeting of the Texas Independent Automotive Association held at Water Street Oyster Bar in San Antonio.

Boggs said that students in the general automotive class work one eight hour day every week during a 16-week semester free of charge as interns with a sponsoring garage. Another plus, he said, the students are covered by St. Philip’s insurance policy.

“That way they have a longer period of time to basically get in, warm up to the technician and learn something from their lead technicians,” Boggs explained.

Through the internship, students have the opportunity to troubleshoot and repair things they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to in the school’s setting. He said it’s a great opportunity for the students, and a “free trial period” for the garage. If shops are worried about the potential for problems with students, Boggs pointed out that the students are held accountable for their behavior and actions on the job.

Boggs said he makes site visits to meet employers and to see how the students are faring in the shop as part of their grade.  “The criteria the students are graded on are punctuality, quality of work and appearance,” he stressed.

“I’m looking forward to my internship because I haven’t had any experience in a shop yet,” Hill said. 

Boggs said that shop owners who are interested in the internship program can contact him at (210) 531-4759 or via e-mail at dboggs@accd.edu.

“I want to build a list of prospective shops that have interest in this program that are looking to sponsor a student. We want to get our students some real live shop experience, and we would like to see 100 percent of our students in the workforce… that is our goal,” he said.

(Photo cutline: Victor Gonzales, a general automotive student, performs an engine compression test during class at St. Philip's College Oct. 19, 2007.  Photo by Lee Roberts)

(This article published from Topics Fall 2007 issue)