Tipton auto dealership helps students of all ages

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

One Tipton auto dealership, managed by a non-traditional student, is offering a non-traditional education program.

Academy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (CDJR) General Manager Chuck Jones spoke to The Reporter about the “Chariot Automotive Institute” and his own return to college while in his 50s.

Chariot Auto Group (CAG) has four dealerships, one of which is Academy CDJR, 6002 W. Field Drive, Tipton. Last August, CAG launched the Chariot Automotive Institute in partnership with Ivy Tech and the Indiana Department of Labor.

Jones is the definition of a non-traditional student. Thanks to CAG, he is currently enrolled at Ivy Tech in the business degree program. He told The Reporter his own college education is more about the challenge and personal enrichment at this stage in his life.

“When I got out of high school, I wanted to get right to work,” Jones said. “I knew that I was going to be successful one way or the other even though I might have to work twice as hard as the guy next to me. I just got to work and never really looked back.”

Jones said he never had any intention to go to college. He just wanted to provide a good life for himself and his family. Both his daughters graduated from Indiana State University and his wife is a registered nurse with a degree from Indiana University.

“I’m the youngest of five and no one in my family went to college,” Jones said. “I come from a very low-income family. We never wanted for anything but didn’t have extras, which created a really good work ethic.”

Jones, in his capacity as manager of Academy CDJR, is helping the next generation of hard-working students earn college credits while in high school.

Chariot Automotive Institute is a program that “was created to address the shortage in automotive technology professionals and help to fill Indiana’s pipeline with professionals entering the automotive retail industry.”

For high school students, they do that through the Automotive Technician Education Pathway (ATEP).

“We had 27 ATEP students here at Academy in Tipton,” Jones said. “Those students were from Noblesville, Westfield, Sheridan, Tipton, and Western. All those kids split shifts. Some were here three hours in the morning, some three hours in the afternoon, but they had classroom and hands-on training within our organization here at our store, which helped them with college credits. These kids won’t have a school loan or any bills left over once they’re completed their schooling, which is a really awesome program.”

This newspaper has covered other such programs in and around Hamilton County, including ABC Commercial Construction Prep Academy in Fishers. In central Indiana, at least, opportunities exist for young people who do not want an advanced degree, but who want to earn a good living and are willing to work for it.

“We want to provide an opportunity to help people and better themselves, and we can do that,” Jones said. “Some of these folks will stay with us, and some of these folks will end up at other places, which is totally okay with us.”