Hands-on education leads to solid career path

Our country continues to face a significant shortage of skilled automotive technicians, and a program at Chariot Automotive Institute is working to help fill in that labor gap. Earlier this month, nine high schoolers were honored during the Chariot Automotive Institute’s 2025 Graduation in Kokomo.

All nine students received a successful Automotive Technician Education Pathway (ATEP) completion, which offers high school juniors and seniors in Indiana the opportunity to get hands-on training and college credit toward a degree. This was the first time that students were officially recognized for completing the full two-year program, which began in 2023.

ATEP prepares students to enter a Registered Department of Labor (DOL) Apprenticeship Program. ATEP is one of just a few automotive-focused DOL-accredited programs in Indiana.

Seven of the students also received an Automotive Service Technology Technical Certificate from Ivy Tech Community College. The students were able to earn this post-secondary certification at no cost. Students from Westfield High School, Noblesville High School, Hamilton Heights High School, Tipton High School, and Lewis Cass High School were all recognized.

The Reporter spoke to Westfield student Dylan Woodward and Chariot Automotive Workforce Development Specialist Jim Woolf about the benefits of this educational program.

“It was a really good experience, honestly,” Woodward told The Reporter. “It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It’s probably been the best two years I’ve had so far learning and also just meeting new people through it. I would say there’s still some more learning to do, but there’s always more learning you can do.”

Woodward, who works for the Chariot dealership now, said he now has the knowledge and experience for this career to feel like second nature to him.

“When I go into work, I feel like I don’t have to go around asking everybody,” Woodward said. “There’s some things that are still complicated, but I feel like the program’s given me a lot of insight just into the basic functioning of a car, but also a little bit more in depth about communications and all the other stuff, especially engine performance.”

Woolf does workforce development and grant writing for Chariot’s program, which is funded in part through a state program called Career Scholarship Accounts.

“It’s become a very, very popular program within the state because businesses like us can afford to do workforce development with high schoolers, with state assistance paying for their tuition, tools, shirts, career counseling, and all the things that we did,” Woolf said.

Due to state budget cuts, Woolf is currently trying to figure out how to fully fund expenses for the next cohort of students, which is set to increase to 55 next year.

“Dylan, along with the other students, were able to get a $5,000 scholarship from the state of Indiana, and 70 percent of that money goes to Ivy Tech tuition,” Woolf said. “We pay tuition and then Dylan was able to accumulate several thousand dollars worth of personal tools through that money as well as a federal grant we were working on. So Dylan’s going to graduate not only with his technical certificate but somewhere in the neighborhood $3,000 worth of personal tools.”

Woodward will now be involved in a program that Chariot is testing to see if students can attend summer classes and a fall semester to get an associate’s degree in automotive technology.

“It’s really kind of a blessing to be able to graduate with my Ivy Tech college graduation before my high school graduation,” Woodward said. “I plan to further my education as much as I can, keep doing my training that Chariot helps provide for, but also keep working with Chariot, because even when you’re not doing training, you’re still getting educated on what’s going on.”

According to Woolf, beyond being an automotive technician, Woodward can work his way into a service manager or other administrative positions at one of the Chariot dealerships.

“These are guys and gals who are graduating and within three, four, five years. If they’re good and aggressive in their education like Dylan is, they’re going to be earning $80,000, $90,000, or $100,000-plus per year. It’s a great occupation for them. It’s no longer just turning wrenches and getting dirty. It’s like Dylan said, a lot of technology, a lot of communication involved, which young folks like Dylan just pick up pretty easily.”

Chariot has been working directly with high schools to find students who are the right fit. Any students interested in this program can get more information from their high school guidance counselors.