Beep! Beep! Local Toyota Dealerships Boosting Hands-on Training and Scholarship Access for DMC Automotive Applied Technology Majors
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October
2022
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18:37 PM
Europe/Amsterdam
AutoNation Toyota Corpus Christi and Mike Shaw Toyota jointly donate 2018 Corolla for students’ training; Mike Shaw Toyota gives $15,000 toward scholarships for 2022-2023 academic year
Article by Melinda Eddleman
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The vehicle donation through the partnership between AutoNation Toyota and Mike Shaw Toyota represents these local employers’ commitment to providing the Coastal Bend with a skilled workforce. Access to updated automotive technology is an essential component to workforce development; and thanks to the generosity of both dealerships, Del Mar College students will leave the program better prepared to serve the community’s automotive needs.
Toby Gustavus, Workforce Development Manager with Gulf States Toyota
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Automotive Applied Technology Sign and Donated Toyota and Check
Mary McQueen, Executive Director of the DMC Foundation, adds, “The vehicle donation from Corpus Christi’s Toyota dealers ensures our Automotive Applied Technology students have the tools required to enter the local workforce prepared and ready to work. This gift, coupled with the creation of the Mike Shaw Scholarship for Automotive Excellence, helps close the gap between financial need and receiving a quality education in our community.”
Scholarship criteria include maintaining a minimum 2.0 grade point average and enrolling part- or full-time or six to 11 hours or 12-plus hours, respectively. Full-time recipients can receive $3,300 annually while part-time recipients receive $1,700; and if funds are available and students continue to meet criteria, the scholarship is renewable through their program completion. Current fall semester recipients are also candidates for the Mike Shaw Internship Program.
Mike Shaw Toyota Scholarship Recipients_Fall 2022
The College’s Automotive Applied Technology Program offers training for the following: Level I Certificate in Suspension, Driveline, Brake Specialist; Level II Certificate in Automotive Applied Technology and an Associate in Applied Science in Automotive Applied Technology degree. Training includes intensive career preparation through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on practice. The program’s curriculum is updated frequently to reflect changing technology and equipment. Additionally, manufacturers provide late model cars on which students can practice skills and ensure the automotive program teaches the latest in automotive technology.
As part of the event, DMC students also received lunch and heard a panel discussion with Mike Shaw Toyota representatives to learn about industry changes, opportunities with the dealership and other topics related to the local automotive industry as they prepare for careers in the field.
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