FDSH students looking for a few bad cars
Basic repairs to be offered
Trending
The U.S. Marines might be looking for a few good men, but the Fort Dodge Senior High School automotive program is looking for a few bad cars.
Students in the high school automotive classes are looking for vehicles from the community to help them build real-world skills while also supporting the SkillsUSA organization.
"We’ve been working on expanding our automotive program to give students more opportunities to gain real-world experience," said industrial technology teacher Jeremiah Reed. "One of the biggest challenges with teaching automotive classes is having enough vehicles for students to work on. We can teach them the procedures and have them practice on the vehicles we have available, but there’s a big difference between doing the same job repeatedly on a classroom vehicle and working on a variety of vehicles with different service needs."
The school's automotive classes will accept selected vehicle service and repair projects that match the skills students are currently learning and becoming certified to perform.
The school offers two automotive courses this trimester, Basic Automotive and Automotive Engines.
The Basic Automotive Maintenance students can take on work related to their current certifications, such as oil and filter changes, tire rotations and other tire/wheel services, vehicle inspections, battery testing, filters, wipers, fluid checks, and other basic maintenance services.
The Automotive Engines students may also take on select engine-related projects as their skills progress, such as spark plug service and other appropriate engine work. Students aren’t looking to do any major engine services at this time, but are accepting smaller projects including diagnostics.
As students go through each trimester, the courses change and the types of projects they can accept will change, so even if they can’t accept a job currently, they may be able to in the future.
"The way the program works is that community members can contact me about having basic maintenance or repair work performed on their vehicles," Reed said."We’ll determine whether the work is something our students can safely complete based on their current skills, the classes we’re teaching, and the time we have available. Customers provide the necessary parts and materials, and there is no set labor charge. Instead, we give them the option to make a free-will donation to our SkillsUSA student organization, which helps support student competitions, leadership opportunities, and other career and technical education activities."
SkillsUSA provides Career and Technical Education students opportunities to develop technical, leadership, teamwork, and employability skills through hands-on projects, leadership activities, and competitions. Donations will help offset student expenses such as membership and registration fees, competition fees, project materials, and other costs.
A completed waiver is required for anyone wanting a vehicle repaired. Customers need to email jreed@fdschools.org with the work they would like to have completed and to get a waiver, which can be emailed back to Reed or delivered when the car is delivered. No work will be completed without the waiver being completed.
Reed will determine whether the requested work fits the skills currently being taught and contact customers about scheduling. The vehicle owner purchases and brings in all required parts and fluids. Vehicle drop-off and pickup will be arranged with Reed.
"My biggest goal is to get students as close to a real automotive shop experience as possible while they’re still in high school," he said."I want them to learn more than just how to change oil or replace parts. I want them to understand the entire process, from listening to a customer’s concerns and completing a work order to inspecting the vehicle, finding the correct service information, performing the work, and making sure everything is done correctly before returning it to the customer.".
"I also want students to develop confidence in their abilities," he added. "When they graduate, I want them to have enough hands-on experience that they can walk into an entry-level automotive position and already understand the expectations of working in a professional shop. Even for students who don’t pursue automotive careers, these are valuable skills that can help them maintain their own vehicles and save money in the future."