On April 30, Ford Motor Company conducted an informational meeting in the Canton Little Theater encouraging students to explore the possibility of a career in auto mechanics and donated two Mustang GTs and a Ford Bronco Raptor for the P-CEP Automotive Technology classes to work with. 

The Mustangs originated from the Ford factory holding lot, both were damaged by the floods across Metro Detroit in August 2023. The Bronco Raptor is a recovered stolen vehicle. 

All donations were sent through Blackwell Ford of Plymouth Township and Bill Brown Ford of Livonia, two dealerships that have previously connected with P-CEP’s auto program. Through assisting the P-CEP Advanced Automotive Training Center, the dealerships have been involved with the program’s advisory committee and have previously donated engines, as well as have participated in past career fairs with the district.  

Reaching out to schools is a part of Ford’s recruitment process for the new generation of auto technicians. With a shortage of technicians, the company provides resources to high schools to encourage students to consider working in the automotive field, said Ford Technical Placement Specialist Ashley Bond. 

 “There’s a nationwide shortage of auto technicians. So we’re looking to help recruit [students]and get them to understand how far they can go within the field.”

Ford has developed to train students post-high school: The Automotive Career Exploration Program (ACE) and the Automotive Student Service Educational Training Program (ASSET). ASSET provides students with an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree. ACE allows students to explore options within the automotive field.

A car show within the P-CEP auto garage featuring multiple Ford vehicles along with the new donations followed the presentation. Washtenaw Community College and Michigan CAT also participated to promote their auto engineering programs.

“We don’t know necessarily what our students’ goals are, you know, where life is going to project them and what they’re up to,” said Shyanne Bailey, lab technician at Washtenaw Community College, “so we try our best to prep them for any area, any field that they’re wanting to go in.”

Canton alumnus and apprentice at Ford Blackwell Zachary Cioroch used similar resources on his journey to become an auto mechanic started by talking to a Ford ambassador at a school career fair. 

“I worked under someone, just changing oil. Then I realized that this is what I want to do as a career and I talked to my bosses. I told them that I wanted to go farther into this career.”

With the new donations allowing students to work with updated car parts, alongside the school’s access to resources from multiple dealerships and automotive programs, P-CEP’s Advanced Automotive Training Center gives students a supportive launchpad for future success said Chad Woodring, one of the teachers a part of the automotive program.   

“This [Auto Technology classes] provides an opportunity for students to enter directly into the workforce, get trained in a lucrative career, and become a success.”