Jack Schmitt Chevrolet Launches Automotive Technician Apprenticeship With Lewis and Clark Community College

Finding skilled automotive technicians has become one of the biggest challenges facing dealerships and repair facilities. At Jack Schmitt Chevrolet of Wood River, we decided that simply competing for the same pool of experienced technicians was not enough.

We wanted to help develop the next generation.

That is why Jack Schmitt Chevrolet has partnered with Lewis and Clark Community College’s Automotive Technology program to create an apprenticeship and employment pathway for local students pursuing careers as automotive technicians.

The partnership gives participating students an opportunity to work in a professional dealership service department while continuing their automotive education. Students can gain real-world experience, learn alongside experienced technicians and begin building a career before they graduate.

Building Automotive Technicians Instead of Just Recruiting Them

The partnership grew out of a problem familiar to Jack Schmitt Chevrolet Service Manager Colby Stellhorn: finding qualified automotive technicians is difficult, and simply waiting for experienced technicians to enter the job market does nothing to expand the talent pool.

Rather than continuing to compete for the same technicians, Stellhorn and Jack Schmitt Chevrolet reached out to Lewis and Clark to explore how the dealership could become involved earlier and help students develop into automotive professionals.

“We got tired of talking about how hard it is to find good technicians and decided we needed to be part of the solution,” Stellhorn said. “There are students right here in our community choosing automotive technology as a career. If we can give them an opportunity to work, learn and develop while they’re still in school, that’s good for them and good for the industry.”

Lewis and Clark’s Automotive Technology program provides hands-on education designed to prepare students for careers in vehicle diagnosis, maintenance and repair. The partnership with Jack Schmitt Chevrolet gives participating students an opportunity to apply those skills in a working dealership environment.

Real Dealership Experience While Still in School

Automotive service is a hands-on profession. Classroom and laboratory instruction provide the technical foundation, but there is another level of learning that happens when students work with real vehicles, diagnostic equipment, repair procedures and experienced professionals.

Students employed through the apprenticeship program can begin gaining that experience before graduation.

They get exposure to the day-to-day operation of a modern dealership service department, develop professional work habits and begin building an employment history in the same field they are studying.

“When someone finishes school, we don’t want their first day in a dealership to also be their first exposure to how a professional service department operates,” Stellhorn said. “The experience they gain while they’re learning can give them a major head start.”

Helping Students Build Their Professional Tool Collection

One of the biggest expenses facing someone beginning a career as an automotive technician is something many people outside the industry never think about: professional tools.

Technicians can invest thousands of dollars building the tool collection required to perform their jobs. For students and new technicians, that expense can create a significant barrier at the very beginning of their careers.

The Jack Schmitt Chevrolet apprenticeship program is designed to help reduce that barrier.

Participating students are provided tools to use while developing their skills and working at the dealership. After two years of employment with Jack Schmitt Chevrolet, those tools are gifted to the student.

That means a student who completes two years with the dealership can leave the program with much more than classroom training. They can have real dealership experience, an established employment history and a professional tool collection they can continue using throughout their automotive career.

“We want this to be more than filling an open position,” Stellhorn said. “If someone spends two years here learning and developing, we want them to have something substantial to show for that investment in themselves.”

Creating Automotive Career Opportunities in the Metro East

Jack Schmitt Chevrolet has served drivers throughout Wood River, Alton, Edwardsville, Granite City and the Metro East for decades. Partnering with Lewis and Clark gives us another opportunity to invest in the community by helping local students build careers close to home.

With Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey campus located only a short drive from our dealership in Wood River, the partnership creates a natural connection between local automotive education and local employment.

“We can keep fighting over the technicians who are already out there, or we can help create more of them,” Stellhorn said. “There are talented people in our community who could have great careers in this industry. They just need a pathway to get started.”

A Path From the Classroom to the Service Bay

The goal of the Jack Schmitt Chevrolet sponsorship and apprenticeship program is straightforward: help students move from automotive education into a real career with fewer barriers and more experience.

By combining education at Lewis and Clark with employment at Jack Schmitt Chevrolet, students have the opportunity to earn while they learn, develop practical skills in a professional environment and begin building the tools and experience they will need for the future.

For Jack Schmitt Chevrolet, it is also an investment in the next generation of automotive technicians and in the future of automotive service here in the Metro East.

Interested in Becoming an Automotive Technician?

Students interested in automotive repair, diagnostics and automotive technology careers can learn more about the Lewis and Clark Community College Automotive Technology program or visit lc.edu/auto.

If you are interested in building an automotive career with Jack Schmitt Chevrolet, visit our career opportunities page to learn more about employment opportunities with our team.

You can also learn more about our Chevrolet Certified Service department in Wood River and the automotive services we provide to drivers throughout the Metro East.

Jack Schmitt Chevrolet of Wood River
1870 E. Edwardsville Rd.
Wood River, IL 62095
(618) 259-4900