New Apprenticeship is Putting People on the Road to Success

DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – If you're looking for a career and you like getting your hands dirty while working with cars and trucks, there's a new apprenticeship program here in North Texas that's putting people on the road to careers as auto technicians. 

Catherine Alvarado loves working on cars. But she never got the proper training she needed.

"I was looking for a career I worked at other shops," said apprentice Catherine Alvarado. "And it was very different I wasn't really growing as a person and I wanted to challenge myself."

That's when she found the Automotive Apprenticeship Group, or AAG. As an apprentice in the program, she's getting paid hands-on training as an auto technician at Southwest International Trucks in Dallas.

"They've guided me and I feel like I have the support that I never had before, so I feel like I have what it takes to be successful in this," said Alvarado.

The apprentices don't pay anything for the training.

"Recently, it really escalated to the point that it's becoming more and more difficult to find any of the technicians we need," said Joe Atkinson the president of the Automotive Apprenticeship Group.

According to AAG, there's currently a shortage of 800,000 auto techs nationwide.

Upon completion of the two-year program, students are guaranteed a job, usually at the dealership where they've been training.

"We get certificates at the end and we're actually able to be a diesel tech all around the country," said AAG apprentice Kristopher McCune. "Knowlege is power, so if you can have the knowledge, this opportunity that we have here it allows you to open up a lot of doors."

It's an opportunity to jumpstart a career that guarantees financial stability.

"I feel like they're investing in me," said Alvarado. "Any dealership, any company I go will want me and will hire me."

If you are interested in applying to become an apprentice with AAG, visit aagamerica.com