Two seniors at the Gloucester County Technical Education Center recently won full scholarships and are pursuing careers in fields where worker demand is high. Watch video
DEPTFORD TWP. -- When Gloucester County Institute of Technology seniors Aaron Bowers and William Pitt walked away with top honors in the Top Tech Challenge at Universal Technical Institute last month, they brought home more than a cool trophy.
The automotive technology students came back with a solid plan for their futures.
Pitt and Bowers won full scholarships to UTI to continue their studies. They also won a $10,000 toolbox for their school and a few thousand dollars in Snap-On Tools, also for the school.
Standing in GCIT's large automotive technology classroom -- which includes standard classroom fixtures like tables and chairs, along with cars and trucks in various states of repair -- the students talked about their achievements and their goals.
"I started the program in my freshman year after middle school," Pitt recalled. "I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I liked hand-on, especially with cars."
After learning his way through the GCIT program, which has included plenty of hands-on training, Pitt wants to work for Peterbilt as a diesel mechanic.
Bowers, who wants wants to work on Caterpillar equipment once he graduates from UTI, noted that the auto technology program at GCIT is never boring.
"Everything you need is in here," he said, as he looked around the busy classroom. "There's always something new that you're going to be doing. You get a lot of experience with working on actual cars, not just project cars."
In addition to working on the school's bus fleet and county sheriff's department cars, students also service vehicles brought in by staff members and everyday residents. If time allows, students even get to work on their own vehicles.
"It gives these guys a lot of hands-on, real world experience," said Glenn Hubert, GCIT's Automotive Technology teacher.
"They do a great job," he said proudly. "They have a lot of responsibility here, which I think adds to their success."
Success is no stranger to this program. The shop's walls are lined with trophies and banners from past student achievements.
The real payoff for Hubert is seeing a student move on to a career. In fact, he said many of his seniors are already out working in automotive jobs while they are still at GCIT.
Automotive technicians are in high demand these days, explained David St. Leger, admissions representative at UTI. The average age of workers in this field is 45-55.
Last year, UTI partnered with 900 companies that offered tuition reimbursements to students they wanted to hire straight out of school. This year, UTI is partnered with 2,550 companies, including Caterpillar, Peterbilt and Cummins.
"Demand for technicians is at an all-time high and supply at an all-time low," St. Leger said. "The career path for Aaron and Will is really tremendous."
With changing times and evolving technology, terminology has changed, too. The word "mechanic" is no longer the desired term, Hubert and St. Leger explained. "Technician" better describes the technological and mechanical requirements of the field.
"Changing oil and doing tires is still part of the normal service, but any more they've got to be able to diagnose these cars with check engine lights, airbags ... That car right there has 10 computers on it," Hubert said, pointing to a red Corvette.
As Pitt and Bowers studied a computer screen detailing information from the Corvette's computers, both students praised Hubert for his guidance and the school for all it has offered them.
"I've learned a lot from Mr. Hubert," Bowers said. "He's helped me out with everything that I know about cars."
Pitt agreed.
"I like coming here," he said. "It's got all the tools you need, all the experience you could ask for."
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.