Auto-tech lab makes students marketable...

Godby High School's automotive tech and drafting teacher, Marshall Johnson, dreams of the day when his students will master the basics of automotive technology using state-of-the art equipment.

With this fall's completion of Leon County School's only high-school auto-tech lab and the recent arrival of thousands of dollars in diagnostic equipment, Johnson's students will be able to learn these basics. Since last spring, Godby students have taken the classes without practice equipment or cars.

And local car dealerships say they're ready for the students who successfully finish Godby's program and choose to work in the industry.

"There are two main reasons for these classes: to provide students with experience for an entry-level position in automotive technology and others will just want to know more about cars," Johnson said at the new lab building.

Johnson showed off an automobile lift and tool-box kits to some Godby students, like freshman James Herring. James, who is taking one of Johnson's drafting courses, said he'll take the tech class next spring.

Tyler Dudley, a freshman in Johnson's auto-tech class, said he's currently learning about engines, pistons, fluids and "a touch of drafting, so we'll know how to read the drawings of an engine or parts of a car."

James said he thought taking the class would "shine on my resume" and help him get a job.

Helping students get good-paying jobs in the automotive industry is something both Superintendent Bill Montford and Godby Principal Randy Pridgeon hope the course work will accomplish. The classes are part of the school's Workforce Development Initiative, which includes field trips to and internships with local businesses.

Graduates of the program who then acquire certifications like those from the Lively Special and Alternative School, could get jobs with local dealerships starting at around $30,000, Montford said.

"There's a tremendous need for technicians," said Louise Putney, general manager at Proctor Honda in Tallahassee.

"With the computer age and the complexity of vehicles today, there's a great need to start early. And there's just as much opportunity for females as males."

Putney said that at her company, an experienced and tenured technician with a good work ethic and marketable certifications could make $50,000 annually.

Leon County Schools spent $900,000 on the Godby lab and purchased $200,000 in equipment using the half-percent sales tax approved in 2002, Pridgeon said.

"This will be neat training for a student to get a job right after high school with a good future," Johnson said. "The students will have the knowledge of the tools and processes that will set them apart."

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