TAMPA, Fla. – The City of Tampa is trying to tackle a shortage in its workforce by partnering with Hillsborough Community College to launch the GEAR UP program.
The program aims to create a pipeline for students to be hired as mechanics and auto technicians.
READ: Hillsborough School Board votes to close Walton Academy due to safety, security concerns
The backstory:
Reports show that over the last several years, there’s been a demand for hundreds of thousands of auto technicians nationwide. The City of Tampa said it’s faced its own challenges with recruiting and hiring mechanics.
“They service close to 3,900 vehicles that are used by our city team each and every day,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. “First responder vehicles, fire, police and everything else, water, wastewater.”
Castor said their mechanics are vital to the operations of daily city services.
MORE: Charter school operators prepare to potentially move on public school campuses under new state rule
“When some people, when their vehicle is out of service, it can be an inconvenience,” Adriana Colina, the City of Tampa’s director of logistics and asset management, said. “For the City of Tampa, what that means is city services are not provided.”
Big picture view:
The city is teaming up with Hillsborough Community College to offer financial and career incentives for students pursuing a career as a mechanic.
The GEAR UP program allows students to get about 15 hours of hands-on training at the city’s fleet maintenance division each week. The city covers the full cost of program tuition and training, which can be up to around $13,000 per student every year.
What they’re saying:
“I wanted to get into the diesel field, and it was hard for me to find good training,” Maurice Kennedy, a current student, said.
READ: Future Career Academy connects Hillsborough County seniors with real-world job opportunities
Kennedy said there aren’t typically many opportunities to get hands-on training, which is needed for a career in mechanics.
“When I first started the program, I didn’t have a job, and I needed a way to fund myself, from driving to eating and all that,” Kennedy said. “So, this definitely helps me out. You know, I’m still getting paid a little bit to help, you know, get myself to school and back.”
The program aims to give students the tools they need to kickstart [their] career, while filling some critical gaps in the city.
“Workforce training is one of our most powerful gateways to family-sustaining wedges and long-term career success,” Hillsborough Community College President Dr. Ken Atwater said.
The program is about a year and a half, with the goal of placing students in full-time jobs when they’re finished.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Kylie Jones.Â