Empower’s New Automotive Program Accelerates Student Success with HireSmart Support 

When Zach Holtzclaw walked into the brand-new automotive technology facility at Empower College and Career Center, he knew he was stepping into something special. As the inaugural director of the program, Holtzclaw faced the exciting challenge of building a comprehensive automotive curriculum from the ground up in a facility designed to rival any professional shop. 

And the response from students has been overwhelming. 

With capacity for 84 students across three daily classes of roughly 28 students each, the program received applications from over 500 students eager to learn automotive technology.  

John Uesseler, CEO of Empower College and Career Center, said Empower aims to add another automotive teacher next year.  

“We had to turn away enough kids that would have filled another teacher in the classroom,” he said. 

This demand reflects a broader national trend. Generation Z is increasingly choosing vocational training and skilled trades over traditional four-year college paths, drawn by job security, earning potential, and the opportunity to graduate debt-free with marketable skills. 

A Facility Designed for Success 

Students can take steps toward those goals at Empower, which provides students with job training in multiple fields, including at the school’s new Empower automotive center, where students learn how to become automotive technicians in a professional environment. 

“They (the automotive center planners) wanted this to be really eye-catching,” said Holtzclaw. “Coming in, it should be like you would walk into a dealership waiting room.” 

The facility delivers on that promise, with an entrance and lobby resembling a dealership. But the real innovation lies in the shop itself, which houses some of the most advanced diagnostic technology available in automotive education, such as a wireless diagnostic system that allows students to diagnose vehicles remotely. 

“We can work on a car outside from right here without ever having to move,” he demonstrated during a recent facility tour.  

Holtzclaw said the tools students use at Empower are top notch.  

“I was a mechanic for 20 years, and I still don’t have all Snap-on stuff,” he said. “They’re working with probably the best tools that money can buy and doing so in high school.” 

This investment in top-tier equipment sends a powerful message to students about the value and professionalism of skilled trades careers. 

Making Learning Hands-On for Everyone 

Despite the program’s impressive resources, Holtzclaw identified a fundamental challenge facing automotive education: how to provide meaningful hands-on experience when you have 30 students but only one or two vehicles in the shop at any given time. 

“We can only do so much live work,” said Holtzclaw. “Whenever you get 30 kids out in the shop, and you’ve only got one vehicle in there, there ends up being a lot of standing around, not a lot of paying attention to what’s going on.” 

This is where the $4,000 grant from HireSmart Cares makes a difference. 

The grant funded the purchase of essential shop supplies including nuts, bolts, electrical connectors, and various automotive components.  

Students are able to work in small groups, ensuring that every student gets meaningful hands-on time with the equipment rather than watching from the sidelines. 

“We can have workstations at each table,” he said. “They’re learning suspension or they’re diagnosing an electrical issue. Everybody’s involved.” 

The goal was to create an environment where theory immediately transitions to practice, and where no student is left standing idle. 

Building Industry Connections 

The program’s impact extends well beyond the classroom walls. Empower has generated interest from local automotive businesses and dealerships. 

“The people that actually see what’s going on with automotive are reaching out through Facebook to partner with us,” said Uesseler.  

Local businesses see that today’s students are tomorrow’s employees.  

“They’ve been very willing to almost throw used parts at us or whatever we need,” said Holtzclaw. “They know that we’re going to be turning out their next employees.” 

These relationships benefit everyone involved. Students gain access to real-world parts and equipment and businesses build relationships with potential future hires, while the automotive program serves as the glue between the two. 

Beyond Career Prep: Building Automotive Literacy

While the program prepares students for careers in automotive technology, Uesseler emphasizes that the benefits of automotive education extend to all students who participate, regardless of their ultimate career path. 

“Even if they don’t go this pathway, they become literate in that,” said Uesseler. “They’re not taken advantage of. And even if you don’t plan on turning the wrench, maybe you want to be a finance director at an automotive dealership or a salesperson or one of those things.” 

Understanding how vehicles work and how to communicate effectively about automotive issues provides lifelong value for students as they make more-informed decisions about their vehicles in years to come. 

Holtzclaw loves the daily growth he sees in his classroom.   

“A lot of them started out saying ‘I know nothing about this, you know, I just wanted to see how it works,'” he said. “Now they’re actually getting their hands dirty. They’re turning wrenches. They’re able to pull a socket out and know what size it is without having to look at it. Just seeing them progress so quickly has really been amazing.” 

 

HireSmart Cares is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping the next generation through investments in agriculture education, workforce development, and hands-on career training.