The program is a two-year, fully paid apprenticeship program.
The $73,145 Florida Department of Education grant will provide equipment and instructional materials for students that enroll in the two-year automotive apprenticeship.
The curriculum designed by Daytona State College and Daytona Toyota will feature more than 2,650 hours of hands-on training and one-on-one mentorship.
Associate Vice President Sherryl Weems says along with receiving multiple stackable certificates, students will receive hourly pay for participating in the program.
“But essentially when the students enter into the apprenticeship program they also become employees of Daytona Toyota. So, there’s a salary incentive there for the students and they start at $12 dollars an hour.”
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Plus, Weems says students are essentially guaranteed a job in the field upon completion of the program.
“And they are incentivizing the students as they would a real-world worker in terms of their opportunities for growth and development and at the same time offering them a sense of security because students know that if they’re successful they have an opportunity to stay with the company.”
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The grant is part of the $75 million dollars Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested to expand technical education in Florida.
Daytona State College was one of eight local schools to receive the funding.
