Auto Student Has Already Earned a Place on the team months before graduation, a student in NCC’s Automotive Technician Training Program has already been assured of employment based on his outstanding performance during a six-week internship period. Nathaniel Williams, who is working at Good Year Elsy Tire and Auto Center in Newark, has been eager to learn and therefore soaked up quite a bit of knowledge from owner, Jose Gomez, and the experienced team of technicians surrounding him. “He’s the first one here and the last one to leave,” Gomez said. “He’s progressed quite a bit and we’re not holding him back. I’ve offered him full-time employment beginning next month.” For Williams, 45, of Elizabeth, who previously worked in construction and as an exterminator, his interest in fixing cars started because he simply grew tired of shelling out money for repairs. “I needed to do it myself,” said Williams, who noted he has a wife, four children and two grandchildren. A friend told him about NCC’s 12-month automotive training program, which has the backing of Ford Motor Company, whose logo appears on the completion certificate. In addition to classroom instruction and the mandated completion of computer modules covering a variety of automotive topics, students in the NCC program also get a great deal of hands-on experience in NCC’s Automotive Training Center. “It’s challenging. If you don’t apply yourself, you will be lost,” Williams said, noting he puts in extra hours to stay on top of what he needs to know. The internship initiative in which Williams is participating is a new component of NCC’s Automotive Training Program. Other participating employers include Ford Motor Co., Jiffy Lube, Sansone, Foreign and Domestic Auto Center, Aamco Auto Center of Bloomfield, Virgo Transportation, Jones Transportation, George Auto Body & Center, Orange Auto Center, and Star Auto Parts.
