Pub. 1 2013 Issue 4

Spring Issue 2013 17 they understand the significance of the time spent with students and offering them new challenges each day. During a big parts inventory move recently, one of our interns fromMission Bay proved to be a huge asset and both parties benefited immensely. 3. How does it impact the Mossy dealerships? We are pleased and rewarded to see people succeed. We’ve hired graduates which saves us time interviewing potential candidates where we have otherwise outsourced to look for talent. This provides a positive impact within our community of our organization in the next generation of employees. 4. How do you determine who will mentor an intern? We look to managers or employees who possess the necessary skill sets for this. A good mentor has the skill sets to get students excited and to provide a positive experience. This affirmative partnering will be an ongoing reflection back on our company; these students most likely will refer friends, family, and will impact generations to come. 5. What do Mossy’s mentors say about their experience? The overall experience continues to be very positive. We have learned, however, that there are some departments or jobs that are not chal- lenging enough for the students. If they are not18 years-old, then they cannot work on or drive vehicles so we continue to rotate them around different departments. Mossy employs 2,000 associates within various departments; i.e., accounting, calling centers, sales, service, reception, plus there are lots of opportunities in the service department to work with service advisors for customer contact experience. 6. Where are interns placed? Students are placed in a work area in which they will use the skills and knowledge learned in their career technical education class.The interns are asked if they have a preference where they would like to be assigned. We place them in various departments which provide multiple opportunities to experience areas inwhich theymay already have or develop an interest. We want to ensure the students experience exciting days of high value training, learning a variety of employment skills. 7. Howmany interns have you had? We have been doing this for approximately five or six years and have probably had 50 students from various locations go through internships. We also have a very strong partnership with Miramar College and post- secondary education. 8. Have you hired any interns and are they still employed? Yes. Two currently – they are full time employees and are in the process of determining what they would like to do with their careers. 9. What positive changes have you seen in our internship program? The teachers at San Diego Unified are doing an excellent job of selecting the appropriate students. They know what type of student to send, someone with a high level of interest, is a pleasure to work with, and always interested in learning and doing. Specifically, we have had the pleasure of many talented students from Mission Bay, Clairemont, and Crawford high schools participate in the program. 10. Is the internship program a lot of additional work for Mossy? You would think it is but that is really not the case. Our managers may sometimes have that initial opinion but quickly realize that there is minimal processing paperwork and mentoring is very rewarding. It is really a matter of assigning students to the managers/associates and progress checking. 11. In addition to providing internships, what else is Mossy doing to stay involved with public education? The education to industry partnership is vital to our success and allows our dealerships to give back to the community. We provide guest speakers for classroom presentations and leadership and person- nel for Skills USA contests which provide work force education and employment readiness. The Mossy dealers provide technical advice in the building, remodeling, and refurbishing of high school automotive facilities, assist teachers, prepare for automotive exhibits at the Del Mar Fair and make personnel available at grand opening events for high school automotive programs. Additionally, we donate vehicles, tools, and instructional supplies and support National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation certification efforts by having Mossy employees to serve on the two-day rigorous program inspection. The Office of College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) is at the forefront of the District’s effort to improve student achievement by integrating core academic subjects with relevant, challenging technical and occupational knowledge. CCTE programs prepare students for 21st century challenges and opportunities. This is achieved through a collab- orative process for continuous improvement guided by partnerships with the greater community. For more information, contact Shawn Loescher, Director at 858-503-1758 or by email at sloescher@sandi.net .