The most valuable asset in today’s job market is experience ? something Dick Lederman is trying to give kids at Dick’s Collision Center in Clarkston with the Hands-on Work Experience Program.
‘There are a lot of kids out there who are not college bound and it’s too costly for them to attend a trade school,? said Lederman. ?(This program) helps kids learn a trade.?
Dick’s collision partnered with Oakland County Work Force Development and the Oakland School’s Joblink Career Center to find kids who lack experience in the workplace.
‘We show them what’s expected of them in today’s workplace ? coming to work on time, following directions, completing tasks. When the kids are done, they have a proven track record to show their next employer,? said Lederman.
Participants are held to a strict tardy and attendance policy, and start off sweeping floors and cleaning cars at Dick’s Collision Center. Once an individual has proven they are reliable, their duties expand to rubbing and polishing cars, then priming and prepping cars for painting, and eventually onto body work.
‘Before (my jobs) were just something to pay the bills. Now I have a trade,? said Brian Chyva, of Waterford, who is now learning how to buff out cars.
For some in the Hands-on program, the learning experience at Dick’s is the first time they have learned marketable skills, like Chyva who previously worked in a fast food restaurant and as a tow truck driver.
‘Nobody hires these kids. We want to give them a chance to learn skills,? said Lederman.
Others are drawn to the program for enrichment purposes.
‘I’ve always had an interest in cars and now I’m learning the basics,? said Patrick Lloyd, of Clarkston, who is a junior political science major at Oakland University.
Ensuring that the ‘hands-on? part of the experience is safe for customers and kids alike, the state certified staff of Dick’s Collision watch over the program members as they work.
According to Lederman, the State of Michigan picks up some of the hourly wage paid to the participants in the program. Dick’s Collision pays out $8 per hour to Hands-on participants.
Lederman feels that the time his staff invests in teaching the kids the correct way of doing things is easily repaid to his business. Once the program members are trained to the satisfaction of Dick’s Collisions? standards, Lederman is able to cut down on labor costs, a savings, he suggested, which is passed on to his customers.
Lederman feels for the program to work, he needs his trainees to have work, and is calling upon local residents and businesses to bring their cars to his shop.
The Hands-on experience program at Dick’s Collision is endorsed by Oakland County Commissioner L. Brooks Patterson and Waterford Township Chief of Police John Dean.
The Hands-on experience program is open to individuals of age 18-21.
For more information call the Oakland Schools Joblink Career Center at 248-276-1777 and ask about the Hands-on Work Experience Program at Dick’s Collision. Those interested can also call Dick’s Collision at 248-620-4400.