Community Service
Franchised dealers, in addition to providing essential jobs, tax revenue and capital investment in 310 Texas cities and towns, also serve as community leaders and civic volunteers. 

TADA Foundation

The purposes for which the Foundation is organized are:

(1) To promote motor vehicle and driver safety;

(2) To provide support to educational institutions and to individuals;

(3) To present lectures, seminars, discussions, and similar instructional endeavors related to serving the public welfare, including the automotive industry;

(4) To prepare and maintain information regarding the legal, social, economic, and other aspects of the automotive industry;

(5) To receive contributions from individuals, businesses, and entities who wish to contribute to promote the mission and purpose of the Foundation;

(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles of Incorporation, the objectives and purposes of this corporation are charitable, educational, and scientific within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or corresponding provisions of any future federal tax code.

 

 

TADA Fully Supports AYES

 

Organization Summary

Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES), a 501(c)(3) organization, was formed in 1997 as the first national business and educational partnership to develop a national solution to the shortage of young automotive technicians. AYES, envisioned by Jack Smith of General Motors, is a partnership of National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), 12 participating automotive manufacturers, 4,274 participating automotive dealers, 34 state and metro automotive trade associations (ATAEs), 16 State Departments of Education, and 430+ selected high schools/vocational schools. It is designed to encourage young people to consider satisfying careers in service technology and prepare them for entry-level career positions or advanced studies in this field.

Key Elements of the AYES Process 

The AYES model and process is nationally recognized for its requirement that affiliated schools meet the national standards (NATEF) relating to curriculum, training process and facilities, operate under the guidance of a local Business and Education Council, and include process components that require job shadowing, participation in SkillsUSA employability training, CCAR's safety and environmental training, and a mentored internship under a trained senior dealership technician. Successful completion of all aspects of this education and experiential process will result in employment as an entry-level technician. Consequently, the AYES model is a comprehensive process for the new car and truck dealerships to "grow their own technicians" within the communities they serve. 

In 2006, the AYES model and process was available to over 11,000 dealers across the nation through its 400+ affiliated school programs in 46 states. It has exhibited tremendous growth from 22 participating schools and 32 mentored interns in 1996 to 430 schools and 1,745 interns in the 2005-2006 school year.

The AYES model features the following key elements: 

  • Execution of a Letter of Understanding (LOU) with a NATEF-certified high school which provides the enriched AYES-developed automotive curriculum encompassing not only the automotive technology or collision and repair, but environmental and safety training through CCAR, and employability skills through the SkillsUSA PDP experience.

      

  • Creation of local dealer involvement through a business and education (B&E) partnership that provides local oversight and input specific to the area

      

  • Job shadowing experience for interested students

      

  • Paid mentor-based internship in a local dealership during the summer between the junior and senior years

      

  • Tool scholarship consisting of $3,000 in tools and rolling cabinet at a discounted price of approximately $1,100 which gives a future technician a running start (tool costs are often a barrier to a new technician). The cost of the tools is split between the student and dealer and the tools become property of student after two years of employment at the dealer following graduation (student pays only one-third of the original cost)

      

  • Exit exams that measure academic achievement as well as acquired skill level in the automotive technology

      

  • Transition to full-time employment at the interned dealership at the completion of the high school education with the opportunity of post-secondary education through the OEM-specific training programs at a local community college or certificate provider.

      

Recently, AYES has begun an implementation of an e-learning process that will extend the AYES process to all participating dealers even if they are not in the proximity of AYES-affiliated schools. This 21 month-long process includes an aggregated curriculum from a minimum of three content providers and is delivered in 300 successive learning modules. Each lesson is followed by a quiz which tests student’s comprehension of the material. Student’s attendance scores and progress are gathered using a SmartCard system. The SmartCard authenticates and validates the student’s identity as well as provides a secure pathway to the AYES e-learning server. Student’s performance is periodically reported to AYES, participating school, and the dealer. Lessons cannot be taken except on the day presented but the student can review prior material at all times. Access to the curriculum will be limited through the SmartCard and through the participating dealership. This will ensure full delivery of the structured learning opportunity at the dealership under the watchful eye of the student’s mentor. In addition, the online process incorporates elements of SkillsUSA PDP (employability training) and CCAR (safety and environmental training). Naturally, the e-learning process includes the hands-on training as well as a paid summer internship at the participating dealer.

 

The historic AYES process has always been a participating dealer "pull" system; AYES provides a process to identify and prepare quality young men and women through education and experiential interface to ensure that the student and the dealer are "pulled" together in a common process to "grow a technician" from the area based on an identified need. The AYES model and process does not deliver a curriculum to a class and "push" students into the marketplace to find careers.