Start your engines apprentices, class is almost in session!

Last week, our Human Resources Department hosted an orientation to welcome our first-ever auto technician apprentices! If you haven’t heard yet, BAG has teamed up with Miami-Dade College and Career Source South Florida to create a year long automotive apprenticeship program. Word around the office is it took a little over four years to make the program official. Programs like these aren’t born overnight! It is all thanks to our dedicated HR associates and CFO George Wiltz, who all made this initiative possible.

The orientation was a success with excellent talent turnout! We saw plenty of inquisitive young techs excited to learn about the program. Some parents came out to show support as well and listened in on inspirational talks by our Human Resources Director Jiselle Perez, Lexus of Kendall Service Director Judy Williams, Lexus of West Kendall Service Director Alex Alvarez and several other company leaders. Representatives from Miami-Dade College and Career Source South Florida also spoke about the program’s benefits. Apprentices not only get hired by BAG but are also students of Miami-Dade College, which means they go to school for free and get paid while they do! All the resources they need are also available, including toolkits worth over eight thousand dollars! Sounds like a good gig to us.

The apprenticeship is all part of a bigger plan to facilitate our recruitment. As you’re probably all well aware, excellent auto techs like our master diagnostic technician, Alvaro Bonfante, are hard to come by. Alvaro will be leading our first class of apprentices in just a few weeks. We sat down with him last month to talk about where he sees the program going and why it’s so special to be part of it. June’s newsletter showcased the interview on our Be An Inspiration feature. If you haven’t yet seen it, here’s your sign to take a little break and check it out.