El Paso County donates Jeep to Colorado Springs skilled trade school
On Wednesday, El Paso County Public Works presented Power Technical charter school with a gift that officials say will give its students an invaluable opportunity for hands-on instruction.
At a brief, all-school assembly, Public Works training manager Scott Hall donated a 2001 Jeep Cherokee to the charter school's automotive program.
The donation comes courtesy of an official resolution approved by the El Paso County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 10, Power Technical officials said.
"These kids will get to put their hands on a vehicle, understand how it works, and learn how to maintain it," Hall said. "That's a valuable thing to learn at such a young age."
Power Technical, a James Irwin Charter School located in east Colorado Springs, offers an array of courses designed for students exploring career opportunities in trades or engineering fields and houses nine large Career and Technical Education shop classrooms, including an automotive shop.
Automotive instructor Garrett Mertz said his shop had two motorcycles, but no four-wheeled vehicles until now.
"This is an incredible opportunity, not just for my class, but for the whole school," Mertz said. "With a motorcycle, only so many students can have their hands on it at one time. With this car, it's unlimited, the things we can do.
"Some of these kids are about to start driving, and soon they'll have their own car. How nice would it be for them to be able to work on their own car, instead of paying someone else to do it?"
Mertz said he intends to use the vehicle to teach light maintenance and repair, including oil and tire changes, coolant flushes, and basic bodywork. Even the small dents in the Jeep's hood — damage from a hailstorm — present a teaching opportunity, he said.
"We live in Colorado, where hailstorms happen all the time," Mertz said. "I can teach these kids how to get rid of hail damage."
The skilled trade school was one of the first to partner with Public Works' Connects program, a training initiative designed to make area teens aware of the variety of career opportunities in the trades.
"The need for trade workers is incredible, and this school is an untapped well," Hall said. "I know people in all kinds of industries who need skilled workers. These kids are going to be 18 soon, and a lot of them are going to need jobs. It's a perfect match."
At the Wednesday assembly, Hall said the Jeep donation could be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship between the county and the school.
"You guys are starting off with a really cool project," he told the students. "Build something with it. Impress us. We're going to do more of this."
