The Automotive Technology program at Amistad High School is a program for students across the whole district to learn about automotive and get hands-on experience.
The shop at Amistad High School is a state of the art automotive facility that has everything a student would need to become successful and practice in order to become a great technician. Desert Sands funds the facility and has outfitted it with equipment that students will use in professional shops.
“…[The program] first started for automotive repair and giving students a trade and…an equitable career,” explained Professor Krause, the program’s instructor. “…but it kind of evolved into a program for students to be able to work on their cars…and also want to be successful in any career,” Krause added.
According to the COD professor, the skills students will learn in the automotive program – things like maintaining employability and being professional – can be transferred to any other industry.
In addition to training students early, the program aims to give students a chance to see if they might thrive working in the automotive repair field. The program also administers the Automotive Service Excellence exams to students to further help their resume and to achieve higher levels in the auto industry.
Participating students do more than learn how to repair vehicles. Kraus also teaches students how to write resumes and cover letters, collect letters of recommendation, complete job applications, and even conducts face-to-face mock interviews to prepare students for future jobs.
While the Automotive Technology Program is open to all DSUSD high school students, it is especially popular with Shadow Hills students.
“…we get to learn a lot of new stuff and to get more experience in the automotive industry,” Norberto Villeda (‘26) pointed out. When asked what Elias Perez (‘26) found especially helpful, he said “… how the machinery works and how to use tire machines.”
The Automotive Technology Program is a good choice for students who want hands-on, real-world experience as an auto technician, or even just to gain the skills needed to be able to work on their own vehicles.
Even getting to and from school and the shop is easy for students. “We just come here in the morning, [and] leave here to go to school by a bus,” explained Villeda. The ease takes some pressure of of the students who may not have people to transport them to and from the shop.
Overall, the Automotive Technology Program is a good option for students who want to learn how to be automotive technicians, and for students who aren’t sure what they want to do as a career.
