At Eldorado High School, an automotive program becomes a bright spot for career training

Zoey Nelson didn’t have any plans to enter the automotive industry before she took an introductory class working on cars at Eldorado High School.

“I just walked in, and I was like, ‘Oh, I just want to learn how to work on my car,’” Nelson said.

Now a senior, she’s considering attending New Mexico Junior College’s automotive program in Hobbs.

The automotive industry in New Mexico is responsible for $2.12 billion in wages, generates over 35,000 jobs, and accounts for 3% of the state’s gross domestic product, according to figures from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. More broadly, jobs in the trades are growing in popularity as artificial intelligence threatens desk jobs and the demand increases.

To meet the demand, Albuquerque Public Schools is eyeing increased investments to match demand in career and technical training. Eldorado’s automotive teacher, Stacey Adams, has become a bright spot for the district.

On a cold, rainy day just before Thanksgiving break, Lorenzo Vargas, a junior, and Nelson worked on their teacher’s Ford Fusion with around half a dozen other students, lifting the car up and down, checking out the undercarriage and changing the oil.

“I just introduce them to everything, right?” Adams said. “I think that’s the best way to show them a little bit of everything and see if it sparks their interest, and they want to further a career.”

Adams worked in the automotive industry for 30 years before taking the job with APS. He said he decided to become a teacher to give back.

In his third year of teaching, Adams estimates that at least a dozen of his former students have entered the automotive industry in some capacity.

Last year, his program brought home first place at the regional New Mexico Junior College Automotive Competition against other schools, including some from Texas and Utah. Students from different high schools competed by performing inspections, measuring, electrical circuit creation and job interviews, according to an APS news release.

“I remember we were sitting at the table, and they were announcing the winners, and they’re like, ‘In first place…’ and we all said, ‘It’s not us, it’s not us.’ They said, ‘In first place, Eldorado High School,’ and we all looked at each other, and were like, ‘What the hell, actually,’” Nelson said. “It’s my favorite memory of all time.”

Two roster spots remain to defend the school’s title in February. Adams wants to fill those spots with students passionate about the course.

“Even if they’re smart, and they know everything — if they’re not interested in it, I don’t want to take them,” Adams said. “I want to take somebody who’s excited about it.”

He acknowledged that among electives, his course was one of the most popular at the school — and the high enrollment was likely a result of that.

The program’s success hasn’t just caught the eye of students. Shelly Kinnunen, APS’ director of career and technical education, credited Adams for the course’s popularity and accolades.

“(These) programs are successful, one, because there’s student interest, so kids are really excited to get their hands dirty,” she said.

This school year, APS partnered with the local United Way chapter on the “Academies of Albuquerque” concept at three high schools — Cibola, Highland and Manzano — geared at helping freshmen find a career path and provide tailored courses to that path throughout high school.

Kinnunen will oversee that effort — in addition to career and technical education — as the district expands it to more high schools, including Eldorado. With the successes of Adams’ program, Kinnunen believes there will be room to incorporate the class into the schools’ academy model.

“There’s a lot of technology that goes into maintaining and repairing vehicles, so in my mind, that’s where it would fall under: the academy that has technology within it,” Kinnunen said. “But honestly, it’s up to the school. We’re not dictating what academies are going to have. We’re not training; this is the CTE pathway that you need to have. Instead, we’re giving the schools the ability to work with their communities.”

Kinnunen said technology was one of six “very broad” academy categories.

As the district attempts to meet the demand for trades training, it is likely to run into a couple of snags. For instance, finding teachers like Adams who are willing to leave their respective industries to teach is proving difficult for districts across the country, according to Chris Zirkle, professor of workforce development and education at Ohio State University.

“The private sector pays significantly more than a school district can provide. So they struggle to find qualified individuals to teach the classes,” Zirkle said. He added that it is proving difficult for schools to fund these technical education courses.

“You cannot do CTE on the cheap. It’s expensive,” he said. “Facilities aside, there’s equipment, there’s supplies, materials that are costly, and so schools do struggle to keep up with the latest and greatest technology.”

Adams estimates he spends $1,000 out of pocket each year on course materials. Pacing the classroom, Adams said he teaches on many machines donated to the school by people in the automotive industry.

That includes donated cars that are outdated, he said, including a 1980 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon — which he uses to teach students more basic engine mechanical skills.

To teach his students on more modern cars, Adams uses his fellow teachers’ vehicles.

“We change their oil and put brakes on, and we do all kinds of stuff,” he said.

The lack of career technical education funding flowing to Adams’ classroom isn’t unique to his program.

Across the district, teachers for similar hands-on classes are struggling to access district funds for classroom supplies, according to longtime local teachers’ union President Ellen Bernstein.

“APS and the state are re-emphasizing the importance of career tech education, and we want kids to be able to have really rich hands-on experiences in our schools,” Bernstein said. “Our best intentions, whether they’re at a state or district level or even an employee level, will not result in benefits for kids unless we all get our act together and make sure the programs are funded appropriately.”

She also questions the district’s dedication to CTE programs when teachers struggle to get funds to their classrooms.

“I think if this continues,” she said, “it undermines the district’s credibility.”

Resources aside, students like Vargas are getting the training they need to find success as they navigate a future career in the automotive industry.

“I just started off doing oil changes with my grandpa,” said Vargas, who plans to be a line tech mechanic at a dealership. “But doing this class and seeing that there’s more than just a couple bolts, and just learning the ins and outs of vehicles and motors has just changed the way I look at them, and it’s very interesting to me.”