Mitchell Andrvejewski learned a lot of his car repair knowledge from his mentor, Brandon Sutter.
"We did motors, transmissions, air conditioning, electronics, diagnostics, tires, brakes, we did it all."
The 23-year-old from Hamburg joined the West Herr apprentice program several years ago. At the time, he was enrolled in the ECC auto program. Andrvejewski applied for the apprentice program for additional experience, and he's glad he did. "You're actually in the field doing the work, hands on. You're not just sitting in the classroom, and it gives you a step in the door for the whole industry."
Apprentices study along side a mentor for a whole year. Both the apprentice and the mentor are paid during that time. The hope is that on the job training increases the number of techs in the shop.
Mitch is one of about 40 apprentices across the company. West Herr could use about 20 more.
"Medium income is about $57,000. So, they walk into a very good paying job in WNY," said Director of Operations, Jay Galligan.
For more info on the program, click here.
