FACULTY
Instructor George “Buddy” Bonner shows students in the Automotive Engines 1 Lab how to disassemble a harmonic balancer to get to the timing chain and oil pan.
Automotive instructor helps students prepare for strong job market
G
eorge Bonner’s father really wanted him to go to college after he graduated high school. But a four-year traditional college just wasn’t for him. Instead, he enrolled at a two-year technical college and earned a degree in automotive service technology that qualified him for high-paying jobs in Memphis as a mechanic at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, FedEx, and the City of Memphis. “That degree prepared me for every good job I ever wanted,” Bonner said. Now an instructor and Automotive Services Technology program coordinator at Southwest, he says good paying automotive jobs abound, especially in Memphis. “Everywhere I go, they are begging me for mechanics,” Bonner said. “I’d say 99 percent of our students already have jobs when they leave. I got a student a job at the Sheriff ’s Department in fleet 8 | SOUTHWEST NOW | SPRING 2020
maintenance starting at $25 an hour. When he tops out he will be making about $35 an hour.” Once Southwest students earn their Associate in Applied Science degree in automotive technology, they emerge prepared to compete for and excel in entry-level technician jobs in the automotive service industry. Graduates work as technicians at new car dealerships, independent repair shops, and companies with vehicle fleets like FedEx and the Shelby County Sheriff ’s Department. A growing program The Southwest automotive program is on the move. The number of graduates nearly tripled between 2016 and 2017 and there were about 50 students enrolled for the fall 2019
