The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) announced a major expansion of its automotive fleet internship program for high school students. Initially expanded to include a spring cohort in 2023, the program will now offer city high school students the opportunity for hands-on automotive training all year round, bridging a vital gap in automotive education. The internship is also a critical component of the City’s direct pipeline from automotive high schools to City employment. “This administration has made great strides in advancing educational and career opportunities for our young people. Together, we're ensuring they are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in today’s workforce, and we're proud to announce this latest step with our expansion of the beloved DCAS Automotive Internship,” said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. “By expanding the Automotive Internship Program to a year-round model, we’re fortifying a direct path from our public schools to public service for our city's youth. This initiative exemplifies this administration's commitment to bridging opportunity gaps, strengthening New York City's workforce, and supporting the next generation of City leaders.” “Our mission is to strengthen the workforce and help the youth gain skills for their future careers; with this expansion to our automotive internship program, we’re accomplishing both of these important goals,” said DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “This program equips students with the knowledge and hands-on experience they need to work in the automotive industry, while also and paving the way for City employment. We are thrilled to welcome this latest cohort to City service as we continue to double-down on our efforts to connect and engage our city’s youth with meaningful programs.” "We commend DCAS for expanding its automotive fleet internship program, which has connected nearly 500 high school students to paid on the job training at some of the largest city agencies. Today's announcement ensures more of the city's youth will be well positioned for career opportunities as skilled automotive technicians, " said Mayor's Office of Talent and Workforce Development Executive Director Abby Jo Sigal. "Investing in training models that braid learning and earning while creating career pathways to good paying civil service jobs will addresses a critical talent need and helps make our city's economy both more prosperous and more inclusive.” Last week, on November 4, the agency welcomed its latest cohort to the automotive internship, with 14 students from across the city participating. Since 2015, DCAS has managed the fleet internship at fleet repair garages, and to date, nearly 500 New York City youth have participated in the program. Through the DCAS automotive internship, students gain invaluable skills and paid internship experience by performing maintenance and repairs on city vehicles from the New York City Police Department (NYPD), New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and NYC Parks garages. Further leaning into education for all of the city’s youth, this month, DCAS, in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOT), also launched a new school year for the Truck Safety Experience program. The DOT Truck Experience Program is an effort that started in Fall 2021 to provide elementary school students with vital knowledge on how to safely interact with trucks in their neighborhood. DCAS has supported the program by working with City agencies and MTA to provide two trucks/buses to visit a different elementary school each week. DCAS’s own renewable diesel fuel truck has been at many of these sessions. “We applaud DCAS for the work it does to build critical career pathways and unlock educational opportunities for New York’s brightest minds,” said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Programs like the Automotive Fleet Internship and the Truck Safety Experience teach our students life-changing skills, while developing a talent pool that will fuel our city’s economy and foster inclusivity years to come.” “For well over a decade, DCAS has partnered with NYC Public Schools to offer hands-on automotive internships at City repair garages at agencies including NYPD, DSNY, FDNY, DOT, and Parks,” states Keith Kerman, Deputy Commissioner at DCAS and NYC’s Chief Fleet Officer. “Nearly 500 students have participated. Previously a summer program, for the first time we are now hosting interns year-round with our new spring and fall programs. High school students are getting their first work experience, learning about fleet safety and sustainability, and are on a path to City employment in these critical technical roles. Thanks to all our partner agencies.” The Fleet Internship program builds on the Adams Administration’s efforts to expand municipal work to more New Yorkers than ever before. In April, Mayor Adams launched "Run This Town,” a $1 million multi-media advertising campaign to engage diverse New Yorkers and help them apply for thousands of available city government jobs. The “Run This Town” campaign was preceded by the launch of "Jobs NYC," a multi-pronged citywide effort to reduce barriers to economic opportunities and deliver workforce development services directly to communities across the five boroughs that are experiencing high unemployment. In September 2024, the administration announced that as part of Jobs NYC, 8,500 New Yorkers had been connected to jobs and free training resources at 26 hiring halls over six months in neighborhoods with the highest unemployment rate. Under Mayor Adams' leadership, the city has made historic investments towards young people's career success. In 2023, Mayor Adams announced a $600 million young adult action plan, “Pathways to an Inclusive Economy: An action Plan for Young Adult Career Success,” which has a specific focus on addressing decades of employment disparities with strategies to create programs that embed career readiness, work-based learning, internships, and apprenticeships in their design.
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