Nov. 1, 2018—Bridgestone Americas joined Akron (Ohio) Public Schools on Tuesday to open the East Community Center’s Firestone Complete Auto Care Center.
According to cleveland.com, the facility is essentially a scaled-down version of one of Bridgestone’s auto care centers. And, it serves as the centerpiece of the Automotive Technology Center at the school’s Bridgestone Academy of Applied Engineering and Technology. The Bridgestone Academy also includes information technology and welding.
In Akron’s college-and-career academies, students can choose one of 16 different career paths in eight schools, and learn through hands-on experiences, receiving instruction from industry professionals. The center will likely feature around 100 students.
Students will learn how to properly handle customer service, as well as subjects such as inventory and scheduling. The auto-care center was built in the school’s existing automotive lab, with Bridgestone providing software, materials and fixtures for free.
Students will wear uniforms, and eventually provide basic auto-maintenance services for the community; revenue from the center will go back into the program.
