Southeast Toyota Finance’s parent company, JM Family Enterprises, has long been long known for its work in the automotive industry. But supporting the Youth Automotive Training Center (YATC) shows that we’re also in the business of second chances.
JM Family’s founder Jim Moran established the YATC in 1984 to provide life-changing classes for at-risk youth aged 16 to 21. YATC’s mission is to train and educate at-risk youth in basic automotive repair, academic remediation, job readiness and life management skills. Every year from September to May, nearly 30 students learn about how to work on vehicles – but they also learn skills to help them combat poverty, crime, addiction and other issues.
Since its inception, more than 750 graduates have passed through the program. Most were introduced to YATC through the Departments of Juvenile Justice or community recommendations. Of those graduates, 90% are employed, beating the national employment average of 83% for high school graduates.
These days, YATC students attend class in a 16,000-square-foot facility in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The state-of-the-art building features an automotive shop with 10 car bays, a computer lab, a library, a fitness room and other classroom spaces.
But YATC wasn’t always so large. It actually started in a converted garage.
YATC's origins
Jim Moran, the founder of JM Family, first got the idea for the YATC at his Pontiac dealership in Hollywood, Florida. In 1984, he cleared out one of the dealership’s garages for a pilot group of 10 disadvantaged young people to start learning.
With one automotive instructor, the students learned how to work with cars, getting their hands dirty with motor oil in a program that would ultimately help them stay clean of drugs and develop the technical skills needed for full-time work.
But YATC quickly acknowledged that automotive training wasn’t enough. That’s why it started teaching students life skills like money and credit management, career planning and substance abuse recovery two years after its launch.
Ten years later, the program would move to its current location in Deerfield Beach, where its class size expanded to 30 students. But space and class growth aren’t the only things the program has accomplished. Throughout its 37-year history, student perks have sped along as fast as the cars they maintenance.
Student opportunities at YATC
Like your average school, YATC students attend class Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. But unlike your average school, they learn about automotive theory, mechanics and life skills in the classrooms and vehicle bays. YATC gives students free lunch, too, as well as a professional toolset to keep after graduation.
The YATC class of 2021 graduated in May.
Whether it be from doctors, political officials or career specialists, YATC students get to attend multiple guest speaker events a year. Some of this year’s speakers included City of Deerfield Beach District 2 Commissioner Ben Preston, who spoke on community involvement, and Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy James Nichols, who explained how to positively interact with police officers.
YATC students can meet possible employers through these talks – and they can meet even more through the Cool Wheels Car Show. First established in 2012, the event puts hundreds of antique and rare cars on display for vehicle enthusiasts. It also raises money for YATC through raffles and silent auctions.
Money is constantly going back to the students through programs like the Bruce Rossmeyer Memorial Kick Start Scholarship Fund, which started in 2009. Each year, it provides one graduate who wishes to continue their education with the money to do so.
Support for students doesn’t end after they graduate. YATC keeps in touch with former program members, offering services like personal and career counseling. In 2017, the program even hired a manager of graduate services to give more time and flexibility to graduates.
YATC and COVID-19
During COVID-19, YATC held a virtual graduation for the class of 2020 and shank its 2021 class size. But that doesn’t mean the program couldn’t flourish in other ways.
YATC adapted during COVID-19 by adding health and safety measures such as masks, social distancing, virtual tutoring and more.
Thanks to a donation from software company CDK Global, YATC added multiple new computers to its lab and provided all-new laptops to the instructors. The gift came in a year where remote learning was more important than ever, enabling students to connect with instructors virtually and attend online guest speaker talks.
YATC also held its first online fundraising event, 2020 Shifting Gears Virtually. More than 150 YATC members, donors and celebrity friends like the NFL Hall of Fame’s Joe Montana joined the event, which raised enough money to fund the program for an entire year.
COVID-19 presented challenges, but the YATC’s goal never changed – and it won’t change when the masks come down, either.