Dwayne Myers is the CEO and co-owner of the four Dynamic Automotive locations in Maryland. There, him and his team run two successful and fruitful apprenticeship programs.
The first being their youth program, which invites junior and senior high school students to gain knowledge and experience while finishing their schooling. Once completed, the student is able to receive a state certificate alongside their high school diploma. The second is Dynamic Automotive’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, a more in-depth structured training for adults.
Neither of these apprenticeship programs would be possible without the partnerships he has built, says Myers.
Get the State Involved
Before the two apprenticeship programs that Dynamic Automotive has now, Myers tried to start one on his own, but it failed. He attributes the success of the current programs to the structure that comes along with partnering with the state. Myers worked closely with Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) to create his apprenticeship programs.
Working with the Maryland DLLR gave Myers the connections to schools, which allowed for his programs to also give apprentices high school and college credit.
Give them Credit
Maryland DLLR brought Dynamic Automotive to collaborate with their local school district, Frederick County Public Schools, and the Career & Technology Center. The state is a tad strict with what they can and can’t do with the students, because they are minors, but it gets youth involved in the industry and gives a pathway to their registered program, Myers says.
“Signing up was easy and did not take long. We needed to set up a curriculum to measure the apprentice’s progress. This only took a few months and our program was approved,” Myers says.
Their adult registered program is partnered with two local colleges and allow for apprentices to choose what school they want to earn their credits with. This gives students a structured career path and direction to a college degree, if they choose to do so.
