City Welcomes High School Automotive Interns

Automotive High School interns examine under the hood of a car

DCAS has partnered with the Department of Education (DOE) to expand the Automotive High School Internship program. These paid year-round and summer internships provide public high school students with valuable hands-on experience maintaining high-profile City vehicles, and the unique opportunity to learn from leading city fleet experts and professionals who service the largest municipal fleet in the United States.

Internships are supported by funding from the Federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Improvement Act. Thanks to the active involvement of NYPD, FDNY, DSNY, Parks, DOT, and DCAS, we are offering hands-on internships to over 50 students from public high schools at municipal garages citywide. Students learn to diagnose equipment, perform basic maintenance, understand fleet and claims management, automotive shop equipment, and organization.

Interns are paid for their work while receiving practical experience that will help pave the way for careers in the automotive industry. Participating high schools include:

• Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School
• A-Tech
• Aviation Career & Technical Education High School
• Co-Op Tech
• Multicultural High School
• Ralph McKee Career and Technical Education High School
• The Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce
• Thomas Edison Career and Technical Education High School
• Tottenville High School
• Transit Tech Career and Technical Education High School
• Urban Assembly New York Harbor School
• William E. Grady Career and Technical Education High School

DCAS has an ongoing partnership with NYC DOE through Automotive internships and beyond, including:

• 25 vehicles donated to NYC CTE schools with automotive programs. The vehicles are used for hands-on mechanical training. The units include hybrid gas electric vehicles, helping expand the curricula to alternative fuel units. Fleet agencies have also donated major engines to support technical training and lab work.
• Eight all-electric vehicles with charging stations donated to NYC CTE schools with driver’s education programs. These include South Richmond, Brooklyn Automotive High, Thomas Edison, Brooklyn South Community, Kennedy Campus, CO-OP Tech, and George Washington high schools. High school students at these schools are learning to drive in all-electric Nissan Leafs. DCAS donated solar electric carports to power the electric cars at two of the schools, Thomas Edison and Kennedy Campus.
• DCAS Fleet Management and Human Capital have worked to create a career pathway from the DOE High School to permanent citywide employment in the skilled trades. The Automotive Service Worker civil service exam now counts the DOE automotive high school diploma and certifications as the two-year experience requirement for the test. DCAS Fleet has worked with OMB to expand use of the service worker titles at agencies operating fleet garages including NYPD, Parks, and DOC.
• DCAS and the MTA jointly lead the DOE’s Automotive and Transport Commission, helping to expand CTE programming and build bridges to private sector and other automotive organizations and the schools. DCAS Fleet actively serves on advisory boards of several CTE schools including Brooklyn Automotive, Alfred E. Smith, Grady, Thomas Edison, and Ralph McKee high schools.
• DCAS regularly includes the automotive high schools in training programs such as ASE certification for biodiesel and in special events, including the annual Fleet Show in Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Vision Zero Safe Driving Forum. DCAS has hosted many other events with the students as well including site tours and civil service career days.