Auto Lube-Tech Training and Job Placement Program 

Program Summary Esperanza Unida's Auto Department has been training and placing minority and unemployed  Milwaukee residents in jobs in the auto industry since 1984.  The Auto Repair Training features a 12-week training and targeted employment placement process. Students learn the basics of auto inspection including brakes, front end, mufflers, shocks, and tire care while working on vehicles that have been donated by generous people throughout the Metro Milwaukee area. 

This training program is effective because there are jobs available now for trained individuals who can work on the under portion of cars, i.e. exhaust, brakes, shocks, etc. It is predicted that there will continue to be a strong consumer demand for under car repair work, which will help escalate and strengthen our graduates' job placement and earning potential. This program, now becoming highly visible, is providing positive options for the underemployed and working poor members of the community and providing a much-needed link for employers to trained employees. It is short-term, free to those who qualify, and taught in a bilingual (Spanish/English) environment for those who speak English as a second language.

Background
Since 1984 Esperanza Unida has successfully operated training related to the auto industry at 1329 W. National Avenue in Milwaukee. This was our response to the unemployment crisis in our community. Workers dislocated by plant shutdowns and indefinite layoffs needed retraining and jobs. So, we opened the center to provide training in the areas of auto mechanics and body repair, and to create jobs in the community by operating a community-based auto repair center. Due to rapidly changing technology, the automotive repair industry is becoming a highly computerized field, creating an enormity of specialized jobs. There has been an increased demand by area employers for people trained as under car and emission specialists. As with all of Esperanza Unida's training programs, the automotive training program adjusts to meet these types of changing demands of the market, so auto students now graduate as highly-employable candidates for good jobs - jobs that are immediately available.

Because of this, it has become necessary for us to create a more streamlined auto repair training program. Thus, we no longer operate the auto body repair business. Our restructuring is now focusing on training and repair efforts on the under portion of cars (i.e., mufflers, brakes, shocks, etc.) and emission work, with a reduced training time frame and faster employment placement procedures. The new 12-week skill training, combined with the business operation, is designed to place Esperanza Unida graduates in under car specialist and emission technician positions earning living wages. The program is now also a licensed used car dealership that helps support the training component. Automobiles donated to the center are repaired by qualified mechanics, assisted by students, and then sold to the public. In effect, this business produces work for the mechanics and students, revenues to support the program, and low-cost automobiles for the local community.

Course Description (10-weeks, Monday through Friday, 8am to 12pm)
Students learn the basics of auto inspection and the under-portion of cars, including brakes, mufflers, shocks, oil, lube, and tire care. There is classroom training and work experience on hydraulics (calipers, wheel cylinders, lines and hoses, master cylinders) and basic do's and don'ts of anti-lock braking systems. Students will know how to handle exhaust work, with an emphasis on system installation and cutting torch techniques. Oil and lube work is stressed with a focus on suspension systems (shocks, struts and springs). Topics to be covered include the following:

Undercar Inspection

  • Front End

  • Shocks, Struts, Springs

  • Brakes

Exhaust System Training

  • Installation of systems

  • Cutting torch techniques

Front End Training

  • Inspection and replacement

  • Inner and outer tie rods

  • Upper and lower ball joints

  • Idler arms, pittman arms and center links

Suspension System Training

  • Shocks

  • Struts

  • Springs

Brake Training

  • Replacement of front pads and rear shoes

  • Hydraulics

  • Calipers, wheel cylinders and master cylinders

  • Brake lines and hoses

  • Seals and bearings

  • Basic antilock braking systems training

Contact Information:    If you are interested in enrolling in the Auto Repair Training Program, please contact our Student Coordinator (414) 671-0251

 
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