Auto Tech Grad Becomes Midas Manager Three Years After Completing Program

Cody Scholl worked his way up to a managerial position at Midas just three years after completing the Automotive Technology program at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology.

How did he get promoted so fast? Instructor Mike Sipe said because Scholl was among few who have a series of certificates and licenses through the program such as the Automotive Service Excellence Student Certificate, and Pennsylvania Inspection and Emission licenses.

“These are widely-recognized in the automotive industry and helps them stand out,” Sipe said.

The Auto Tech program requires adult students to complete a nine-month, 900-hour class through textbook, online and hands-on training. The mission, Sipe said, is to take adult students and turn them into entry-level technicians to work at an automobile dealership or private vehicle shop.

A co-op is also encouraged to participate in at the end of the program.

Successful program completion allows those graduates to get in-demand employment as a technician, service adviser, parts sales representatives and more.

“If you think of how many cars are out there on the road, almost every system on the cars now are electronic,” Sipe said. “Even the Amish ride around in peoples’ vehicles, so there is a great demand for trained technician for people who know how to diagnose things in addition to replacing parts and more.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for auto technicians is expected to grow by 6 percent until 2026. The median average pay for a person in the position in Pennsylvania is $38,040.