ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060064
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER STAFF WRITER
LED BY A FORMER MECHANIC, Bedford Science and Technology Center's auto repair program has been recognized as the state's best.
Jim Ottinger runs a clean automotive repair shop at the Bedford Science and Technology Center. The floor shows no signs of leaking oil, grease or grime.
Ottinger, a retired auto mechanic-turned-teacher, wears a shirt and tie to class every day. He said he feels comfortable in them, but admits he's messed up a few while inspecting auto parts with students.
His dress helps students focus on the importance of keeping a clean work area, a part of their grades, he said. Safety, initiative, quality work and the ability to teach oneself also are considered when Ottinger figures grades.
Ottinger - students and staff refer to him as Mr. O - said he's trying to teach his juniors and seniors skills that meet employers' needs.
It seems to be working.
Eighty-five to 90 percent of Ottinger's seniors have gone into automotive-related jobs after graduation, and several have gone for advanced training.
Job placement and instructional resources are also among the factors that led the Virginia Department of Vocational Education to name Bedford's the best secondary auto technology program in Virginia for 1996.
The department then entered the program in a national competition sponsored by the Industry Planning Council, a coalition of educators and auto industry representatives.
Although the Bedford program did not win one of the top three national awards, the program still gets recognition. ``It should be proud of being the best in Virginia, because of the keen competition,'' said Bill Brown, the Industry Planning Council's executive secretary.
Ottinger and his wife will pick up the state award Dec. 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the annual meeting of the American Vocational Association. The award also cites the program's finances, curriculum, equipment and facilities.
Ottinger is well-qualified to train auto technicians.
He operated an auto repair garage 27 years before retiring early. But after three years, he wasn't happy with retirement, so he began teaching an auto technician course at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg.
He was one of 30 applicants when the Bedford County school system decided to start an auto repair program in 1988. With suggestions from an advisory committee of auto repair professionals, Ottinger designed the facilities and curriculum.
He teaches two three-hour classes a day, with about 16 students in each one.
Some advisory committee members are among the business people who have hired students or donated practice vehicles and equipment to the program.
The program, Principal Patrick Sherman said, has received a lot of support from the school administration and community.
Jason Burns, a 1994 Liberty High School graduate who studied under Ottinger, is working at Elk City Auto Supply Inc. During his senior year, he had an internship at a Bedford auto parts dealer and liked the work.
The hands-on experience gained in Ottinger's classes helps a lot in his job, Burns said. Ottinger ``was very strict on taking care of tools and vehicles,'' and that's what customers expect.
Sonny Dagenhart, vice president of Elk City, said Burns knows auto parts and their roles and understands the lay terms many customers use when referring to vehicle problems.
``If I need [to hire] someone, the first place I'll go will be Mr. O,'' said Dagenhart, who serves on the advisory committee.
Ottinger's students must pass safety procedures before going into the shop, where they take vehicles apart and put them back together to learn about parts and problems. If a vehicle doesn't run after students have worked on it, ``they do it over and over until they get it right,'' Ottinger said.
Classes aren't restricted to males. Five women have taken classes and all have jobs or are getting additional training. ``There's a lot of room for women in this profession,'' he said.
On a recent day, Charles Dawson used a computer to track a hose in an older-model vehicle. When asked what he has learned in class, he replied with a question: ``What haven't we learned?'' He has even rebuilt his '69 Ford pickup's engine.
Steven Pollack, a Staunton River High School senior, was 14 when he started helping his stepdad restore British cars in a Lynchburg shop. He bought a 1971 Ford pickup for $1,000 and has put close to $3,000 worth of work into it since June. Some of the work, like cleaning the intake manifold, has been done in class.
There's only one thing he dislikes about auto repair: ``It's always been a real dirty job.''
Both Dawson and Pollack said they'll probably pursue careers in the automotive industry.
To help future students, Ottinger said the program will seek national certification with the National Automotive Technician Education Foundation.
That, he said, will give students a competitive edge because potential employers ``will know we are teaching what technicians need to know.''
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON\Staff. 1. Wearing his usual shirt andby CNBtie, teacher Jim Ottinger braves the grime of an engine to work with
Jason Slater, a first-year student in Bedford Science and Technology
Center's auto repair program. 2. Chris Young finishes putting a tire
back on one of the cars that students take apart and reassemble as
part of the award-winning program. color. 3. Lee Rider removes a
car's alternator while classmates work on other assignments this
week.