if so, care to share any experiences with doing so?

 

Coming from a former high school co-op student, it all depends on who gets placed where and how seriously they take it. I took my placement seriously and I ended up getting hired as an apprentice technician. As their so called "instructor"' you also have to remember that not every student wants to stand there and sweep floors. By all means, you don't have to throw them at a welder on the first day either. If you keep them involved and interested, it should be an alright experience. But remember, you still have to keep an eye on them as they are still in the learning process

 

Coming from the other side I participated as in instructee in high school for a few semesters. Do some research in the program and see how kids are placed in the program. Sometimes students will actually want to be there and sometimes they are just there to be somewhere. Most of the other students involved in my coop program were generally bright and wanted to learn. I am still good friends and talk with my previous instructors now that I am in college. It is really great to be able to give back and judging from your previous posts it looks like you may be able to actually teach someone the correct way to get something done.

Good luck to you sir.

 

I do a "work studies" program with the high school where I am, mostly 16 + 17 y/o kids, probably had 5 or 6 of them in the last few years. It's been pretty good, for the most part, had one kid back a bmw into a wall, but other than that none of them screwed anything up too bad which is a plus

I tell all the kids when I talk to them for the first time that they better not mind pushing a broom and putting tools away until I can assess their level of aptitude, and if they do well with that then I move them on to small stuff on their own cars, oil changes, brake jobs, things like that...only one of them has made it to the point where I was willing to let them touch a customer car

I try to make sure the kids that want to be here get something out of it, the kids that aren't interested or don't want to do it get sent back to the highschool. Overall I think it is a pretty good experience I teach them what I can and get a little bit of help at the same time, mind you, it's more babysitting than help sometimes, but overall I think it's a positive scenario for everybody involved

 

where can we sign up for this slave lab....i mean 'work study' program?

 

I have one at my shop right now, He's my second one this year. I do an interview with the person first to see if they have any automotive skills at all, as well as to see what kind of person they are. You do not want a complete tool in the shop. When their is money and peoples vehicles at stake you have to be very careful to whom you choose.