An AYES spokesman states that "the initiative is a cooperative effort of technology training centers and sponsoring manufacturers committed to the education of high-caliber technicians and responsible employees." Present for Central Tech's inaugural AYES meeting were Angela Ausin, Area Service Manager for General Motors; Jerry Hayes, Technical Advisor for Daimler Chrysler; Hugh Lilly, Service Director for Crown Auto Bristow; Paul Jacobs, Service Tech, and John Petty, Service Manager for Danny Beck Chevrolet; Mark Von Lohmann with Snap On Industrial Tools; John Prior, Steve Gregory and Jason Hill, OSU Okmulgee automotive technology instructors; and Matt Boyles, Oklahoma AYES State Manager. Also participating were Central Tech instructors Jim Rogers, Mike Blake and Jesse Hilbert as well as campus administrators.

Central Tech has joined in forming a consortium of Oklahoma CareerTech Technology Centers in Drumright, Stillwater and Ponca City that will benefit from more intense participation by the auto industry as well as internships for students at nearby dealerships. The qualified student interns will be offered full-time employment at participating dealerships in the summer between their junior and senior years and part-time during school. The auto makers and their dealers will also make additional equipment available to the schools as needed to maintain the desired level of academic and skills excellence required by the industry.

Experienced technicians at local dealerships will become personal mentors to the interns and the employer will help the students get their career started by providing tool scholarships with Snap-On Tools, another AYES supporter.

Boyles says that through the AYES partnerships: "we hope to attract more talented young people to rewarding and challenging careers in the automotive industry and ensure that the educational foundation they receive prepares them equally well for advanced academic studies or for dealership employment. We need skilled young people that can meet the expanding needs of vehicle owners in the 21 st century." AYES is in place in 36 states with over 1,000 students taking part in internships nationwide.

"To succeed in the auto service field today, a technician must have both a solid foundation in scientific theory and practical hands-on skills," relates one AYES participating auto dealer in Indiana . "We in the industry can no longer train technicians effectively in-house. AYES addresses the very serious and growing need we have in our service departments for qualified technicians."