DETROIT (WXYZ) — A free summer program in Detroit is giving middle and high school students hands-on experience with engines while introducing them to career opportunities in motorsports and the automotive industry.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report:
The National Motorsports Association's Engine Building Bootcamp is being held at the North Rosedale Park Community House on the city's west side. The course is open to children in grades 8 through 10 in metro Detroit and combines classroom instruction with hands-on learning.
Participants work alongside instructors to discover the basic operations of an engine, eventually taking one apart and putting it back together.
Geary Huey, an instructor with the bootcamp, said students get an in-depth look at an engine's components.
"The cylinders, they're going to look at the lifters and the valves, and they're really going to try to understand how everything works together," Huey said.
Carmen Carter, founder of the National Motorsports Association, said the automotive industry offers a wide range of career paths.
"It's 30,000, at least 30,000 parts to every car. So pick a part, and you've got a way to create a career," Carter said.
Instructors say the skills students gain are valuable even for those who don't pursue a career in the automotive field.
Levan Hoskins, an instructor with the bootcamp, said the knowledge can benefit students in everyday life.
"They should be able to go out there and purchase themselves a nice vehicle without a problem, trying to find out if anything's wrong with the engine. If there is something wrong with the engine, they'll be able to repair it on their own," Hoskins said.
For 9th-grader Aaron Williams, who dreams of becoming a diesel mechanic, the bootcamp is building on the experience he already has.
"Small engines like dirt bike engines, mini bike engines, and stuff," Williams said. "I've been practicing and working on those, taking them apart, putting them together."
Williams said he hopes the program will help him build his professional profile.
"I'm hoping that this program will be able to teach me a little bit more about the engine, so I can put this on my resume," Williams said.
Another participant, Jeremiah Johnson, said the bootcamp is helping him work toward his goal of becoming a mechanical engineer.
"I want to help create a new type of engine that's lightweight, goes real fast, and creates enough RPM," Johnson said.
If you're interested in getting involved with the Engine Building Bootcamp, Carter encourages families to sign up.
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