City of Refuge NAPA Training Center

Summary: The Rotary Club of Alpharetta funded a Grant from the City of Refuge for tools to support their new partnership with Genuine Parts and NAPA. City of Refuge constructed an 8,000 square foot Auto Repair Training Center, equipped with state of the art tools, lifts, and parts. The Auto Repair Training Center will provide six months of classroom and auto-tech training in 12 areas of auto repair certification twice per year. Presently, a custom curriculum is being developed by the Atlanta Business Group and NAPA. The six month program will run daily Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Students will receive instruction in a state of the art garage outfitted with the latest automotive training technology. Recruitment and assessment of students will be in partnership with Westside Works, a workforce development initiative of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. At the conclusion of the training all students will be eligible for full time employment with NAPA and will be a certified automotive technician. To provide training for those with obstacles to employment and assist with employment placement upon successful completion of the program. The program will serve the following population groups: 1) Veterans returning from military duty and seeking re-training in the field of auto mechanics. 2) Those re-entering society from incarceration or drug and alcohol recovery facilities and desiring employment opportunities. 3) Students enrolled in Bright Futures Academy desiring to pursue Vocational Technical Certification rather than a college preparatory track of study.