EDUCATION

Problem-solver finds his calling at Oklahoma City Community College automotive program

K.S. McNutt

The first time Luis Bondi started college he wanted to study aeronautical engineering, but “sitting behind a computer doing programming — it wasn’t for me.”

Neither was working in retail, which he did for six years.

“I’ve always been good with my hands. I’ve always liked helping friends with their cars,” said Bondi, 30, who enrolled in the first class of the Honda Professional Automotive Career Training program at Oklahoma City Community College.

That was June 2017. He will graduate in May with an associate degree and plenty of on-the-job training.

“With the associate degree, the student gets hands-on certification,” said Brad Walker, automotive department chair. Normally a dealership would have to send mechanics to Dallas or Denver to get the various certifications, and it could take years.

Bondi works full time at a Honda dealership and is a full-time student, so he often takes what he learns in class and uses it at work the next day.

“We get great support from our local dealers. They want our students. They need our students,” Walker said.

“Sometimes they identify a worker and they send them to us to go through the program.” he said. “We recruit for them. They recruit for us. It works really well.”

Bondi said his dealership not only pays him to work, but also provides tuition assistance, which will pay about 75 percent of the $12,000 cost of the program.

Growing up, Bondi helped his dad keep the family cars running. It’s still satisfying work.

“I like seeing a problem and fixing it,” he said. When the challenge is big, it gets personal and he will talk to the car: “I will fix you. You will work when I’m done!”

OCCC also has automotive training programs for GM, Nissan and Subaru. The GM program has been offered for 30 years.

“I’m a product of the GM program,” said Walker, who worked at a dealership for 14 years before he started teaching.

The associate degree gives graduates more opportunities.

“They can make a great living as technician, but can go on to be a service manager, or go to corporate,” he said.

Luis Bondi, right, will graduate in May from the two-year Honda technician program at Oklahoma City Community College. Bondi, 30, works full time at a dealership while earning his associate degree. At left is Brad Walker,automotive department chair, who completed similar GM training at OCCC before becoming a mechanic and later an instructor. [Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman]