Maryland nonprofit trains former inmates to be auto technicians

The Vehicles for Change class was immediately hands-on, King said, who relished the camaraderie between the instructors and students.

“You are never doing anything by yourself, and there is never anyone telling you, ‘You can’t do it,’ ” she said.

When she graduated, the program let her keep her tool kit and sold her a car. Vehicles for Change charges $950 for a used vehicle; recipients receive a 12-month, 7 percent loan guaranteed by the organization.

King now works as a service technician at Bob Davidson Ford-Lincoln in Baltimore.

“I got a job I really want to do and my first car through Vehicles for Change — all in the same breath,” she said.

Bob Davidson Ford-Lincoln employs four program graduates, said Service Manager Chris Maloney. He welcomes the additional source of technicians.

“We have had a tech shortage in this industry for about five years, and we have really felt it since the pandemic,” he said.

Program graduates are always well-prepared for a job interview and know what to expect in terms of an offer letter and starting pay, Maloney said. They also know how to work as part of a team in a repair shop.

“This is the best program out there, and I can’t say enough good things about it,” he said.