Ranken Technical College relies on its industry partners, both to help ensure that our curricula and equipment are current and as destinations for our graduates. Firestone Complete Auto Care, with 27 locations across the St. Louis region, is one such partner – having hired Ranken alumni, worked closely with faculty and supported our college financially for decades.
Ross Stromberg, currently employed with Firestone, started working there while attending Ranken in Wentzville. Part of the Wentzville location’s very first graduating class in Automotive Maintenance (2014), Ross has worked his way up to become a Lead Technician with L1 certification. Amy Gillam, a Senior Recruiter at Firestone, tells us they “are super proud of the work Ross does, and we love to see him train and coach new Ranken students. He enjoyed the balance of working with the cars, doing what he was taught in class and moving ahead with the company all at the same time.”
A 2018 graduate in High Performance Racing Technology, Trace Gray, also became part of the Firestone team as a Technician, setting himself the goal of becoming Lead Tech within five years. “He works closely with our Master Tech, learning new things daily,” says Amy. “His time at Ranken while working for us partnered perfectly.” Donald Rote, a High Performance instructor at Ranken, was impressed by Trace’s attitude in class, and the fact that he was “always willing to lend a hand or supportive ear to other students.”
Ross and Trace drew benefits from the close integration of workplace and education. Both were able to participate in paid work experiences while attending Ranken, applying their skills to real-world scenarios at Firestone. Both are now skilled technicians, maintaining today’s increasingly complex automotive systems and contributing to road safety for everyone!
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