A classroom activity designed to help students find careers led Austin Deater to Bellaire Auto Repair upon graduation from Central Lake High School in early June 2025.
As an assignment, Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates Specialist Josh Todd had students enrolled in JMG create an account on Indeed, a global online employment marketplace where job seekers can search for jobs, post resumes, and research companies.
During that search, Deater came across a job opening for a tire and lube technician at Bellaire Auto Repair in nearby Bellaire.
“I had thought I was going to go into the machinery world, but when I saw this opening I thought I would apply. I put in for it and sure enough, I got the job,” said Deater, 18.
Deater was recently celebrated by Char-Em ISD with a “Career Tech to Careers” signing event at Bellaire Auto. Career Tech to Careers events were established by Char-Em’s Career and Technical Education Department to recognize high school students who pursue careers after graduation based in part on their enrollment in career tech classes in high school.
After graduating in June, Deater began working at the repair shop and put his skills into practice performing oil changes, tire installations, and more. He credits CTE classes with giving him the foundation to begin working right away, including utilizing skills from the Powersports Technology program that he took for 2 years at Central Lake which taught him about small engine repair. He also enrolled in the Automotive CTE class at nearby East Jordan High School during his senior year, educating him further in vehicle maintenance and repair.
His Powersports teacher, Mac Eckhardt, said he wasn’t surprised to see Deater succeeding in his new job. “There was never a project he was afraid to tackle, he always picked the hard projects,” said Eckhardt. “In addition, he was always on time, and his toolbox was always immaculate. Sometimes I’d move a tool to have a little fun with him, and he always noticed.”
During the career signing event, Deater showed off his equally immaculate bright green tool cart containing numerous pieces of equipment needed for the job, and which auto technicians purchase themselves. To help him continue succeeding, he received a $200 gift card to Tractor Supply from the Mansfield Family Foundation, which has generously supported the ISD’s signing events and career tech initiatives for many years.
Bellaire Auto owner Rob Cerny said Deater has been doing a great job at work and getting acquainted to the business and customer service. He said Deater is the first young adult he has hired directly out of high school with sufficient experience from career tech classes to hit the ground running.
“It’s great to see the next generation of students taking technical training classes,” said Cerny, who showed the group a pamphlet from 1983 when he was pictured at his Chicago-area high school promoting an Automotive class.
Among the highlights of the skills he’s learned so far, from CTE classes and on-the-job training, Deater noted the successful repair of Career and Technical Director Jim Rummer’s chainsaw, which came in very handy during the late March ice storm, Rummer noted. Eckhardt said when Rummer reached out to inquire about repair, he was confident Deater could fix it.
Secondly, Deater pointed to repairs on his own 1965 Sears tractor that he was able to bring into class as a learning tool while also making progress toward getting it running. “I’ve been able to tear it completely apart and rebuild it, including the motor and transmission,” Deater said. “It was great that I could work on it during class and learn more about how to repair it.”
Photo caption (top of page): Pictured at a recent Career Tech to Careers signing event to celebrate Austin Deater (second from right) are (from left): Tory Thrush, Career/College Readiness Consultant for Char-Em ISD; Bellaire Auto Repair owner Rob Cerny; Josh Todd, JMG Specialist at Central Lake High School; Hannah Sanderson, Char-Em ISD CTE Consultant; Jim Rummer, Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education Director; and next to Deater, Mac Eckhardt, Central Lake High School Powersports Technology instructor.