Cummins Sales and Service Indianapolis awards tuition assistance to two School to Work students

In 2019, Cummins Sales and Service Indianapolis launched the Youth Technician Apprenticeship Program, a partnership with Area 31 Career Center at Ben Davis High School (Indianapolis) and Cummins Inc. The program has given several students a head start to a career in diesel technology. This year, two graduates of the program will receive tuition assistance to continue their education at Lincoln College of Technology (Indianapolis).

The two recipients, Annika "Niki" Rasband and Charles Moran are 2020 graduates of Area 31 and in their first year at Lincoln College of Technology. Additionally, the recipients are interning at the service center in Indianapolis.

"Cummins is very excited to offer these two graduates tuition assistance to further their growth in diesel technology through secondary education and hands on experience," said Ken Hurst, Cummins Area Manager for the Indianapolis Sales and Service Branch. "Niki and Charles were high performers in Area 31's Automotive Technology Program, and we know this investment in their career will be rewarding to them, Cummins and the future of the industry."

The tuition assistance program provides ongoing assistance to the recipient up to $36,000 for their secondary education. For a student to receive the maximum assistance, the student must:

•    Complete at least four hours of community service each year.
•    Have at least a 95% school/class attendance rate. 
•    Demonstrate good character and positive relationships with teachers and peers. 
•    Maintain a clean driving record, be drug-free and keep a clean criminal record.
•    Maintain a GPA above 3.5
     o    GPA 3.0 to 3.49 (80% assistance)
     o    GPA 2.5 to 2.99 (50% assistance)
     o    GPA less than 2.5 (no assistance)

There is no guarantee graduating students will receive a job with Cummins, however, if a student has graduated on-time from a recognized diesel technician program and selected for full-time employment with a Cummins Sales and Service branch, the student will receive a tool allotment of $2,000.

As the first recipients of the tuition award, Rasband and Moran are looking forward to a rewarding future in diesel technology; but they took different paths to get here. Rasband is from Avon High School (Avon, Ind.) and initially enrolled into Area 31 to learn more about cosmetology; however, she always liked beautiful cars and wanted to learn how to work on them, not just look at them.  "I asked my dad if he knew how to work on cars and he was like 'no, not at all' so, I was like, ok,'" said Rasband. "So, I found out about Area 31's auto service program and decided that was the best route to take, and ended up falling in love with it."

Since gaining experience at Area 31, Rasband works on her own truck and will often repair other people's vehicles, and if focused on her career. "I can see myself being a technician for at least 15 years, then moving into higher roles like service advising or supervising and maybe management later on," added Rasband.
Charles Moran came to Area 31 from Mooresville High School (Mooresville, Ind.) with the laser focus of learning more about servicing engines. "I was talking to my school advisor about my interests and she asked me if I had ever heard of Area 31. I had not, but she explained to me what Area 31 was, and I was like that would be interesting what kinds of courses to they have," asked Moran? "She ran down a list of career focused classes, and when I heard automotive, that's when it clicked for me."

Before enrolling in Area 31, Moran worked on cars often with his father and uncle, and looked at this program to increase his skills; however, what he found was a jump forward into a career. "Area 31 and Cummins has shown me there's a lot more to this industry than simply fixing an engine and sending it on its way. I can now see myself becoming a technician and being able to take pride in seeing vehicles I have worked on driving down the road," said Moran.

Cummins Sales and Service continues to support the development of students pursuing a diesel education, and the tuition assistance program is an expansion of their support to local Cummins communities by providing the opportunity to select School to Work students for paid internships in addition to tuition assistance. 

"Working as an intern at Cummins has been great. It's one thing to build and work on engines in class, because we never see them run. Now, it's totally different, because these engines have to run and get on the road for businesses to make money, especially during the pandemic. We have to be more productive and efficient," said Moran. Rasband added, "Working on engines that are being used for essential business can be more intimidating, but it's also rewarding to know we are helping during this time." 

Although there are not very many women servicing heavy-duty engines, Rasband is not intimidated by that fact and has an encouraging message to other young girls thinking about getting into the industry. "Don't doubt yourself and if you think it's something you might want to do, try it out and go for it."