Igniting curiosity about careers in the auto industry

It was an action-packed 2023 Indianapolis 8 Hour weekend for the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli sports car championship, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) October 6-8. Cummins Inc. was in on that action as the company hosted nearly 40 students from IPS Arsenal Technical School to showcase the sights, sounds and skills needed for automotive and motor racing, from start to finish. The field trip was one of education and incredible lessons to be learned by the students, both on and off the track.

"We thought this event would be a great opportunity for local students to experience another way to think about their future. When racing comes to mind, you might not consider all the aspects of the skills involved. Cummins certainly has a vested interest in the power of racing, so it was a great connecting opportunity - to the community, our history and the future of these young minds," said Jason Irvin, Director, Technical Education for Communities Program. 

A day of sharing

Beginning with a close-up tour of the garages, which included interacting with the mechanics and race team, the visit to IMS included the opportunity for students to even have the chance to sit behind the wheel of the race cars.

Following the tour, students had the privilege of hearing from a variety of speakers who shared stories detailing their career paths and answered questions from the audience, giving deeper meaning and appreciation for the critical workplace skills needed in the industry.

Speakers on hand included:

• Jimmie McMillian, Penske Entertainment, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Corporate Counsel
• Jared Thomas, JTR Motorsports Engineering, Owner and Driver
• Chaz Ownbey, JTR Motorsports Engineering, Crew Chief and Mechanic
• Philip Zielinski, Cummins Inc., Marketing and Communications Manager

The day was complete with a stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMSM) where students learned more about the history of motorsports, IMS and the Indianapolis 500. The IMSM collection encompasses automobiles and artifacts representing more than a century of Indianapolis 500 culture, drama and competition, of which Cummins history with racing at the Indy500 has played a meaningful role.

Addressing skilled labor shortage

In January 2023, Cummins announced the launch of the Indianapolis Cummins TEC (Technical Education for Communities) program. "The goal of the TEC program is to target technical skills gaps through local vocational education training," says Richard Hudson TEC Program Manager at Cummins. "As businesses around the world experience critical shortages of skilled technical workers, Indianapolis becomes Cummins' fifth TEC location in the United States and part of the 26 TEC programs Cummins currently has located around the global in our attempt to help fill these gaps."

The field trip not only provided a glimpse and better understanding of potential careers surrounding the automotive industry, it ignited the students’ curiosities about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which plays an important part in the automotive industry in creating effective engines to vehicle body shapes and aerodynamics.

The opportunities for meaningful careers are out there and with initiatives like this year’s visit that Cummins organized to the Indianapolis 8 Hour weekend, students got a firsthand look at the many career possibilities available to them as they plan out their future aspirations.