DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Thirty young people between the ages of 17 and 21 are now members of The Youth Automotive Training Center (YATC) Class of 2019.
Many of the youth, who live in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and are seeking a second chance, will now spend the next nine months gearing up for careers in the automotive industry.
Automotive legend and JM Family Enterprises founder Jim Moran established YATC in 1984 to prepare students to become self-sufficient, productive citizens. Upon successful completion of the program, which trains and educates young men and women who have had encounters with the juvenile justice and/or dependency system in basic automotive repair skills, academic remediation, job readiness and life management skills, the Class of 2019 will join more than 700 alumni who received a second chance at success.
Members of the Class of 2019, 29 men and one woman, are referred to YATC in a variety of ways, including through the departments of Juvenile Justice and Children and Families, as well as by YATC graduates, local clergy and word of mouth. Many of these young people have experienced poverty, crime, abuse and addiction, some before reaching their teen years.
“Jim Moran believed in second chances and he believed in YATC,” said Larry McGinnes, president of the Board of Directors. “He created the Youth Automotive Training Center to provide students with the tools they need to succeed. We are honored to continue Mr. Moran’s dream of helping students – regardless of their race, social status or background – achieve a brighter future and plan on doing so for a very long time.”
There is no cost to the students who attend YATC, as the program is funded solely by generous donations from community leaders and YATC business partners.
For more information about the Youth Automotive Training Center, please visit www.yatc.org or call (954) 428-0909. YATC is located at 399 SW Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Deerfield Beach.
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