For over 15 years, Joyce Honda out of Denville has provided invaluable support to Morris County Vocational School District (MCVSD) with representation on district advisory councils, as a site for students’ work-based learning, and as an employer of graduates. Knowing Joyce Honda is just a “phone call away” to provide advice or help with a training or employment request, MCVSD named the company its 2023 Business Partner of the Year.
MCVSD Automotive Service Technology students in the Share-Time Cooperative Education program especially appreciate the willingness of Joyce Honda to welcome them onsite to practice and further develop skills on the job. In a recent advisory council meeting, a representative from Joyce Honda provided teachers with specific checklists used at the dealership that Cooperative Education students utilize daily when analyzing vehicles and completing specific project work. This helps the district align curriculum with industry practices and standards.
The district-dealership relationship has also led to Joyce Honda’s appreciation for the training students receive throughout their high school experience at MCVSD. Joyce Honda Vice President Tom Stark said in addition to basic technical skills, students have an “eagerness to learn.” Such a combination has prompted Joyce Honda to offer students opportunities to stay onboard if they do not have ongoing educational plans. From entry level positions, they can then create a career that is both fulfilling and lucrative. One MCVSD graduate is currently in his third year of employment with Joyce Honda and realizing his own potential with the dealership.
“The benefit of our partnership with MCVSD is mutual for the school, the student and Joyce Honda,” added Stark. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to recruit aspiring technicians. We are giving students an opportunity to not only work on cars, but to understand the responsibility that comes along with the quality of their work, being held responsible to maintain a schedule and understanding that the automotive world is a bounty of opportunities.”
MCVSD’s Ed Netherland, an instructor in the MCVSD Automotive Service Technology program, said Stark and the Joyce Honda team “get it.” He continued, “Tom understands the value of our kind of school and respects our work and our students. He is a great partner to have! We are very grateful to Tom and the team at Joyce Honda.”
