GARAGE AUTO REPAIR & TRAINING SITE
Aanjibimaadizing has auto repair service for Mille Lacs Band fleet vehicles and auto mechanic training services available for Aanji clients. Renovation of a Mille Lacs Band-owned space into a light-mechanic garage with a lift was completed in February 2022 and the Aanji Garage opened in April of that year.
The Aanji Garage was developed as a training program for clients to learn mechanical skills that lead to employment while providing automobile services for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe departments. The automotive technician is a high-demand field in our service area. This work experience can be done in conjunction with taking auto technician classes from Pine Technical Community College.
The goals of the program are to:
• Introduce clients to auto repair as a potential career while helping them gain talent, confidence, and skills that can build a lifetime of self-sufficiency.
• Protect the Mille Lacs Band investment and provide a reliable and trustworthy place to service their vehicles.
Do you like working on vehicles and helping others with your skills? Do you enjoy spending time detailing your car and getting compliments on how great it looks? Have you thought about turning your love of cars into a career? If so, then becoming an auto technician may just be the career you are looking for.
Industry and career outlook
The auto technician is a high-demand career. With more than 276,000,000 light-duty cars and trucks on the road in the United States alone, there will always be jobs for qualified technicians.
One of the automotive technician’s most in-demand and valuable skills is the ability to make a quick and accurate problem diagnosis. This requires a thorough knowledge and understanding of light-duty vehicles and their systems. Good reasoning abilities and critical thinking along with the ability to locate and understand vehicle service information is also important.
Due to the ever-increasing use of electronics and new technology in the vehicles of the future, the ability to adapt and continue learning is very important.
What trainees learn
Training is 100% hands-on instruction, allowing participants real-world experience working on a variety of cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs.
As they work through our program, they will:
• Develop the knowledge and demonstrate an understanding of automotive-related systems, components, terminology, and acronyms.
• Develop and demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to the automotive repair industry's expectations of performance.
• Demonstrate the ability to utilize vehicle service information systems.
• Use automotive tools, shop and test equipment, materials, and chemicals safely and effectively.
• Develop critical and creative thinking processes required to effectively and efficiently diagnose and repair vehicle technical problems.
Why should your department use the Aanji Garage
Currently, the Aanji Garage can only service Mille Lacs Band Tribal Government vehicles. The Aanji Garage is not able to provide service for private vehicles or the casino. Each department is responsible for the expense of all labor, parts, and/ or supplies which are needed to complete the project.
All services provided at the Aanji Garage are performed by a trained mechanic with the assistance of trainee WEX workers as part of a learning project. Following are several compelling reasons to utilize the Aanji Garage:
• Support projects the Mille Lacs Band has invested in.
• Protect your department’s investment.
• Receive consistent, quality service and competitive prices.
• Receive trustworthy diagnosis and know that the Band isn’t being taken advantage of.
• Most of the money spent stays within the community.
• Ensure safety of staff and those you serve.
• Community members gain skills and knowledge that is often shared and passed onto others.
To schedule service, call David Sam Jr. at 320-674-4374 or Mitchell Kadlec at 320-362-4586.
