Opening Doors to the Skilled Trades: Taylor Automotive Family Supports Jill of All Trades at Owens Community College

A student may not know whether a career in welding, automotive service, robotics, machining, or diesel technology is right for them until they have the opportunity to actually experience it.

That is exactly what Jill of All Trades at Owens Community College is designed to provide.

Taylor Automotive Family was proud to support the 2026 Jill of All Trades event, joining local businesses, organizations, educators, and industry professionals in helping students discover the opportunities available through skilled trades careers.

Held October 15 at Owens Community College, the day brought together 100 students from nine local high schools for hands on workshops and conversations with people already working in skilled industries. Now in its fourth year at Owens, Jill of All Trades has introduced nearly 400 area students to skilled trades career possibilities.

For Taylor Automotive Family, supporting that mission is a natural fit.

The automotive industry depends on talented technicians and skilled professionals every day, and events like Jill of All Trades give students an opportunity to see that these careers can offer meaningful and rewarding futures.

Learning by Doing

Jill of All Trades is not built around simply telling students what a skilled trades career looks like.

Students get to experience it.

Throughout the day, participants moved through workshops focused on areas including auto service and repair, welding, robotics, machining, and diesel technology. The workshops gave students an opportunity to work alongside college and industry mentors while learning more about careers they may never have considered before.

That hands on experience is an important part of what makes the event meaningful.

Sometimes a career path becomes easier to imagine after picking up a tool, seeing the technology involved, or talking with someone who has built a successful career in the field.

For a student who has never pictured herself working in an automotive shop, manufacturing facility, or another skilled environment, one experience can change that perception.

Expanding What a Career Can Look Like

Owens Community College became the first college in the United States to host Jill of All Trades in 2023. The program originally began in Canada in 2014 and was created to introduce students in grades 9 through 12 to career possibilities in skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, and transportation.

The need for that exposure continues to grow.

Students are often familiar with the traditional four year college path, but there are many other ways to build a successful career.

Technical training, certificates, apprenticeships, and two year degree programs can lead directly into industries searching for skilled employees.

Jill of All Trades allows students to see those options before they have to make decisions about what comes after high school.

It also gives them access to people who can answer a much more important question than simply, “What does this job pay?”

What does the work actually feel like?

Connecting Students With Local Employers

The workshops were only part of the day.

Students also had an opportunity to connect with employers and community organizations supporting skilled trades throughout Northwest Ohio.

Taylor Automotive Family joined companies and organizations from across the region at the event, giving students another chance to see where the skills they were exploring could eventually take them. Owens also invited current college students to visit sponsor tables and connect directly with participating employers.

Those conversations matter.

A student may discover a field during a workshop and then immediately meet someone representing an employer working in that industry.

That connection helps turn an idea into something more tangible.

For Taylor Automotive Family, it is also an opportunity to show students that a dealership offers far more career paths than many people realize.

Behind every vehicle that leaves a service department are trained technicians using diagnostic equipment, technology, mechanical knowledge, and problem solving skills to keep customers safely on the road.

Those are skilled careers, and the next generation of technicians is sitting in classrooms throughout our community today.

Building Confidence Through Opportunity

One of the most important parts of Jill of All Trades is simply giving students permission to explore.

They do not have to arrive knowing exactly what they want to do.

They can try something new.

They can ask questions.

They can discover that they enjoy working with their hands or solving a technical problem.

They can also discover that a career they had never considered might be worth another look.

This year’s event welcomed students from Aerospace and Natural Science Academy, Central Catholic High School, Clay High School, Penta Career Center, Rogers High School, Scott High School, Start High School, Toledo Technology Academy, and Whitmer High School.

Owens also continued another piece of the program aimed at helping students move forward.

A $1,000 Jill of All Trades scholarship was awarded to Rogers High School sophomore Nakiyah Hutcherson, giving one participant additional support if she chooses to continue her education at Owens.

Supporting the Future of the Skilled Trades

Taylor Automotive Family has built its business in Northwest Ohio, and supporting the future workforce of this community is important to us.

That means helping students understand the opportunities that already exist close to home.

It also means supporting organizations like Owens Community College that provide the training needed to turn curiosity into a career.

Jill of All Trades brings those pieces together.

Students get experience.

Educators provide a pathway.

Local employers show where those skills can lead.

And the community gets an opportunity to invest in the people who will become its future technicians, welders, machinists, engineers, and skilled professionals.

For Taylor Automotive Family, being part of Jill of All Trades is about helping open that first door.

Because sometimes a student simply needs the chance to try something before she can picture herself doing it for a living.

We are proud to support Owens Community College and Jill of All Trades as they continue creating those opportunities for students throughout Northwest Ohio.