MIAMI – Braman Enterprises commands several blocks on Biscayne Boulevard and 20th Street, and it's there that CEO Norman Braman says he has always wanted to do more for the people who live in inner city communities that surround him.
"I always wanted to take young people, inner city kids, and teach them our business," Braman said.
So as part of his expansion five years ago, he created the Braman Automotive Training Center and partnered with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to create an accredited, state-of-the-art training center that would serve its student for free.
"For somebody to say, 'I'll teach you. I'll train you and then I will help you find a job.' That doesn't exist anywhere else," Brian Enriquez said.
Enriquez graduated from the Braman Automotive Training Center two years ago and now is a master technician. He said this opportunity has changed his life and allows him to care for his parents.
Rich Lolito, a teacher in Miami-Dade County, has been here from the beginning. He said the program is a life changer.
"It's an amazing program. It changes their lives. It's all about education to career, " he said.
The program is 18 months long and once you are accepted, tuition, uniforms and tools are covered. Once the students begin their internships in the service department, they are paid for every car they help work on.
Dylan Jennings will graduate in the next class and says he is externally grateful.
"Norman Braman gave us a $40,000 to $50,000 education for free," Jennings said. "All you have to do is show up on time and be ready to learn."
Braman is thrilled that most of his graduates now either work for him or have jobs elsewhere. He said that's all the compensation he needs.
"What we are doing is to give them an opportunity. To build a family, to have children (and) have a life that they would not ordinarily have, " Braman said.
The Braman Automotive training program is accepting new applications for the next group that begins in August.
Applicants need a high school diploma or GED and must past background screenings to be eligible. Interested applicants should call Linda Brickman at 305-576-1889 or Maggie Descartes at 305-324-6070 ext. 7089.