The first cohort of Columbia High School students to enroll in the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers Technician Advancement Program — or NJ CAR TAP — recently finished the bootcamp for aspiring automotive technicians.
The bootcamp began on October 25 and ran for 18 weeks, with students developing hands-on maintenance experience. The classes took place at the Hillside Toyota car dealership located on Route 22 in Union.
The program was announced in November 2025 by South Orange-Maplewood School District Superintendent Jason Bing, who said that NJ CAR TAP “is perfect for districts like us who have kids that are interested in auto” and would give students the opportunity to “go right to the dealership and get trained.”
“It’s a great way to prepare our kids for the auto field, especially for those school districts such as South Orange-Maplewood School District that can’t afford the infrastructure improvements,” said Bing, noting, “We would have to really put in five different bays to qualify for funding. So most districts can’t do that unless you’re a vocational school.”
NJ CAR TAP promotes itself as a more effective avenue than a traditional training course. While traditional courses are mostly focused on classroom instruction, NJ CAR TAP divides the time equally between formal instruction and hands-on learning, providing students with valuable on-site experience.
From left to right:
Kristian White, Roel Jiminez-Risco, Donald ‘DJ’ Raisin, all twelfth graders, along with Dr. Jennifer Antoni, celebrated their Car Tap graduation at Toyota of Hillside. Dr. Jennifer Antoni spoke at the ceremony and Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Dale Caldwell, gave the keynote address.
Students dedicated 16 hours per week to the program during its runtime. In comparison to the usual 1-4 years of standard training, the bootcamp is unique in providing the necessary qualifications needed to become an entry-level technician in a considerably shorter timeframe than usual.
Donald “DJ” Raisin is currently a senior at Columbia High School and one of the students who graduated from the bootcamp after 18 weeks of instruction. Raisin’s passion for automobiles and an interest in learning about the car repair process led him to enter the program. NJ CAR TAP exists as a valuable opportunity for students like Raisin to expand their technical knowledge and dedicate themselves to a field of work for an extended period of time.
The program started by introducing students to a car’s key components, such as tires, breaks, and fluids, before focusing on the specific details of each. Lessons then shifted to the electrical parts and internal mechanisms of a vehicle. Students went from working on individual pieces to real vehicles under the guidance of mentors.
NJ CAR TAP advertised two other bootcamps alongside the October program, one which began in January and another starting this March. CHS Director of Guidance Dr. Jennifer Antoni told Village Green, “As NJ Car Tap is a statewide initiative, a second cohort will depend on county partnerships with local dealerships.”
Said Raisin, “Overall the experience was great and [we] made lots of memories.”
Robin Van Nostrand is a 12th grade student at Columbia High School who is working with Village Green as a paid freelancer through a grant from the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
