Colorado students get extra traction thanks to tire shop equipment donation from Discount Tires

Students at the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus are gaining some extra traction in education thanks to a new partnership with Discount Tire. The automotive career pathway program is turning into a high-tech training ground thanks to a donation of industry-standard equipment. 

Some of that equipment includes tire changers, balancers, alignment racks, and modern service bays, identical to what's used in commercial stores. That gives students a better understanding of how a shop works in practice and also saves the school district thousands of dollars. 

"When I first asked Discount Tire what we should buy for our new addition, I got these specs for these machines because they've been vetted; they've been tested in the store, dozens, sometimes hundreds of tires a day, so we wanted to get the best machines," said Dr. Brian Manley, Automotive Service Technician Pathway Lead & Instructor.

The collaboration with Discount Tire helps give students hands-on instruction, paid internships and direct pathways to employment. 

Cherry Creek School District serves 52,000 students and is the fourth-largest school district in Colorado.