Carl Holt, owner of Katner-Mills Motor Supply of Grove, recently received the Outstanding Business and Industry Partner award from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education Equity Council.
Holt was one of 15 Oklahomans honored, along with three businesses and organizations, at the 30th annual Making It Work Day at the Capitol on March 6.
Making It Work Day recognizes individuals who are committed to removing barriers to success for single-parent families by providing educational experiences for students beyond the classroom. The ceremony, which was held at The Credit Union House of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, also recognized nontraditional students.
Holt, has owned and operated the NAPA Auto Parts store in Grove for more than 10 years, accepts interns from the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Journey 2 Success program and always offers interns employment within the first or second month of their placement, said Robin Shambaugh, OkCTEEC president and NEO Journey 2 Success Delaware County coordinator, who nominated him for the award.
Holt trains the students to work with customers on the floor so they can learn as much as possible in the automotive department, Shambaugh said, and he talks with them about the importance of education and their career advancement plans. He also helps the students get to know the mechanic and auto shops in the area, she said.
“He feels this is the ground floor for automotive training, and they can build from this point on for whatever career they want in the automotive world,” Shambaugh said.
“We know that we can always count on Carl and his team at NAPA Auto Parts to take our students in and accept them as part of their team.”
OkCTEEC is affiliated with the administrative division of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education. The council advocates for students pursuing nontraditional careers and for resources for educating single parents.
“Making It Work Day is one of my favorite award ceremonies, as it allows for those graduates, community partners and instructors who have excelled to be recognized for their hard work,” said KayTee Niquette, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families coordinator at Oklahoma CareerTech. “It is an event that is traditionally held at Oklahoma’s state Capitol, but regardless of location, our awardees are allowed to shine.
“Listening to the stories of many who accept their awards is nothing but inspirational, and OkCTEEC is very excited to host this event once again, so that special projects programs with both the Oklahoma Department of Career and Education Technology and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education might be highlighted.”
She serves as an adviser for OkCTEEC, along with Jennifer Bielli of Oklahoma Human Services and Gina McPherson of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
“On behalf of OkCTEEC we are very excited to celebrate another year of Making It Work Day,” said Shambaugh. “It is our privilege to honor and recognize our outstanding graduates, instructors and business and industry partners along with our community and agency partners across the state of Oklahoma. We would like to congratulate our students and partners for their determination, hard work and dedication this year.”
OkCTEEC’s purposes include promoting and supporting career and technology education, increasing its effectiveness, promoting research in the field and in educational equity, developing leadership and advocating for equity and diversity.
For more information about OkCTEEC, visit https://www.cteec.org/okcteec. For more information about the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, visit www.okcareertech.org.
