LITTLE ROCK, AR — Josh Flynn is a mechanic at North Point Nissan in Little Rock.
He found his love of working on cars after first trying another path.
“I just couldn’t find anything that was worth studying that was of interest to me in college,” he said.
Flynn got the job after earning an associates degree in science engineering through a city-funded program for students age 18-24 called the Evening Career Center.
But Flynn was one of the few.
During a pilot program that spanned the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, the city spent $385,000 on the program.
It enrolled 74 students but only graduated four.
City Director Ken Richardson called the numbers “insulting.”
“It certainly raises some questions about the utilization and implementation of these resources and whether or not we’re getting the best bang for our buck,” he said.
Flynn says many in the program didn’t share his enthusiasm.
“The attendance of the other students wasn’t very good at all,” he said.
Ask if responsibility for the program’s failures ultimately fall upon him, Richardson said he is not a city director “who micromanages departments.”
The city says the Evening Career Center is not being included in a Youth Master Plan currently in the works.
“It is disappointing because I felt like I was successful,” Flynn said. “I feel like a lot of other people could [be].”
He found his love of working on cars after first trying another path.
“I just couldn’t find anything that was worth studying that was of interest to me in college,” he said.
Flynn got the job after earning an associates degree in science engineering through a city-funded program for students age 18-24 called the Evening Career Center.
But Flynn was one of the few.
During a pilot program that spanned the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, the city spent $385,000 on the program.
It enrolled 74 students but only graduated four.
City Director Ken Richardson called the numbers “insulting.”
“It certainly raises some questions about the utilization and implementation of these resources and whether or not we’re getting the best bang for our buck,” he said.
Flynn says many in the program didn’t share his enthusiasm.
“The attendance of the other students wasn’t very good at all,” he said.
Ask if responsibility for the program’s failures ultimately fall upon him, Richardson said he is not a city director “who micromanages departments.”
The city says the Evening Career Center is not being included in a Youth Master Plan currently in the works.
“It is disappointing because I felt like I was successful,” Flynn said. “I feel like a lot of other people could [be].”