Helping Clarke County Students Discover a Path Into Automotive Careers

October 16th, 2026 | Berryville, Virginia: For students thinking about life after high school, exploring automotive careers in Clarke County, VA can open the door to opportunities they may not have considered. What kind of jobs are available? Do I need experience? What training will I need? And where do I even start? Those were exactly the kinds of conversations taking place when Marlow Auto Group returned to the Clarke County High School Career & College Fair on October 16th.

Now in our fourth year participating in the event, Marlow Auto Group team members Ed Sullivan, Fixed Operations Director; Greg Strosnider, Used Car Director; and Deidre Williams, Human Resources Director, spent the morning talking with students in grades 9 through 12 about careers in the automotive industry. Approximately 30 students stopped by the Marlow table during the two-hour event. Marlow was one of the participating organizations at the fair, with colleges, employers, public-service organizations, and other career resources available for students to explore.

Exploring Clarke County Automotive Careers

A modern dealership requires people with many different skills and interests. Students learned about opportunities in automotive service, parts, sales, finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, management, detailing and reconditioning, and administrative positions.
The conversations also gave students a chance to learn that there isn’t one path into the automotive industry.

Some positions require specialized education or technical training. Others provide opportunities for someone to begin at an entry level and develop their skills through experience, mentoring, and additional training. Students could review descriptions of different dealership positions and ask questions about the careers that interested them. They also received information about Degrees@Work through Strayer University, which provides eligible employees the opportunity to pursue a college degree at no cost to them. For students considering both college and a career, programs like this demonstrate that the two paths don’t necessarily have to be separate.

Answering Questions About Starting a Service Career

Service careers generated some of the most interest during the morning. Students wanted to know how someone becomes an automotive technician, what training is required, and, most importantly, whether they need previous automotive experience to get started. The answer Marlow’s team shared was encouraging: someone interested in the field can begin without previous professional automotive experience. Marlow can provide the training and support needed to develop their skills along the way. That can include learning alongside a mentor as well as off-site manufacturer training at the Nissan Training Center. For a student who enjoys working with their hands, solving problems, learning new technology, or understanding how vehicles work, that means an automotive career can be something they begin building rather than something they must already know how to do.

“One of the biggest things we want students to understand is that they don’t have to come to us with years of automotive experience. If someone has the interest and the willingness to learn, we can help teach them, pair them with a mentor, and provide the training they need to build a career. There are a lot of opportunities in this industry for someone who is willing to get started.” – Ed Sullivan, Fixed Operations Director, Marlow Auto Group

For Marlow Auto Group, returning to the Clarke County High School Career & College Fair for a fourth year is another opportunity to build relationships with local students and help them learn more about automotive careers in Clarke County, VA and the choices available after high school. Whether their future leads to a service bay, an office, a sales floor, a college classroom, or another career entirely, giving students more information today can help them make a more confident decision about tomorrow.

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