Houston oil company steps up to help males aging out of foster care learn valuable skills

CYPRESS, Texas - FOX 26's Gabby Hart has been shining a light on the issues foster children face after they turn 18 and age out. Now she brings us the story of how a local oil company is stepping up to help former foster children beat the odds. 

After aging out of foster care, many teens don't have a plan or the finances to put sustain themselves, but Petra Automotive Products just launched a program that is equipping young men with the tools they need to provide a real future for themselves.

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"I believe God blesses people to be distributors of that wealth," said Arnold Gacita, CEO and president of Petra Automotive Products 

Gacita says when he heard about the harrowing statistics for teens that age out of foster care, he knew he had to get involved.

"80% within three years are going to be dead, in jail, or homeless. I mean we knew sort of about foster care, but we really didn't know what was happening," said Gacita. 

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So, Gacita and Brian Meza, the Executive Director for Petra Cares Charity, launched a seven-week crash course in partnership with Lone Star College, where they take former foster youth and at-risk teens and teach them what it takes to become level-one automotive technicians. Something the industry is in need of. 

"They're learning a skill and become valuable to an employer," Meza explained. 

During the program, these teens receive a stipend of $150 per week. Once the course is complete, they earn two college credits and are ready to start on their career path.

"They're not going to be homeless; they're going to have a job, a good paying, rewarding career, and they could go to school at night and continue at their own pace," said Meza. 

Level one technicians can start out making anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 a year. This is the first round for this program, but Petra Charity says it won't be the last, they even plan to expand the program to help young women aging out find career paths as well.