WyoTech Instructor Brings Porsche Apprenticeship Experience to the Classroom
August 31, 2026
LARAMIE, Wyo., August 31st, 2026 WyoTech automotive instructor Talon Owens has spent close to two decades in the automotive trades, from a Porsche Technician Apprenticeship Program (PTAP) placement in Atlanta to earning his Master ASE Certification, according to Owens. Since joining WyoTech’s Laramie, Wyoming campus in May 2025, he has brought that background directly into the classroom, teaching students in the school’s Automotive Technology program.
Owens’ path into the trades started in high school auto shop classes and a job at a local auto body shop and Dodge dealership. Around the same time, he took on a side project reviving a nitro-fuel-powered remote-control airplane that had been sitting unused for years.
“When it finally fired up and ran, I was hooked,” Owens said. “It felt amazing to bring something back to life.”
He carried that passion for restoration through the rest of high school, spending three years rebuilding his teacher’s 1929 Model A roadster pickup. According to Owens, the vehicle was running and driving before he graduated, and the experience further fueled his interest in the trades.
When it came time to choose a school, Owens said he weighed WyoTech’s classic car restoration program against Universal Technical Institute (UTI), where Porsche recruited exclusively for its apprenticeship program at the time. He chose UTI, spent a year training in Avondale, Arizona, and was later selected for the Porsche Technician Apprenticeship Program (PTAP), which brought him to Atlanta for six months of intensive Porsche-specific training. He went on to work for Porsche Atlanta Perimeter.
During his time with Porsche, Owens said he returned to the training center more than a dozen times for advanced coursework, earning his Bronze and then Silver Level certifications before beginning to test for Gold Level. He has since earned his Master ASE Certification, according to Owens.
Owens left the dealership after about three years to move closer to home. An opening to teach high school automotive at a local county career academy led him into education, stepping in mid-year for an instructor who had passed away suddenly.
“My own high school shop experience was key to connecting with the students and earning their respect,” Owens said of that transition. “We had a blast. We hosted car shows, bought a chassis dyno, held dyno days, and I did everything I could to pass on my passion for cars.”
After five years teaching there, Owens and his wife began looking for a new environment to raise their daughters. The idea of relocating to teach at WyoTech kept coming up, he said, and the family moved to Laramie in May 2025.
“Just as I loved teaching high school auto, I absolutely love teaching at the post-secondary level,” Owens said.
Asked what he finds most rewarding about the work, Owens pointed to the moment a concept clicks for a student.
“Without a doubt, it’s seeing the lightbulb turn on when a concept clicks for a student,” he said. “Watching that moment of understanding happen is what keeps me passionate about teaching.”
Owens said the biggest factor in a student’s success in the trades is self-motivation.
“If you lack self-motivation, you will struggle to make money, stay productive, and advance in your career,” he said. “The better you are at pushing yourself and maintaining momentum, the farther you’ll go.”
His advice to current students and prospective students considering a career in the trades:
“Live YOUR life. Just live it, one day at a time, one decision at a time,” Owens said. “It’s not for someone else to live through you. It’s yours, so take it by the horns… and build the future you envision. Don’t be afraid to make a wrong choice, because you can always make a new choice tomorrow. That’s called learning.”
Owens said he originally planned to spend his career with Porsche, but doesn’t regret the path that led him to teaching.
“I loved my time there, and I certainly miss aspects of it, who wouldn’t love test-driving a GT3 RS?” he said. “But I love where I am today and wouldn’t change the path that brought me here. Take your education seriously, keep learning, and keep growing. You never know where it might lead you.”
About WyoTech
Founded in 1966, WyoTech is a trade school in Laramie, Wyoming, offering core programs in Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, Collision/Refinishing Technology and Applied Welding Technology, along with six specialty programs. WyoTech is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). More information is available at wyotech.edu.