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QCG Academy · Charlotte Workforce Facility

Real work.
Real craftsmen.
Real deliverables.

If you leave the QCG Academy without something your team can deploy on Monday, we failed. This is not an internship program with exposure to interesting things. It is a facility where you build something under the supervision of people who’ve built race cars for a living.

Facility Roadmap
Phase 1 — 2026

Pilot

Underway

2–4 interns. AI/Prompt + Engineering tracks. Dual mentorship: QCG technical staff + master craftsman in residence. All interns remain employees of their home company. All work product owned by the home company. September readout delivered in writing.

Phase 2 — 2027–2028

Facility Opens

Planned

Dedicated facility space in Charlotte. 8–16 interns across four tracks. Master craftsmen in residence full-time. AI Track operational.

Phase 3 — 2029–2031

Full Operation

Planned

Year-round workforce development center. Six tracks fully operational. Local community college and university pipeline formalized. Alumni network established. National model. The facility that outlasts the race team.

Six Tracks · One Facility
Available: Summer 2026
What You Build

A prompt library your team can deploy. An AI cost audit of your current workflows. A process map identifying where AI belongs and where it doesn't.

What You Leave With

A working prompt library (5+ production-quality prompts with evaluation rubric), a process map with AI insertion points, and the ability to present both to a VP audience.

Who This Is For

Early-career professionals in IT, data, operations, or any function evaluating AI tools. No prior AI experience required — prior curiosity required.

Mentorship

QCG AI operations team + senior AI mentor

Duration

8–12 weeks

Available: Summer 2026
What You Build

A sensor/telemetry instrumentation spec for a QCG subsystem. Real engineering problem with real constraints and real review by a working race engineer.

What You Leave With

An instrumentation spec document reviewed and signed off by a QCG engineer. A documented design decision log showing your reasoning at each step.

Who This Is For

Mechanical or electrical engineering students or early-career engineers. Automotive or motorsports background a plus, not a requirement.

Mentorship

QCG racing technical staff + master craftsman in residence

Duration

8–12 weeks

Available: 2027 (Phase 2)
What You Build

A data pipeline component for the QCG AI Crew Chief system. Real data. Real architecture. Real stakes — if the pipeline fails, the race strategy system loses data.

What You Leave With

A documented pipeline architecture with test results, a data quality spec, and a handoff document readable by a non-technical team member.

Who This Is For

IT, data engineering, or computer science students and early-career professionals.

Duration

8–12 weeks

Available: 2027 (Phase 2)
What You Build

A quality control protocol for a specific fabrication process inside the engine program. You work with master craftsmen and document the standard they already use, then formalize it.

What You Leave With

A QC protocol document that QCG actually uses — your name on the authorship line — and a presentation of the standard to the fabrication team.

Who This Is For

Manufacturing, industrial engineering, or quality assurance students and early-career professionals.

Duration

8–12 weeks

05

Welding / Fabrication

Qualified Candidates Only
Available: 2027 (Phase 2)
What You Build

You fabricate. Under supervision of master craftsmen with racing fabrication backgrounds. Real metal. Real tolerances. Real consequences for error.

What You Leave With

Documented fabrication hours, a portfolio piece (approved component), and a skills assessment signed by the master craftsman you worked under.

Who This Is For

Students with prior welding coursework or professional welding experience. Safety orientation and skills assessment required before placement.

Duration

8–12 weeks

Available: 2027 (Phase 2)
What You Build

A procurement optimization analysis for one QCG supply chain segment. Real suppliers. Real pricing. Real constraints. Present findings to QCG operations leadership.

What You Leave With

An analysis document, a supplier comparison matrix, and a presentation you delivered to a real leadership team.

Who This Is For

Business, supply chain, or operations management students and early-career professionals.

Duration

8–12 weeks

Who You Learn From

The people who’ve actually built race cars.

Every QCG Academy track pairs early-career participants with master craftsmen — people with decades of hands-on racing experience who know what correct looks like because they’ve built it a thousand times. This is not mentorship theater. It is the apprenticeship model, applied to a working race program.

The master craftsmen are in the shop when you are. They review your work. They tell you when it’s wrong and why. They sign off on your deliverable before it leaves the facility. Their standard is the standard.