Solving The Technician Shortage by Beth Lucchesi

The automotive community has spent YEARS talking about this – it’s time to update our course of ACTION. What do we do differently???

Grow your own. It sounds simple, but is it? Yes and No. Those who love the automotive industry must pull together and support Trade Education.

Trade Schools, Community Colleges, and High School Technical programs offer automotive repair, automotive technology, and automotive body repair classes. At least one university offers courses in automotive leadership.

These schools have enthusiastic and talented students, and we have connected with them for years to fill our quick lanes, but we must do better than that! Let’s take these schools and students under our wing and invest in them, creating the bench strength we all need and want!

Here are a few things that have been successful for us:

• Join the Advisory Board – Go to the meetings regularly – have someone besides the Service Manager attend, participate and further the conversation. Ask the instructors what they need. The perception is that all instructors want cars but ASK the question – you may be surprised to find the answer is a much easier request. The very first school we visited needed batteries. It was a simple need to fill. We were able to respond quickly, setting the foundation for our relationship to grow.  

•  Share what you need students to learn before entering the workforce with the instructors. Talk to the instructors about what is going on in your shop – what trends are you seeing that could help them shape the future curriculum. For example, many current programs have minimal (if any) instruction for hybrid or electric vehicle technology. Be prepared to help them access educational materials on emerging technologies.  

• Shadow Days – Not a new concept, but imagine the outcome you could have with a bit of strategic planning. Some things that have been successful for us are using the following roadmap:

1. Visit the school with a technician and meet the students/instructors.
2. Share your apprentice program & invite the students to come to see the dealership.
3. Prep Shadow Day by giving guidelines to your whole team on interacting with students and making the best of the day. (invest now and reap the rewards in the future)
4. When the day comes, have a group meet them at the door – GM SM Liaison & anyone else available for a few minutes to welcome them to your store.  
5. Provide a quick tour of all departments (Liaison & SM) and focus on the teams working together.
6. End in the shop where you have prepped the techs to interact with the students.
7. Have lunch together in the break room – get some feedback and have them ask questions. Ask them what they liked and didn’t about the day – so the next one is even better! It’s a great time to connect.
8. Tell them you are hosting parent’s night in about a week at the end of the day to learn more details about a career with your company. Thank them for spending the day with you.

Taking the time to make the day stand out, giving the students time to see what you and your team are all about, makes them feel engaged and wanted. Don’t we all want to feel wanted? It is also essential to keep the conversation going AFTER the day.

• Host a Parent’s Night – at the school or your store. Serve some light refreshments at the start, so parents have time to mingle. The target date should be about a week AFTER the shadow day. This can be a pivotal time for students (and parents) who are on the fence about this career. Invite the auto tech instructors to join you and make them part of the event – students know and trust them, and will encourage them to ask questions. Ensure you have Service Managers, Technicians, and Advisors on hand to answer questions – it is more impactful than the liaison who may not have “lived” this job. Facilitate open conversation – review your apprentice program and then open the floor for questions. Share with the students when you are accepting applications and how to apply. (we also hosted an interview day the following week).

• Create an Apprentice Program! 

• Stay engaged! The Key to long-term success is consistent engagement with schools, students, and technical training programs. Develop a relationship that results in you being the first person they call for an event, place a student, or update a program. The only way to reach that status is to be present. Be a partner, and convey that you have the same goals for the students that the teachers do. Show them what they can accomplish and how you will help them achieve it. Continue to teach, help them develop skills and provide structure to build a career and a successful life.

Today’s investment will support our future. One dealership can make a difference, but by sharing this message across the industry and joining forces, imagine the impact we can make together.

Make Trouble, Create Growth, Make a Difference!

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About the author: 

Beth Lucchesi is a talent acquisition specialist with Carter Myers Automotive.

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