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The Big Picture Program [RR 715]


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I recently had the privilege to connect with Karen Monaco, a teacher for a local school district and advisor for the Big Picture Program during a local independent shop owner meeting. This national program puts students at the center of their own learning through “leave to learn” internships and shadowing at local businesses. If you’re not involved with education, this is your wake-up call to get started. All it takes is a phone call. My goal is that this episode shows you the way to engage our young people in our industry.

Karen Monaco, Big Picture Advisor and ELA Teacher, Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District

Key Talking Points

  • The Big Picture Program started 20 years ago, it is a national program bigpicture.org
  • 90 students grade level 8th-12th. 15 kids per advisor- teaching real word learning through internships 
  • More than half of students don’t know what they want to do next
  • Interest inventory- visiting different places/jobs/parks, “leaving to learn”
  • Most high schools will have some type of internship program/connection to the trades. Email the guidance office, go into school and speak to the students (zoom call too). Explain what a day-to-day looks like at your business. 
  • Shadowing- 1 student for 1 day 
  • Internship for Karen's school district- Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 am-1 pm, 6-8 week commitment
  • Soft skills - address an envelope, write a check, dress code, sign name, tell time on an analog clock, resume building 
  • Insurance policy for students to eliminate risk when they go to businesses

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Important Books

Check out today's partner:

NAPA AutoCare’s PROimage program makes it easy for you to make the most of the NAPA brand. A PROimage upgrade lets you maintain your shop’s identity as a reliable, locally-owned business while letting your customers and potential customers know you’re partnering with NAPA, the most recognized and trusted name in the automotive aftermarket. AutoCare Centers that have completed a PROimage exterior upgrade enjoy an average 23 percent sales increase during the first year. You can also choose to go PROimage on the interior and transform your customer waiting area from merely utilitarian to warm and welcoming. You can even get a free look by visting www.NAPAAutoCare.com and clicking on the NAPA PROimage link under the NAPA PROimage tab. Of course, the AutoCare site is also the place to go to find out about all the advantages being part of the NAPA family has to offer.

 
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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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