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Anyone involved in technician apprenticeship or internship programs?

Joe Marconi

By Joe Marconi
in Education & Training

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slowtech Contributor

slowtech

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I believe an apprentice program has merit. If developed and implemented in a manner that benefits the employers. An evaluation test to determine best possible

candidates and online knowledge training while working in a sponsor shop could be an affordable way to learn the trade.

Edited by slowtech
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Tires Too Collaborator

Tires Too

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I sit on the local high school's advisory board for the automotive program. The problem that they have, just like we have, is getting kids with the needed skills and aptitude involved in the program. What the solution is, I do not know. The perception of auto techs, just like many of the trades, is that it is below many of the better students. Maybe we, as shop owners, need to open a dialog with the guidance counselors at these schools so they understand the needs of the industry and what the benefits of a career in the industry are.

 

We have worked with several Vo-Tech schools to do an internship with some of the students. It has been a mixed bag. Some should not have been in the program, but I have hired several of the kids as they graduated.

 

The high school and Vo-Tech programs in conjunction with AYES and NATEF have worked to change their programs so that these kids can be productive with light repairs and maintenance work when they start.

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Dee1234 Apprentice

Dee1234

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I have had a couple trainees before. 1 had been to a UTI type school and paid lots of money...and didnt know the basic "lefty loosey, righty tighty"...not even an oil change for this guy. But i remember when i was starting 10 years ago. I didnt know anything, but i was eager to learn. So i was a sponge and excelled quickly. Its all about the individual candidate. I thin it can work out for student and employer. But needs to be shop that has the time to train and nuture and student that is open vessel.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's 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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