Fleet Maintenance - 17

Appeal to the next generation

"I think the main challenge of recruiting technicians into the industry is the perception of what
association a trade job entails to some people," says
Duncan Polytech's Rubio. "Unfortunately, the trades
have been relegated to last resort occupations when
in reality the salaries and wages associated with
these occupations prove quite the contrary."
"The main issues are the poor, outdated, and
inaccurate images of a technician, and what that
career is like, and the lack of knowledge about
what the opportunities really are within this
industry, including high demand, job security, good pay, and opportunity for advancement
in a multitude of directions," adds TechForce
Foundation's Settle.
While service technicians today must not be
afraid to understand and complete mechanical
repairs, the continued advancements in vehicle
technology will require a deeper understanding
of vehicle systems and how to use diagnostic tools.
"There will be a whole host of additional technologies that are going to be coming out ... with
adaptive cruise [control] and lane [keep] assist,
internet-enabled [vehicles], and the ability to see
remotely back from headquarters as to the status
of a vehicle," says SP/2's Holt. "I think that the
amount of technology that's coming out is going to
come out rapidly, and there's going to be so much
continued education that's going to be required."
But, stresses Find A Wrench's Goninen, it is

important to not sell short the need to roll up
sleeves to turn wrenches.
"We continue to try and push the narrative that
there has been a shift to the technology side," he
says. "While that's true, there is still a great deal of
this work that is physically demanding and dirty.
I don't know that this will change anytime soon.
Some techs love that part while others don't."
As an organization looking to hire top talent,
fleets must be prepared to provide potential hires
the benefits as to why the technician should work
for them.
"You need to be prepared to speak to your organization's assets and what it has to offer," Settle says.
Be transparent, but also provide specifics on
what makes your shop unique. What's the shop
culture? Does the shop get involved with the
community? What compensation, benefits, and
tools and equipment does the shop offer?
Overall, it is important to establish a clear and
detailed process for employee development.
"There has to be a complete organizational buy-in
to new employee development, on-the-job training,
and career progression," says American Diesel
Training Centers' Spurlock. "And, there needs to
be pay and financial milestones along with this."
Goninen suggests it is important to provide a
future road map for the career options available
to entry-level applicants coming into the industry. Those involved should highlight the different avenues someone interested in the industry
could pursue.

"It's not as much about trying to sell potential
techs on the profession as much as it is trying to
educate them on the opportunities that open up as
a result of building a base of technical knowledge,"
Goninen says. "There is so much opportunity in
this business and it's up to industry leaders to
paint that picture."

Future outlook

Whether it's creating a "grow your own" structure
of recruiting technicians from trade schools, or
through an extensive recruitment process through
job boards and advertising efforts, finding a qualified candidate to fill a service technician position
is half the battle. Once they arrive to work, it is
critical to have a clear plan for career progression
in order to retain those employees.
This will take a concerted effort among those
within a business operation, as well as the industry as a whole.
"The number of experienced technicians is
going to continue to decrease, and we do not have
enough entering the trades to overcome that shortage," says SP/2's Holt. "But, those companies that
are the best at both recruiting experienced techs,
and recruiting and growing their own entry-level techs to become experienced techs, those that
retain the best, those companies have the biggest
strategic competitive advantage of anybody out
there in the industry for the next five to 10 years
at least."

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Fleet Maintenance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance
