Fixed Ops Journal - February 2021 - F21

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

HANDS ON

FIRST CHOICE

High school robotics programs could be a service tech pipeline

P

atrick Sassine, service adviser
at Vic Canever Chevrolet in
Fenton, Mich., northwest of
Detroit, looks at the store's aging
technician work force and worries.
" Our work force is 50-plus " years old,
he told Fixed Ops Journal. " They are at
the end of their careers, and we don't
see anything coming in, no young
talent. You can find people to do brakes
and to do oil changes but not to work
on computer modules. "
RICHARD
To run the service department in the
era of battery-electric vehicles and selfdriving technology, " you have to have
rtruett@crain.com
the skills, " he says.
Fixed Ops Journal
Currently, Canever has just one tech
certified to work on the Chevrolet Volt
and Bolt, and the store could use more.
But Sassine knows about a potential pipeline for techs with advanced
electronics skills that may not have dawned on other service directors.
We've heard stories of dealers who have scooped up tech-savvy
employees from retail stores' electronics departments, or who have
" grown their own " by starting them in the lube lane fresh out of high
school and moving them up. Those are good strategies - for today. But
here's one for the near future: Nearly every school district in the nation
has at least one high school with a FIRST Robotics team. FIRST - For
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - is the
perfect program for newcar dealers to support and
use as a recruiting tool.
Each year, FIRST school
teams around the country
build battery-powered,
self-driving robots that
compete in raucous
competitions held in gyms
and arenas in front of
cheering parents, students
and sponsors. The robots
must perform complex
tasks, such as climbing a
wall or shooting balls
repeatedly through a hoop.
Each FIRST team has
engineers, computer
programmers, welders,
electricians, fabricators and
troubleshooters.
Vic Canever Chevrolet in Fenton, Mich.,
Sassine has seen
sponsors the Fenton Titanium Tigers, a
firsthand what these kids -
FIRST Robotics team.

TRUETT

Junior Adam Dickie, who
leads the electrical team,
works on the Fenton
Titanium Tigers' robot.

including his son - can do: He's a mentor for the Fenton Titanium
Tigers. And Canever is a sponsor.
Because of the pandemic, the 2020 team didn't visit the dealership as
in years past. As soon as it is safe again, the Titanium Tigers will visit
Canever and the service department, Sassine says. He wants to plant
the seed that a car dealership is a place where technicians can work on
cutting-edge electronics.
Engineer Todd Ferguson, a global program manager for automotive
at Tier 1 supplier Borg Warner, is familiar with some of the electronic
components that high school teams are installing on their robots. He's
seen the same parts on production vehicles.
" The proximity sensors and the ultrasonic sensors are all the same, "
he says. Ferguson moonlights as a FIRST mentor and coach for the
Fenton school district.
see ROBOTICS, page 22

FEBRUARY 2021

PAGE 21
Fixed Ops Journal - February 2021

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