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Wanted: High Tech Technicians

Pay is high, benefits big, yet auto technicians are in short supply

With an uncertain economy and high unemployment, you'd think young people would be flocking to careers that promise high earnings and job security. Sadly, students are shunning one of the most tempting job opportunities out there—automotive repair.

Each year, the automotive industry is in need of 35,000 new technicians, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of entrants into automotive vocational programs is falling far short of the national need. Already acute, the shortage is bound to worsen in the years ahead. More than 15,000 working technicians retire annually. Each time one leaves, chances are there's no young technician to take his or her place.

Dealers and their service managers are well aware of the dearth of trained technicians. So are the auto manufacturers. But it's largely invisible to the car-owning public. Automobiles aren't going unrepaired, after all. Not yet, anyway—though that could happen one day unless more students are drawn into the field. "We must find a method of attracting new, talented people," said Jim Willingham, chairman of Automotive Retailing Today (ART), a consortium of major automakers and dealer associations.

What's the Problem?

Lack of interest has two main causes: the advantages of working as a technician are little known, and the occupation suffers from an image problem. A recent study of teen career choices, commissioned by ART and undertaken by Wirthlin Worldwide, found that surprisingly few students are aware of these jobs or their potential benefits. Neither are their parents or their teachers.

Wirthlin surveyed 606 teenagers, 600 parents, and 200 educators. Only two percent of surveyed teens said they would consider a career in the auto industry, versus 18 percent who favored a health-care occupation.

On the plus side, much of the disinterest stems from lack of information. Opinions tend to change when they learn how much technicians earn, and how their services are in high demand. After discovering that master technicians can make $70,000 to $100,000 a year, 65 percent said they would be more likely to seek an auto-repair career.

Teens choose careers for a variety of reasons. Of those surveyed, 53 percent claimed a general interest in their chosen field, 33 percent wanted to help or work with people, 24 percent focused on tangible opportunities, and 23 percent saw the benefits of working with things, making a difference, or achieving satisfaction. Money ranked fifth on the list. Parents and educators thought intellectual challenge was important in a career, but this aspect was not seen on teenagers' lists.

According to the survey, teens start talking about careers by age 13. Four out of five said they trusted their parents' opinions when making career choices. Friends and teachers play smaller roles, but peer pressure makes a difference. Asked what their friends would think if they planned a career at a car dealership, 46 percent believed those friends would express negative opinions, versus 42 percent who would see the good points.

The Benefits

In addition to good pay and mobility—there is a strong demand for their services across the country—technicians enjoy a high level of job satisfaction, simply because they're working on cars. They can also go home at the end of each day with a sense of achievement, having performed a valuable service.

The shortage was highlighted by a panel discussion during the 2002 convention of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), held in New Orleans. Participants came from Louisiana dealerships, joined by a vocational-school principal.

Because teenagers rely heavily on parental opinions, the negative image of auto repair becomes a formidable obstacle. "We haven't done a good job of letting the public know about these careers," said ART chairman Willingham. "It's the parents who have reservations," added Gayle Flowers, principal of the Caddo Career & Technology Center. Dealer Mark Herbert concurred, advising that "the parents are the ones who still have that mistaken perception" of the technician, based on outmoded recollections.

"I love what I do," said Derrick Daniel, 18, a student intern at a Nissan dealership. Even though he came from a truck-driving family, Derrick's mother wanted him to become a lawyer, but he preferred working with his hands.

ART hopes to generate publicity that will lure more students into the trade. Other groups also are active, including Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES), a partnership between business and vocational education. AYES works with high school programs, pairing students with working technicians so they can see what happens during an ordinary day's work.

Auto manufacturers also have programs to encourage technician training, but their task is a daunting one. Contests help. Each spring at the New York Auto Show, for instance, teams of high school students compete for scholarships and prizes in the National Automotive Technology Competition. They must diagnose and repair a number of underhood problems within an allotted time.

Too many people still think of technicians as greasy-fingered garage mechanics, unaware that today's auto-repair people work as much with computerized diagnostic equipment as with wrenches. Cars are complicated. The vehicles of the future will need to be repaired by properly trained, highly skilled professionals.

Resources

Automotive Retailing Today (ART), www.autoretailing.org

Automotive Youth Educational System (AYES), www.ayes.org

National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), www.nada.org