Industry profile:
N.C. Auto Dealers
Dealers Push
Tech Training Program
Nationwide,
more than 12,000 additional automotive service technicians are needed
each year. The shortage has not gone unnoticed. In fact, it’s long
been a topic of discussion whenever North Carolina’s dealers
congregate.
To address the need, a model business-education partnership was
created. Its purpose: promote statewide the Automotive Youth
Educational System. AYES, as it’s commonly known, is a nonprofit
career-based education program sponsored by 10 auto manufacturers. It
seeks to prepare young people with the necessary “head skills” and
“hand skills” to meet the needs of ever-sophisticated cars and
trucks by building alliances between affiliated schools and nearby
dealerships.
The partners in the venture are the North Carolina Automobile Dealers
Association, the Department of Public Instruction, the community
college system and the state’s AYES coordinator. Last May their
effort bore fruit. South Stokes High School in Stokes County became
the first of 12 targeted schools in North Carolina to be designated an
AYES program.
It was David Allgood, the lead automotive instructor at South Stokes,
who worked to ensure that the school met the stringent requirements
outlined by AYES. Those include:
 Obtaining national
standards in four automotive areas by the National Automotive
Technicians Education Foundation;
Establishing an active
advisory committee, which includes parents, dealers and manufacturers;
Implementing a
SkillsUSA-VICA chapter; and
Creating a viable program
where students can work in dealerships to gain practical experience.
The designation means that students at the Stokes County school will
have available to them the information available to technicians in the
field. In addition to their classwork, AYES interns, who must meet a
stringent set of criteria just to be admitted to the program, are
mentored by experienced technicians. They work, for pay, full time in
the summer between their junior and senior years and part-time after
school at a participating dealership.
“We’re just ratcheting up the level of knowledge and hands-on
experience that the students will get through the program,” says
Diane Turner, vice president of the NCADA. “They’re being held to
a higher standard than in the past. That will benefit them and,
ultimately, the public.”
In addition to learning the obvious — automotive systems — the
program helps students build portfolios, prepare resumes, and develop
interviewing and communications skills. Henry Barber, who was hired as
coordinator of North Carolina’s AYES program in October 2000, has
worked as an automotive instructor in the community college system as
well as an auto technician. A part of his job is to lay to rest the
stale myth that people who choose automotive repair as a career will
have difficulty succeeding in other professions.
“Just think about it for a minute,” he says. “Approximately 90
percent of all systems in a new vehicle are computer controlled. And
without a doubt the automobile is the most complete physics labs there
is. It challenges you with hydraulics, pneumatics and electronics,
just to name a few. And just like a doctor, the technician must know
where to look and the right questions to ask in order to make a
correct diagnosis. Things aren’t always what they seem, so deductive
reasoning is critical.”
“We call it ‘grow your own,’ ” says Glenn Barefoot,
transportation consultant for trade and industrial education at the
N.C. Department of Instruction. “Right now, 13,000 students are
enrolled in auto service technology courses. We’re telling
AYES-designated schools to get the kids in their area in the program.
Train them, have them work in a local dealership and go to the
community college. When they’re done, they’ll be hired
immediately.”
Typically, entry level salaries for technicians start at around
$22,000. That amount rises rapidly as the skill level and amount of
formal training progresses. By the second year, income can double. And
earnings of $70,000 to $100,000 or more are not unusual for master
technicians.
The goal is to have two more AYES programs in place by the end of the
year and four additional ones by next summer. Moore County is the next
area scheduled to launch AYES. In all, 160 secondary schools and 46
community colleges throughout the state have automotive programs.
Rocky Mount’s David Farris, chairman of NCADA’s board, has
cautioned his fellow dealers that implementing national standards in
160 automotive programs won’t be an easy task. But it will be
worthwhile, he says, because “it will certainly improve the quality
of entry-level technicians (hired) in the years to come.” -- Lisa
H. Towle
Return
to magazine index
|
|
