Fixing cars is a tricky business, one which takes quite a lot of experience and expertise to know every out and in of each newer cars and older models. Many experienced techs at the moment are retiring, and California auto dealers have an answer to the brain drain; apprenticeships. The California Recent Automobile Dealers Association (CNCDA) has announced a partnership with the Automotive Apprenticeship Group (AAG) to enable aspiring techs to learn on the job slightly than going to high school first.
The shortage of qualified service techs is an issue in every single place. CNCDA says there are 400,000 job openings nationwide, and California dealers particularly are facing a shortage of 5,000 technicians. That is a part of the rationale why your next repair is likely to be costlier. The looming switch from internal combustion to electric vehicles makes this much more severe. Older, experienced techs are retiring, and younger people should not replacing them as they’ve previously. CNCDA cites a misperception of limited opportunities for advancement and low wages as the rationale.
While other programs, like Ford’s, have incentivized tech school students, this one would bring people into dealer service areas immediately. The 2-year program can pay apprentices a good wage, require no out-of-pocket expenses, and supply tools and a pc for e-learning. Apprentices will earn a U.S. Department of Labor certification upon completion. The AAG will handle all of the logistics, each for apprentices and dealers.
Potential candidates can apply online for consideration. This system is open to anyone, but may particularly appeal to people 18 to 30 years old who haven’t attended college. It is a technique to start a lucrative profession within the automotive industry without getting buried in student debt.
There isn’t any one right way
The explanations CNCDA gives for the present auto tech shortage are valid, but I might add one more reason to that list. Many individuals, including me, were pushed directly to school after highschool as The One Right Way, don’t pass Go, don’t collect $200.
While there appears to be no strings attached to those apprenticeships, I am unable to help considering of truck drivers who were trained on the job, but then not allowed to work for an additional company, or forced to pay back all training costs in the event that they didn’t finish, even when it wasn’t their fault. American Trucking Association, aka trucking industry lobbyist, also used a scary (mostly made up) variety of missing truck drivers in an effort to push for younger recruits to tackle larger responsibilities for less pay under the guise of “training.” It’s possible for apprenticeships to effectively turn out to be indentured servitude if allowed to run off the rails. Nevertheless, the AAG is administering this program, not the dealers themselves, which can hopefully help children avoid situations like these.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
