For the past few years, the media have been predicting a critical shortage of skilled workers in the automotive sector. With baby boomers nearing retirement age and increased competition for young workers to fill the depleting ranks, the labour situation does appear rather bleak.
But talk to people who work in the automotive industry, itself, industry associations and to educators, and the expected shortage of skilled workers doesn’t appear nearly so dire.
“From our perspective, there is no critical shortage of skilled labour now, but that will change over the next few years,” says John Mavrak, Executive Director of the Council for Automotive Human Resources (CAHR). “New car dealerships and independent garages need to take steps to ensure that their future employment needs are met.”
Auto experts agree that the industry can no longer rely exclusively on schools and trade associations to attract the next generation of skilled workers. It needs to find new ways of connecting with young men and women to try and convince them that the auto industry offers challenging work and excellent career opportunities.
“In the automotive industry, as in other sectors, it is easy at times to lose sight of the fact that taking the time and energy to invest in raw young talent amounts to investing in the future success of your business,” says Dan Bell, President of the Canadian Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Council, a not-for-profit organization that provides human resource development and training for the automotive repair and service industry. “Numerous prosperous dealerships and shops in our industry are living proof that engaging in their local communities, giving presentations and tours, taking on co-op students and training apprenticeships, ultimately translate into a better bottom line.”
In the next five to ten years, the automotive industry will need to compete head-on with other industries for the same talent pool, whether it be high school grads, career changers or foreign trained workers.
“Co-op teachers at career-related events have told CARS that employers in competing industries are offering incentives, such as hiring bonuses, uniforms, company vehicles, and more competitive salaries,” adds
In reaching out to the next generation of skilled workers, parents and educators also need to be part of the discussion, exposing young men and women to the career options available to them and dispelling negative stereotypes that persist about the auto industry.
Young people are easily persuaded to pursue careers in the banking, computer, medical and legal professions. These sectors enjoy an aura of respectability and have little difficulty attracting young students.
By comparison, the automotive industry is often overlooked by parents and guidance councillors because of outdated stereotypes and a lack of information. But the industry has become highly specialized. Students who choose a career in this sector achieve a high measure of job satisfaction, great career advancement opportunities and excellent pay.
Jennifer Sheremeto knows the importance of reaching out to young men and women – especially their parents. As Marketing Recruitment Specialist at Canadian Automotive Institute (CAI) in
“Our primary job is to educate young people and their parents about the many careers available in the auto sector,” says Sheremeto. “Of course, career opportunities at new car dealerships are an obvious choice, but there are many other careers available that are just as dynamic and rewarding, in finance & insurance, corporate management, marketing and aftermarket.”
When Chad Soper enrolled in a three-year automotive co-op program at CAI, he knew that he wanted to work in the automotive field, but beyond that, he wasn’t sure. Mid-way through the program, Soper decided that he wanted to become a dealer principal, and to better prepare himself, he applied – and was accepted to – CAI’s four-year degree program.
“The four-year automotive degree program provided me with a solid, comprehensive understanding of how dealerships operate,” says Soper, who today works as a sales consultant at MacMaster Pontiac Buick GMC in
Soper’s advice to young men and women seeking careers in the auto sector today is to obtain as much education as possible. “The better educated students are, the more opportunities and advantages they’ll have in the marketplace,” he says. “The automotive degree program really opened my eyes to the full range of possibilities in this exciting industry.”
Are the colleges doing enough to attract young people to the auto sector? “Our auto apprenticeship numbers are stable at the moment,” says John Johnson, a professor and program co-ordinator at
Johnson has observed a change in the young people who are starting auto apprenticeships today. “They don’t have the same experience for the technical side of the business as kids did a generation ago,” he says. “Today, students are deciding to become auto technicians without any background in fixing or repairing things. It’s hard to train to a high standard, when you’re starting out at a lower standard.”
Is there an underlying message that parents, educators and auto professionals should be conveying to the next generation of potential skilled workers? “The auto industry is here to stay,” says Mavrak. “There will always be car dealerships, there will always be high-tech and challenging jobs to be filled, and there will always be educational facilities ready to accommodate people who want to enter the auto profession or upgrade their skills.”
If you are looking for a job within an automotive dealer visit the Ontario Automobile Dealer Association website at www.carcareers.ca .
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