The auto retail industry is not alone in experiencing a labour shortage, but that fact doesn’t make it any easier for fixed ops departments around the country who are feeling overworked and understaffed. Canadian auto dealer has been talking to educational institutions around the country about how they are attracting students into auto tech programs, and most importantly, how dealers can attract qualified graduates to come work for them.
This week we talked to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Tricia Helfer, who we met at the Western Canadian Dealer Summit in Las Vegas, promoting the school’s auto programs. Tricia is the Program Specialist/Instructor Business Administration –Automotive Management Program at SAIT.
“We are receiving emails and phone calls weekly from dealerships saying ‘we need staff, we need technicians, we need apprentices’,” said Helfer. “So here at SAIT we do offer apprenticeship training. However, we don’t provide dealerships the opportunity to find students through our apprenticeship training. The reason those apprentices are here is because they’re already working in industry. But we do have two different avenues that we’re encouraging industry to take a look at.”
Helfer said that the best way to hire and keep technicians is to promote internally and educate apprentices from within. The school has a “pre-employment” program for students who are interested in the industry, who want to get a foot in the door, and graduates of this program are great to hire, and then apprentice within your company.
“We have a new pre-employment program. It’s a 12-week program for students who are interested in potentially becoming a technician and understanding a little bit more about what it would be to be a technician,” Helfer said. “Within the 12-week program they spend time in what would be considered the first year apprenticeship training. So they spend time in the classroom and in the shop, and that they are capable of writing their first year apprenticeship exam after that program. And then of course, they have the opportunity to go out and apply in the industry.”
The other option for students is a two-year diploma, where they get all the qualifications and exams, but need to make up the shop time at a place of employment. “It’s called Automotive Service Technology Two Year Diploma,” said Telfer. “These students would come to school for four semesters. Each semester is considered each year of the apprenticeship. The students will have the opportunity to write all their trade qualification exams after they’ve completed their two year diploma. The only thing they don’t have is the shop time and experience, which they get once they are hired. So those are the two opportunities to hire these students and grow them internally in their dealerships.”
Of course technicians aren’t the only employees in demand in the industry, and SAIT has programs for all different aspects of the automotive sector. “The program that I’m full time with is called Business Administration Automotive Management,” said Helfer. “We want students to realize that the automotive industry isn’t just about the dealerships where the students end up. There’s the aftermarket, there’s the car rental companies, the vendors. And we even have a lot of DMS providers that are big supporters of SAIT and hiring students.”
Creative problem solving in the auto industry is a main focus of the Capstone Course in the management division, said Helfer. “The Capstone course is where students work directly with an industry partner, which challenges them with an issue, problem or deficiency they’re having in their place of business. And the students have to spend two-and-a-half to three months researching three to four viable solutions to that issue. And that’s the whole project. The students do a final paper and presentation, for the industry partner potentially to take those ideas back into their dealerships and use them.”
This course has been beneficial to both the students as well as the industry partners. “A lot of the partnerships have also turned into full-time employment for the students once they’ve graduated as well. It’s an opportunity for the industry partner to test drive these students to find out if they want to offer them full-time employment when they graduate.”
