Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/393928
sister publication Successful Dealer shows that employees, historically, have been hard to steal. Of those who responded to the survey, 32.5 percent say their technicians have been with the company for more than seven years. Another 17.5 percent say they keep technicians between fi ve and seven years, while another 30 percent say their average turnover is between two and fi ve years. And it's not any easier to steal the new guys, with 20 percent saying their turnover is two years or less. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than a million jobs exist today in the auto, diesel, and collision re- pair industries with growth of 17 percent projected through the year 2020. Unfortunately, only about 3,500 diesel and truck technicians enter the market through technical schools annually, according to The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. That's not enough to keep up with current growth trends and retirement rates; 10,000 Baby Boomers (who make up 26 percent of the U.S. population) will reach retirement age every day through 2029, according to Pew Research. Add to that the fact that independent repair garages, truck dealers, equip- ment dealers and fl eets are all fi shing for employees from the same pool, and the situation looks bleak, at best. Trade schools struggle to keep up with demand With the technician shortage making competition for graduates fi erce, educa- tors are left struggling to fi ll the need. "If I had twice as many graduates, I have no doubt that I can put them all to work," says Jerry Clemons of the program he runs at Elizabethtown (Ky.) Community and Technical College, which enrolls upward of 100 students annually. "Ever since about 2007, when the economy kind of went upside down on us, we've been maxed out," Al Clark, diesel tech instructor at Lane Commu- nity College, Eugene, Ore., says of his school's program, which has a 24-student enrollment cap. "We've had literally, and to this day, anywhere from 40 to 100 guys waiting to get into the program at any given time. If we could just snap our fi ngers and have another instructor and have the facilities to do it, yeah, it would be great." John Speights, diesel instructor at Shelton State Community College, Tuscaloosa, Ala., says his state-owned school has a policy against turning students away, so all enrolled and eligible applicants are admitted. While his pro- gram technically is never full, it is often crowded. "I would like to have 15-16 students, but most of the time there's more than that sign up for the class," he says. "Really that's too many, but we're state-owned so we have to take all-comers." Demand is so great, Clark says, that many of his students are hired before they even complete the program. The market for technicians was so hot before the 2008 recession that many of his students were hired out of the classroom after barely two weeks. "We do get a lot of guys that get a job 18 T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4 Cover Story of respondents say their technicians have been with the company for more than seven years. 32.5% say they keep technicians between fi ve and seven years, while another 17.5% Another 30% say their average turnover is between two and fi ve years. 20% say their turnover is two years or less. Source: Successful Dealer readership survey