Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/438149
15 C ollege graduates today are fi nding out there's a bigger challenge than earning a four-year degree. Earning a paycheck. According to a 2014 report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), 8.5 percent of college gradu- ates ages 21 to 24 are unemployed, and 16.8 percent of all college graduates, are underemployed. That means 1 in 6 college-educated adults are overqualifi ed for their current position. With numbers that staggering, it's hard to be- lieve any professional industry could be suffering from an employee shortage. Yet in trucking, employee shortages not only exist — they are widespread. The industry's driver and technician shortages have received most of the headlines, but indus- try members say those jobs aren't the only open positions. This perceived blue-collar industry has a lot of white-collar openings. "I don't think most people have any idea about the size and scope of this industry," says North- wood University's Brian Cruickshank, director of the school's University of the Aftermarket program. "I think people just don't think of the other opportunities [that exist]. They might think about working on a car or truck, but a lot more goes into it." It's with that in mind that businesses through- out the commercial vehicle industry are beginning to actively recruit new talent. If college graduates aren't going to turn to the industry on their own, the industry has to go to them. "Our [open] positions are not going to fi ll themselves," says Dave Willis, president of CRW Parts and the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN). "We have to be more proactive as companies — not just from the OE side but also the aftermarket standpoint — in getting our message out there." One way industry members are fi ghting the W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E Cover Story Too many college graduates never consider a career in trucking. Here's what you can do to change that.