Skip to content

Apprentice Stories [THA 193]

Apprentice Stories [THA 193]

In your circles do you find that the discussion is trending toward finding top talent? All aspects from networking, writing great ads, improving hiring systems and improving your business culture is credited to finding and keeping top talent.

How much success are you having finding great talent out of the available pool? I believe the time has come, in a big way, to “grow your own”. For many that concept seems nebulous. Something you hear about, know you should do, but can’t even begin to know where to start.

I’ve done at least 10 podcasts on apprenticing and career pathing. Most recently Town Hall Academy #185 dedicated to understanding apprentice programs. This episode is a bookend to #185 and I call it Apprentice Stories. Listen to two apprentices and a mentor talk candidly about the process and results.

Anything worthwhile takes time and effort and installing an apprentice program in your shop is as right as having lifts in your bays.

I will have links to important apprentice programs you can embrace listed in the show notes at remarkableresults.biz/a193

Listen and view episode notes

Apprentice Program – Grow Your Own Technician [THA 185]

THA 185 Apprentice Programs – Growing Your Own Technicians

Do you need a technician? What are you doing about it. There is some great talent available as an outcome of the pandemic; however, it won’t last.

Here is another episode on apprenticing. This is a recurring curring theme on the podcast. I will put up a link on the show notes page that displays all podcasts that helps you learn about apprentice programs.

The panel: Pete McNeil, shop owner, Mc Neils Auto Care, The NAPA 2020 Shop Owner of the Year, Sandy, UT, 2 Locations. (Expanded Sandy location to 16 bays and use it for education). Jake Sorensen, Technician, the 2019 NAPA ASE Technician of the Year, He is an ASE Master technician with L1,2 and 3 advanced level certifications. He is the shop manager and diagnostic technician at McNeil’s Auto Care in Sandy, UT and Alexia Murphy, Program Specialist, Department of Workforce Services, State of Utah

The key talking points listed on the show notes page will make a great meeting agenda or outline for change find them at remarkableresuts.biz/a185

Listen and view episode notes

RR 482: Technician Shortage Solution – College Apprentice Program

RR 482 – Technician Shortage Solution – College Apprentice Program

Think of the possibilities of hiring a young apprentice that is currently going to an automotive technical college. You get a chance to groom and mentor the young student and indoctrinate them into the world of the independent service provider.

This is one of the most powerful solutions to the technician shortage. This is not a quick fix and most quick fixes are just that ‘quick and not long term.’

The IGONC developed in concert with North Carolina a phenomenal apprentice program that brings a job, at a decent wage, for two years and paid college tuition. The students applied and were accepted into the program.

Please use this information to catapult your association, your local group to work with post-secondary automotive colleges and your state to create and fund a program like this. I’m sure the leadership team at IGONC will be happy to help you and give you all the guidance you need to make apprentice programs like this a viable component to creating our future technicians.

Listen and view episode notes

THA 118 Recruiting Students to Discover a Career in Automotive

THA 118 Recruiting Students to Discover a Career in Automotive

Enjoy some great new ideas and real-world issues as I welcome Seth Thorson, shop owner, Eurotech, Brighton, MN. Seth created a $25,000 endowment for automotive careers. We discussed in episode 340, David Macholz, Academic Chair of Suffolk County College – Automotive Technology and Aaron Dalton, Coordinator- School to Career Programming at the North Kansas City Schools.

On the podcast, we’ve not shied away from big issues in the industry. The only way our investment in this great dialogue actually gets traction is if you do your part. I can relate the discussion we are having today with a thought on philanthropy. Hats off to what you do for your community. Honorable. However, the future of our industry is dependent on recruiting, training and retaining technicians. Call it an investment in your own personal philanthropy.

Getting involved in local education at all levels to share our hi-tech industry with administration and to support the educators that are teaching young students on the automotive is a very important role you have. Especially as an independent. If you don’t then who? You will have less to give to your community if you don’t invest in your future.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 383: AAPEXedu 2018 The Road To Great Technicians – Roundtable

AAPEX EDU 2018 The Road To Great Technicians

A fundamentally valuable discussion as we get ready to deal with the tsunami of seeding our industry with our future technicians that will have the competencies necessary to perform mechanical and diag work and the need to develop career paths for every level of technician.

We need apprentice and mentoring programs that are universal to the industry, along with an industry moving in the same training direction so we can create competent technicians to work on the tech and safety issues of our future vehicles. We do not need our government involved in directing competencies, we need to do it ourselves.

This discussion is one you’ll need to hear time and time again. You will need to be involved and help move this initiative forward. Don’t wait to get involved. A first step is to become a member of NASTF. It is Free. Go to NAFTF.org

Listen and view episode notes

THA 087: Automotive Career’s Starts in High School and in the Home!

An Automotive Career Starts in High School and in the Home!l

We, as a collective aftermarket, need to stop talking about the need for quality automotive training and the technician shortage and get involved. It will be our fault for the lack of young people joining our industry.

The schools are there for industry. Superintendents and presidents need to hear from industry. A good advisory board will make a huge difference in the quality of instruction, investment from the school and placement of students.

The panel includes James Halderman, ASE Master Technician, and author of 18 Automotive Textbooks and James Pressly, Trade and Industrial Specialist, Career and Technical Education with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Shane Hawkins, East Gaston High School in Mount Holly, NC and adjunct instructor for Gaston College. Also an impromptu visit from Kyle Holt of S/P2.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 365: Reto Filli. Shop Owner Sold His Business and Became an E-Myth Business Coach

Shop Owner Sold His Business and Became an E-Myth Business Coach

Reto Filli came from Switzerland and is a trained mechanic. He and his wife ran a successful Auto Repair business for over 26 years that he sold and retired from.

His business took off when he read the E-Myth Revisited from Michael Gerber. He never looked back and he is now enjoying his next career as a E-Myth Business Coach.

We cover concepts of the E-Myth, preparing your business to sell, stop being a know it all, and apprentice programs that are needed to move our industry forward to recruit your youth into our trade.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 353: Kyle Holt from S/P2 – Helping Entry-Level Technicians Enter and Stay in the Industry

Kyle Holt. Helping Entry-level Technicians Enter And Stay In Industry.

Kyle Holt is the Co-Founder and President of S/P2. S/P2 serves businesses and career tech schools in the automotive service, collision repair, heavy-duty/diesel, welding, among others.

They are not just building careers, they are nurturing! Offering an innovative mentor training program which has its own Mobile website in which Mentors can log in, comment and grade a student based on the ASE task list. This would be good at retaining students within the industry.

Kyle is very passionate about providing businesses and schools the ability to utilize the technology that they have created to help improve the lives of the people they serve.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 335: Build Your Own Apprentice Program – Secretary Kelly Schulz & Dwayne Myers

The Technician Shortage: Build Your Workforce With Your Own Apprentice Program

This episode provides a solution to growing our own technicians. Dwayne Myers from multi-location Dynamic Automotive in Fredrick, MD shares his apprentice program. Also, the Secretary of Labor from the great state of Maryland, Kelly Schulz, explains how the state was instrumental in Dynamic’s apprentice program and how she is using the influence of Maryland’s Labor department to embrace college training and apprentice programs for skilled trades. You’ll be glad you listened because there are real solutions here that will help you grow your own talent.

This episode is going to demonstrate how Dwayne Myers worked with and partnered with his state’s Department of Labor and Secretary Kelly Schulz. Secretary Schulz explains the program and the positive outcomes it has been producing. Dwayne explains how he embraced the state’s programs and integrated it into his training culture.

Follow Dwayne’s passion for growing technicians through an apprentice program and consider using your state’s labor department to support your program. Growing your own talent will be the norm. Use this episode as your launch pad and start.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 324: Finding Momentum and Camaraderie in the Canadian Aftermarket

Finding Momentum and Camaraderie in the Canadian Aftermarket.

Three members of the Momentum group from British Columbia, Canada, Peter Foreman, Cody Olshaski and Scott Waddle are in Seattle for the ATE Show in March 2018 and we sit for a roundtable interview.

Canada has the same opportunities, challenges and struggles as the US aftermarket. Yet they do have a few rules and regulations that are different. They also have nationwide technician licensing and an apprentice program that requires a four-year automotive degree.

It is obvious that these shop owners are competitors but help each other out whenever they can. As members of the Twenty group, Momentum, they are serious about supporting each other.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 312: NASTF – The Road To Great Technicians

The Road to Great Technicians

We talk so much about solutions to the technician shortage. Here is an episode that will get you to realize that there is so much more than filling the seats in trade schools. It is about what happens when we hire a new tech. The trend is to grow our own technician, but can we outline a career path for our new recruit? You need to be involved in creating a ‘Road to Great Technicians.
 
Joining me in studio at Vision 2018 is Donny Seyfer Executive Officer of NASTF, Chris Chesney, Sr. Director of Customer Training at Car Quest Technical Institute and Jill Saunders, Curriculum Developer at Toyota Motor Sales, North America.
 
This straight up discussion on creating a career path for all entry-level technicians through an apprentice and mentoring program outlines WHY this is so important. Do we want the government someday to create a program of standards and competence or should we as an industry start today to build those standards?
 
Just putting an entry-level tech in the lube bay without a career path is part of the big challenges we have as an industry. Without a defined career path it becomes a brain drain of young talent.

Listen and view episode notes

RR 093: Technician Mentor/Apprentice

Prepare yourself for a very powerful discussion on growing your own technicians. In light of the technician shortage, this episode shows a pathway to build your own bench. Get a ton of great ideas and resources to help you stem the technician shortage. There are two ways to enjoy this round table discussion. You can watch…

Listen and view episode notes
Scroll To Top