Securing the Future: Insights from NASTF [RR 994]

Recorded at the 2024 Automotive Aftermarket Retailers of Ontario (AARO) Business Management and Lindertech Training Tradeshow, Carm sits down with Donny to explore his pivotal role at NASTF and his experiences working with automakers like Tesla. Donny shares behind-the-scenes insights on NASTF’s technician support initiatives, their impressive membership growth, and the innovative solutions they’re implementing to support automotive technicians.

We dive into Donny’s personal journey, his passion for the automotive industry, and the critical role of good business management in ensuring the success of repair shops.

“The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) is a 501 C6 not-for-profit organization established in 2000 by Automakers and the independent aftermarket to identify and resolve gaps in Service information, Tool Information, and Training.”
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Strategies for Addressing the Technician Shortage [FTR 103]

Brad Updegraff discusses the pressing shortage of skilled technicians in the automotive industry. Brad shares strategies for training and developing technicians, and the importance of creating strong relationships with local schools. Additionally, he emphasizes the significance of flexible compensation plans and support for aspiring technicians. 
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“Start Thinking About The Industry First, and You Second.” [FTR 102]

In this episode of For the Record, Maylan Newton tackles the pressing issue of the technician shortage in the automotive industry. Maylan emphasizes the importance of proactive involvement from shop owners and industry representatives in engaging with educational institutions and students. He highlights the need for better representation at vocational events and the necessity of running businesses that attract and retain skilled technicians. Maylan urges the industry to work together to create an inviting career path for the next generation.
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Revving Up Automotive Education: Bridging the Gap Between Training and Real-World Skills [RR 987]

This episode explores the distinctions between training and education, comparing the educational systems in the U.S. and Europe and how the automotive industry can support academic institutions. Tanner Brandt emphasizes the value of vocational training and soft skills, while Michael Ingvardsen highlights the advantages of industry collaboration and the need for engaging training resources. Tanner and Michael advocate for a cultural shift in automotive education, calling for long-term industry partnerships and a focus on continuous learning to better equip future technicians.
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Essential Skill Trades Revolution: Beyond the Degree [RR 985]

“I Went to Yale Law School and Trade School Because American Prosperity Depends on Both Lawyers and Tradespeople.” Darnell Epps

Darnell Epps, a Yale Law School graduate and CEO of Thurgood Industries, and Andy Bizub, owner of Midwest Performance Cars, discuss the importance of skilled trades and the need to promote alternative career paths. Darnell shares his inspiring journey from a challenging upbringing to success, emphasizing the value of vocational schools and education. Andy highlights the urgent demand for skilled workers in the automotive industry. Together, they advocate for greater collaboration between industry, education, and families to bridge the skills gap and create fulfilling career opportunities.
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How a Mentor Can Change Your Life [THA 384]

Discover the significance of mentorship with Bill Weaver, a NAPA Autotech Trainer, and his mentor, Jim Dzurik. They share personal stories and insights into their mentor-mentee relationship, highlighting how mentorship has profoundly impacted their lives and careers. The conversation delves into the importance of passing on knowledge and wisdom to the next generation. The episode emphasizes the value of seeking and offering mentorship to foster growth and personal development.
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Will You Give 10 Hours to an Auto Tech Student? [RR 823]

How can 10 hours bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace? Sue Dickson created an internship program called ‘Give Me 10’ that provides 10 hours at a local shop spread out over 5 days. It allows both the shop owner and student to see if the automotive industry is the right career path. This program currently serves 75 students and has collected over 458K in grants. It starts with an idea and passion for connecting students to the automotive industry. 
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Kelly Moore – Enticing our Youth to have a Career in the Aftermarket [RR 518]

Kelly Moore Dr. Kelly Thumm Moore has over 20 years of experience in the career-focused higher education industry. She currently serves at Campus President for Lincoln College of Technology – Denver, a career-focused college offering certificate and degree programs in the automotive and skilled trades fields. Her previous experience includes presidencies for Westwood College and Career Colleges…

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Anthony Williams – Update on the Automotive Institute for Science and Technology (AIST) [RR 496]

Anthony Williams is the Automotive Liason for the Automotive Institute for Science and Technology – AIST. Contact Anthony: a.williams@automotiveinstitute.org 719-641-2575   Talking Points:  A brief recap on schoolProject-Based Learning vs Traditional schoolingDoing is the basis for learning in a real-world setting Find student natural aptitude  Career Education combined with Core content (English, Math, Science, Etc.) PTECH…

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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.

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RR 418: AIST – The Future of Automotive Education

AIST – The Future of Automotive Education

This episode recorded at Vision 2019 in KC brings you into the loop on Automotive Institute of Science and Technology (AIST) in Colorado Springs, CO. This new ‘non-traditional’ public charter school that will use the P-TECH model (Pathways in Technology Early College High School), designed to provide students the foundation they need to be successful in the automotive aftermarket industry when they graduate.

Students will be able to enroll in a 4- or 6-year program, starting their freshman year of high school through their second year of college and all publicly funded. AIST will offer students three pathways: Automotive Technology, Business, or Engineering (mechanical and electrical) and will be project based.

With me is Anthony Williams, Special Projects Manager with Advance Auto Parts who had the seed of the idea for AIST and speaks to his dream becoming a reality. And Chris Chesney Sr. Director, Customer Training Carquest Technical Institute.

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RR 404. Rodney Pierini. A Grant That Supports Automotive Education – First Of Its Kind

A Grant that Ensures The Future of the Aftermarket.

CAWA receives a $25K grant from the University of the Aftermarket. The program would consider financial assistance, accreditation support, access to automotive products for classroom use and access to industry training for the teachers. This grant will allow CAWA the resources to establish the program and serve as a model for others to implement because we believe it’s a first in the country to provide this type of support for our high school automotive teachers.

Our guest Rodney Pierini is the President and CEO of CAWA – California Automotive Wholesaler’s Association. Mr. Pierini has served on many auto care industry committees and groups including serving as the Chair of the Alliance of State Automotive Aftermarket Associations, the Auto Care Association Board of Directors and Chair of the Auto Care Association Government Affairs Committee, to name a few. He is also a recipient of Northwood University’s Automotive Aftermarket Management Education Award.

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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.

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THA 084: Buying Technician Tools: Create Your Program!

Buying Technician Tools: Create Your Program

We are talking ‘Buying Technicians Tools; The How’ and with me is Keith Williamson, owner of Williamson’s Repair and Tire in Bondurant, IA, Andy Bizub Shop Owner of Porsche Specialist Midwest Performance Cars LLC, and Seth Thorson, Shop Owner, Eurotech, New Brighton, MN, a Euro Specialist and owner of the BMW tech support company LMV Bavarian.

Among the discussion; Is making employees supply tools an outdated tradition? Is buying technicians tools a recruiting and retention tool for your business?

The team says owners don’t want to see their techs in debt and you’ll hear ideas and solutions to create your own program to transition into supporting tools as a benefit and retention tool.

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RR 358: John Gustafson – ATC: Synchronizing the Automotive Trades

ATC: Synchronizing the Automotive Trades

John Gustafson is the president of Gustafson Brothers Automotive Repair, Huntington Beach, CA and the founder of the Auto Talent Co-Op (ATC). ATC is an independent non-profit organization whose vision is to effectively unite resources within the automotive industry, and establish clear career path standards for its users.

ATC’s Mission is to build a synchronized and accessible platform, able to unite the automotive industry. To help refill the talent pool for all automotive job-related positions. To fulfill the technician shortage, and improve technician retention and to streamline career paths, bridge technician skills gap and improve recruitment.

Your support is needed. Find links on the show notes page.

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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.

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RR 351: Paul Danner – Educator, Diagnostician and You-tuber ‘ScannerDanner’

Paul Danner. Educator, Diagnostician and Youtuber ‘ScannerDanner’

Paul Danner is an ASE L1 Certified Master Technician with Twenty-Four years of field experience in electronics, electrical and drivability diagnostics. For eighteen years he has been employed as an instructor at Rosedale Technical College where he has taught Engine Performance Diagnostics and Basic Electrical Systems. Eleven years ago, he opened his own mobile diagnostic business which performs electrical and electronic diagnostic services for over Twenty Garages in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.

He fell into mobile diagnostics and case studies by stopping in and helping his friends on the way home from work. He called it diaper money to help pay the bills. He is thankful that God has graced him with the ability to troubleshoot.

He is wired for variables and loves ‘What Ifs’. Paul stresses that your learning curve comes from the ‘good parts’ drawer and from the mistakes you make. You have to be in a shop that gives you a steady diet of diagnostic work to become good at diagnostics.

He teaches his student’s field diagnostics and has written a field manual about it and his youtube channel is a very popular place to learn.

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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.

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RR 330: Dave Macholz – Academic Chair of Suffolk County College Automotive Technology

How Do We Educate and Integrate Our Young People into a Career as Automotive Technicians?

My guest is Dave Macholz, the Academic Chair at the automotive technology program at Suffolk County Community College on Long Island, NY. The automotive program has been active for over 30 years. Dave has an independent aftermarket history and is very transparent about the current and future value of training our future technicians.

We cover a large breadth of topics including funding, graduation rates, mentoring, improving enrollment, internships and capital spending to keep our colleges current with new technology. Stuff you need to know and get involved with.

You will benefit from this discussion. The more you know about the grassroots issues we face the better you be able to help solve them. With your help, the future is bright.

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RR 317: Mark Colaw from CarFest and Seymour’s Garage

Philanthropy on Steroids: CarFest – An Industry And Image Game Changer: Built With Hearts and Hands.

Mark Colaw has owned Seymour’s Garage since 1985. This episode is about Mark Colaw’s passion: Carfest. This is, by far, the most comprehensive philanthropic event I’ve ever had the pleasure to cover as a podcaster. This event goes miles and miles to improve the image of our automotive repair community and presents the industry in our most positive light.

Mark explains the impact Carfest is having on the community, automotive technology schools, suppliers and aftermarket vendors. This two and half day public event repairs 25 vehicles free for a select group of individuals. The vehicles are handpicked by community outreach groups such as Haven for Hope and The Battered Women’s Shelter.

When you change lives with heart and hands and bring unity in the community, it goes a long way to build trust in the automotive industry and professionalism in the trade.

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