Techs of the Future with Stacey Phillips
Stacey Phillips is an award-winning writer for the automotive industry based in Southern California. She has more than 25 years of experience as an editor and writer and has assisted a wide range of businesses and fields. In addition, Stacey has co-authored two books. She can be reached at stacey@radiantwriting.com.
Matrix Trade Institute’s Efficiency Bootcamps Help Collision Repair Industry Grow and Retain Employees Many say one of the most alarming issues in the collision industry right now and in the foreseeable future is the desperate need for technicians. The industry is losing techs to retirement, and competition for tradespeople is at an all-time high. While the need to recruit thousands of techs into the industry isn’t going away anytime soon, the need for a disruptive retention model is even more important, according to Dustin Peugeot, CEO of the Matrix Trade Institute (MTI) located in Beachwood, OH. “We need thousands and thousands of them over the next 10 years, but the current model shows that over two-thirds of people who
MTI instructor Jim Schnitz teaches proper mapping in MTI’s Blueprint/Technical Estimating Bootcamp. Participants included Kelly Henry from Classic/DCR Systems, Christopher Lutz from Rutherford Autobody and Mitchell Rife from CollisionRight’s Rife’s Autobody (with pen)
graduate from a post-secondary school defect from the industry in less than a year,” said Peugeot. “If the industry can’t find better ways to retain and grow technicians, then worrying about recruiting them is wasted energy.” Peugeot said retention is where MTI is making a difference by offering four-day, 30-hour, 80% handson Efficiency Bootcamps to employers so they can provide employees with specific skills and efficiencies to accelerate their growth. “MTI’s Efficiency Bootcamps
are a core part of our program and what makes us truly unique from any other school,” said Peugeot. “This business-to-business offering was designed to help shops upskill and retain employees efficiently and cost effectively.” Employers provide their technicians with MTI’s self-assessment, which allows workers to feel valued and play a role in their own career development. “When the technician’s goals and desire for growth meets the shop’s need to increase capacity and retain valuable employees, then MTI is the connection point,” he said. “Matrix bootcamps provide an experience that shops can’t offer in addition to a return on investment (ROI) that pays short- and long-term dividends.” Over the years, Peugeot has found more and more shops are recognizing retention must be prioritized over recruiting to ensure the next generation stays in the industry and with the companies who hire them. “This industry doesn’t just have a recruiting problem; it has a retention problem,” said Peugeot. “Retention is different today than it used to be… you have to have a better offering with a better path and execution, and it has to be fulfilling and meaningful for employees. There’s too much competition to be able to afford not getting it right.” With people defecting from the industry for jobs with companies like Amazon or Walmart that promise career paths filled with attractive promises and benefits, or competing trades that are paying more and more for services every day, Peugeot said the industry is missing a vital connection point between the skills needed to succeed and the industry’s ability to provide ongoing career development that allows new hires to see the vision and grow as fast as they’d like to. “Employees need real, tangible career education so they can learn and earn simultaneously and have
30 MARCH 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
confidence that it’s going to connect to real development,” he said. “I think that’s what the traditional model is missing right now and that’s what we offer.” To help address the growing concern of recruiting, developing and retaining the next generation of technicians, Peugeot established MTI in 2019 with Rick Blum, COO. When the institute first opened, its primary focus was to offer automotive efficiency training for auto technicians and mechanics. Peugeot and Blum soon recognized the vital need for collision technicians and expanded the program to include a collision repair technical efficiency program. The training encompasses a 20week, employer-centric, 80% handson repetition-based curriculum with an eight-to-one teacher-student ratio. The goal is to prepare gradu-
ates to work in dealerships, collision centers and franchised and/or independent repair facilities. Students attend class in the mornings throughout the week and are encouraged to intern with a repair facility in the afternoons. This allows them to apply the hands-on training they learn at school. With tradespeople in such high demand, MTI aims to provide jobready automotive and collision technicians who don’t necessarily have industry experience. Peugeot said MTI differs from the traditional model where students attend a couple of years of school and receive a broad certification. Instead, the institute teaches skills that provide students with a good foundation. This includes hands-on repetitions and relevant skills so they can be productive, confident and efficient. “We try to make sure that we
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