Local Student Experiences

“We need to focus on the aspiring technicians who are trying to find their way to you, not leave them following the breadcrumbs to try to find a career,” Mayer emphasized, explaining that TechForce works to introduce this career path to young people by getting them excited about the future of mobility and demonstrating the extent of promising careers available to them with the right skill set. “We tell young people they can be anything they want, but apprenticeships, education and job opportunities further helps young people navigate the journey from career exploration to technical education to job placement. TechForce has put considerable effort into starting to attract young people at an earlier age. “When you’re running a business, it’s hard to visit local middle schools to get younger kids excited about this career path, but TechForce Foundation can do that now, while they’re trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives,” Mayer shared. “We tell them the story, and then someone needs to stick with them.”

The organization also provides career exploration resources and technical education support as well as a variety of scholarships and grants. Since 2007, TechForce Foundation has awarded $18 million in scholarships and grants, impacting over 40,000 students, with plans to award $2.3 million in need-based scholarships this year.

Industry partners can volunteer to become TechForce ambassadors to connect with local students through various activities, while students’ participation in the TechForce Network provides them with all the resources they need to advance their careers.

Although its focus is on the students and young people interested in becoming technicians, TechForce also provides employer resources such as its annual Technician Supply and Demand Report which breaks down how many technicians each segment of the industry needs. For example, the 2022 report indicated a demand for over 35,000 collision technicians last year, yet it showed that less than 4,500 students completed postsecondary collision tech training in 2021.

A major solution to solving the shortage of technicians entering the industry revolves around diversification, according to Mayer,

Do something to alleviate your suffering.

BY CHASIDY RAE SISK

a whitepaper released by TechForce last year (available online at techforce.org/women-techs-solving-the-tech-shortage) that identifies what employers can do to recruit and retain women technicians.

“Women can do this job; they want to do this job. And we cannot solve the technician shortage if we don’t welcome more people with different backgrounds. This tends to be a very white, male-dominated field, and that’s got to change,” Mayer insisted, encouraging employers to recognize female employees through the Women Techs Rock initiative where women can tell their stories and inspire other young ladies who may be interested in pursuing a career as a transportation technician.

For more information about TechForce Foundation, visit techforce.org. H&D

Executive Director’s Thoughts

At the time of this writing, I’m reflecting on the four separate conversations I had with shops in just one day about tech shortages. The employee shortage is not unique to just our industry, but as our focus, our industry has been facing this long before the pandemic. Our average age was creeping up above the norm long before that. While we shouldn’t be surprised, every person it affects feels like it’s a sucker punch to the gut they weren’t prepared for. -Jordan

Hendler