Westminster, Colo. -- Few would deny that one of the automotive industry's biggest challenges is a lack of qualified technicians. The industry still carries a stigma with many high school career counselors that automotive repair shouldn't be a first career choice.
Yet, advancements in vehicle technology are demanding a higher-level technician, bringing a higher level of pay, said Robert "Bob" Sidebottom, Colorado state director for Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES), a national organization that partners with vocational-technical schools to place student technicians in franchise dealerships.
Backed by 12 automakers, the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA), and Automotive Trade Association Executives, AYES placed into dealerships more than 1,800 interns from 331 participating schools across the country in the 2006-2007 school year, AYES officials reported.
"Education is lifelong; it doesn't stop with school," Sidebottom said, adding that as vehicle technology evolves, so must a technician's education. "We want to place students that are seeking automotive as a career choice." Approximately 10 percent of a school's automotive technology student population becomes involved in the AYES program, he added.
"We pick the schools that are the cream of the crop," Sidebottom said. In order for a school to participate, it must have certifications from the National Automotive Teachers Education Foundation (NATEF) and National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
In Colorado, 12 schools participate, Sidebottom said, adding that Front Range Community College's (FRCC's) Westminster campus is the newest school, still in the process of being accepted in the AYES program, Sidebottom said.
Students enroll in the AYES program during their junior year in high school, he said. After a year of classroom and school laboratory training, qualified AYES students are placed in dealerships the summer between their junior and senior years, getting first-hand experience, he added. Their senior year, they continue to work part-time as they finish their high school education.
When a student is placed in a dealership, Snap-on provides a tool package to the dealership and intern valued at $3,200 for $1,290, Sidebottom said, adding that the dealership picks up two-thirds of the tool price, and the student pays for the remaining third. At the end of two years, the student gets to keep the tools, he said.
Approximately 50 percent of the eligible AYES students in Colorado were hired at a dealership last year, Sidebottom said. "It hurts because the other 50 percent were quality kids. Dealer involvement is critical."
Mentor technicians are a key ingredient to a student's success, Sidebottom pointed out. They get to monitor the labor hours that their intern generates, he said.
The AYES program is not possible without the support of local dealerships that are willing to hire the interns, Sidebottom said. The dealerships have assembled to form a Business and Education (B&E) counsel, which then runs the program, making decisions such as what wages to pay the students. "Once the program starts, the B&E counsel is the driving force for the success of the program," Sidebottom said, adding that the group must consist of a minimum of 10 dealerships.
"If we don't have the support of the dealerships, we don't have a program," he said. "The students have a solid understanding of vehicle repair; it's up to the dealer to grow their own" technicians.
Gregg Musser, FRRC Westminster campus program director of Automotive Technology, said he understands the value of the AYES program; he came to FRCC in 2003 with more than 18 years of experience, mainly with Jaguar.
The warranty work that franchise dealerships perform is structured with strict policies and procedures, Musser said, which is why he includes those in his curriculum. It's important for AYES students to be aware of warranty policies before they go to work in a dealership, he said. Many automakers are requiring technicians to carry certifications to conduct warranty work on complex components, such as automatic transmissions, he added.
Several area dealerships, such as Pro Chrysler Jeep in Thornton, Go Ford West in Wheat Ridge, and many more are proponents of the program and welcome student interns to work in their dealership.
"If that's the field they choose, I want to make sure they're on the right track," said Mark Manson, Go Ford West's parts manager, who employs two student interns in parts. Recent Warren Tech graduates Maggie Ayala and Tim Deneau work at the dealership part time, he said.
Al Free, service manager for Go Ford West, said he is also a big supporter of student interns. "We've had our fair share of good luck with the students," he said.
