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Training Tomorrow’s Automotive Technicians
A new private-public partnership recognizes that car repair is more about computers than greasy overalls.
Car dealer Ray Ciccolo waxes lyrical about the good old days when young men loved working on cars. “We used to call them grease monkeys, he remembers. “These were young guys who hung around gas stations, and they were the ones who eventually became mechanics. But that was then, and this is now. And the grease monkeys of yesterday are getting an image makeover, thanks to many technical innovations in the industry."
As president of Village Auto Group, Ciccolo these days is looking for skilled technicians. “Because the work is seen as dirty, not glamorous, parents steer their kids towards other fields, like computers, never realizing that the automotive industry has changed drastically. In fact, there is more computer power in today’s automobile than in the first Apollo spaceship", says Ciccolo.
The growing need for skilled auto technicians has led to the creation of the Partnership for Automotive Career Education (PACE), which trains Boston residents for jobs in the automotive service and repair industry. PACE was funded with a $1 million grant for three years through a consortium of private foundations, the City of Boston, and the State of Massachusetts. “PACE is how workforce development should be done, says Sunny Schwartz, deputy director of the Asian American Civic Association, who has been involved with PACE from the start. “It was brought about by three community groups – the Asian American Civic Association, La Alianza Hispanica, and the Urban League – together with members of the automotive industry. Employers got involved from the get-go, from developing the curriculum to selecting the students and then hiring the students when they graduate."
Sullivan Tire, a PACE partner, has started hiring already. Edward Nixon works for Sullivan Tire, even though he still has to complete the PACE program. Nixon came to PACE through the Urban League and was unemployed at the time he applied. “I had worked in automotive, says Nixon, “but I was kind of stuck because there was no training on the job. Nixon’s goal is to become a master technician and to get an associate’s degree. “I have a wife, two kids, and a mortgage, says Nixon, “I want to better myself."
Nixon is exactly the kind of candidate for whom PACE was designed: unemployed or underemployed adults who are looking for good-paying jobs with benefits that also provide a career path. Although free for participants, PACE requires a considerable investment of time. The training takes place during the weekends and in the evenings. After the first six months, the trainees start working and finish the program while on the job. Through the involvement of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, participants can earn 15 credits toward a college degree.
PACE started in January 2005 with 14 students and has begin a second session while the initial group is in its “externship phase. These are small numbers for a field that is starved for qualified technicians, but it’s a beginning. “There are good jobs out there for well-trained workers, says Eric Straughter, Director of Facilities for Quirk Automobiles, whose company employs over 300 technicians. “We just hired five graduates of the PACE program and we’ll surely be hiring more."Ciccolo hopes PACE will expand beyond the three years for which it is now funded. “As other employers become involved, I can see people getting trained for positions in parts departments and in sales. PACE can be a pipeline for new employees who you know are motivated and well trained. I am ready to hire every PACE graduate I can get my hands on."
This article appeared in the Boston Globe and online at www.bostonworks.com.
For more information about PACE, call 617.426.9492, ext 249.
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Village Automotive Group: Techs Needed
Service Technician/Auto Body Technician: Come join a team that has as much fun after work as they do during working hours! We enjoy company sponsored events such as softball, paintball, fishing trips and outings to Mohegan Sun! Of course we offer top benefits, including comprehensive pay plans with weekly guarantees, vacation pay to start, and air conditioned shops in our state of the art facilities. We are a growing and expanding company, we are busy all 12 months of the year, and we offer flexible hours.
If you want to join an award winning organization, please contact the HR Department at 617.995.7775 or e-mail us via debie@villageautomotive.com to find out more about these exciting opportunities.
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