EDUCATING the NEXT GENERATION

But there are plenty of good reasons why it makes good business sense to take a role in training and educating this next generation. Without them this industry's technician shortage will only get worse. And whether it's your son or daughter, a local high school or college student or that 20-something new employee at your shop, someone from this next generation is apt to be among those interested in one day buying your business and funding your retirement – if you've given them the tools, information and experience they need to succeed.

Here are 13 things you can begin doing right now to help educate that next generation.

2. PONY UP $100. The I-CAR Education Foundation is asking shops to donate $100 a year to assist the non-profit foundation with its ongoing work to attract entry-level students to auto body training and assist in preparing them to enter the industry. The Foundation will return 85 percent of funds donated by shops within a region to collision repair training programs in that region to help these schools acquire up-to-date curriculum or other training tools they lack – and for which they might not have a budget.

"The program is designed to pool small donations from shops to help their local career and technical schools and colleges produce well-trained, entry-level employees for the industry," Tom McGee, CEO of I-CAR says of the Foundation's efforts.

For more information or to make a tax deductible donation and receive a framed certificate and window decal, visit the Foundation's Web site at www.ed-foundation.org or call (888) 722-3787, Ext. 283.

3. BECOME A BIG BROTHER/BIG SISTER. Rochelle Thielen, a business development manager for Mitchell International, said she is a mentor for a 12-year-old girl through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in Van Nuys, Calif. She sees such programs as a great way for those in the industry not only to give back to their communities, but also to help introduce the opportunities this industry offers to those in the next generation who might not otherwise think about a career at a shop.

"One of the things I noticed is that until she met me, her idea of where she could go in life was very, very limited," Thielen says of her "Little Sister." "Looking around at what her parents did, the kind of jobs that were in her area, she didn't have anything to aspire to. I think exposing some of the options to kids like that gives them a whole new perspective on what they can do with their life. This is an industry that has a lot of career advancement in it."

For more information on the program, visit the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Web site (http:// www.bbbs.org).

5. BE A JUDGE, DONATE PRIZES OR OTHERWISE GET INVOLVED WITH SKILLSUSA (WWW.SKILLSUSA.ORG). SkillsUSA gives collision repair students a chance to compete at a local, state, national and even international level. The competition can help boost a student's motivation, confidence and performance. And as Angell points out, the national dropout rate for high school students involved in clubs or activities like SkillsUSA is less than 4 percent, compared to an overall dropout rate of between 22 percent and 26 percent.

While instructors at schools often organize the SkillsUSA competitions, they generally need members of the industry to serve as judges or to donate items for prizes at the event. (It's also a great chance to scout out new talent coming into the industry.)

The National Auto Body Council (www.autobodycouncil.org) also is raising funds to send the winners of the national SkillsUSA collision repair and painting competitions to the international competition in Japan this November. For more information, contact the NABC at (888) 667-7433.

6. SPONSOR A SCHOLARSHIP. To honor the company's founder and encourage next generation students to enter the industry, Heitzman Body & Paint in Beaverton, Ore., sponsors an annual scholarship to the collision repair training program at Portland Community College (PCC). Most schools have a foundation that accepts scholarship donations (which generally makes the donation tax deductible) and can help you determine how much or how little you want to be involved in establishing selection criteria, etc. An endowed scholarship (one named after the company or person of your choice) at PCC, for example, requires a donation of $10,000.

Aside from helping a student and the school, such scholarships also are an opportunity for positive publicity for your company within your community, as many such scholarships are announced at high school graduations and in local newspapers.

7. BE A GUEST LECTURER. Steve White, an instructor and chairman of the PCC collision repair training program, said that for several years, his program's advisory committee has arranged to have shop owners, vendors or technicians make short presentations to students on a variety of topics. Some have been technical – one was offered by a local airbag installer, for example – while others relate to trends in the industry, employer expectations, etc.

"The more involvement students have with shop owners and others actually working in the industry, the more realistic their expectations are when they graduate," White says. "And some things just get through better to students coming from a shop owner rather than just an instructor. We can repeatedly tell them about the necessary safety equipment, but it may only hit home when a potential employer tells them he's fired people for failing to use it."

8. GET THEM OUT OF THE SHOP. Stop and think about whether you have learned about ways to work smarter not harder during times you've left the shop to attend local association events or national industry events like the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) or the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE). Have you participated in a "20 group" or toured other shops? Getting your next generation employees out of the shop to learn in these ways is a good way to bring them along. Just as White said his students often most take to heart what a shop owner tells them. Your employees (particularly if they are related to you) might best take a lesson you're trying to impart to them if they also hear it from others.

9. HOLD AN OPEN HOUSE OR 'SUMMER CAMP.' Rod Kohlhepp, collision repair instructor at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin, said every year shop owners and others in the industry help the school host a career day in the program's shop. High school students spend several hours at various stations, getting some hands-on experience with various collision repair tasks: welding, painting and polishing, straightening sheet metal, measuring a vehicle, etc. Members of the industry help the students use the proper protective gear and walk them through the various steps of collision repair.

Kohlhepp said the event is a great way to get the next generation excited about working toward a career – and to find out before they start classes if they have some of the basic aptitudes needed to succeed.

Schools and the industry could start that recruiting process even earlier by offering a week-long "automotive summer camp" for grade-schoolers. An increasing number of parents are looking for "camp" experiences that will help their children do some career exploration. With the proliferation of vehicle customization shows on TV, kids are more interested than they have been in decades in working on cars. Three or four whole or half-day sessions of hands-on experience with basic automotive or collision repair skills in your local training program's shop could help broaden the interest among future students and technicians.

10. MAKE SURE THEY'RE LEARNING ALL OF THE BUSINESS. Each of Jerry and Liz Burns' four sons has worked in one capacity or another at the family's collision repair shop, Automotive Impressions, Inc., in Rio Rancho, N.M. But the Burns have made it clear that the road to company ownership for this next generation includes some time out in the shop, not just in the office.

"You have to make sure they understand the whole business, all aspects," Liz Burns says. "All four of our sons have spent at least some time working in the paint shop, in the metal shop. In order to get up front, we think it's very important that they understand what goes on in the back. They can't write a good estimate if they don't understand how to repair or paint a vehicle properly."

That process also helps the next generation determine where their skills and interests lie, the Burns say.

"We all probably think or want our kids to manage the business, but realistically speaking, they may rather be in the paint shop or the body shop," Liz Burns says.

Kelly Spence also has found value in giving his son, Sam, increasing responsibility at his shop, S & S Paint and Body in Bloomington, Ill. Sam has worked at the shop since his early teens, but since finishing high school last year has worked as an apprentice technician and managed the shop's detailing department, which offers retail detailing services as well as post-repair clean-up of vehicles.

11. JOIN A SCHOOL'S INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. If you agree that local high school or community college/tech school is (or should be) the best source of next generation employees, it's time to make the small commitment of time needed to serve on that school's collision industry advisory committee. If the school's instructors and administrators aren't interacting with shop owners and others in the industry several times a year, how can they hope to give students what they need to succeed in the industry? A good advisory committee helps ensure the school has the equipment, staff, curriculum and recruitment and placement programs to make that next generation of techs even better than the last.

One word of caution: Don't expect to join the committee and have things change overnight, and don't expect the school or program to change if you're not willing to be involved over time.

12. POINT THEM TO THE RIGHT WEB SITES. Got kids at home? Do you have a chance to speak to students? Point them to a couple of Web sites designed to turn their interest in cars and car-related games and activities into a little learning about the collision industry and its career opportunities. The first site, www.collisionkids.org, has two sections, one designed for those 9 and younger, the other for those 10 or older. The second site, www.collisioncareers.org, is designed more for teenagers.

Both were created for the I-CAR Education Foundation and are one of the industry's first efforts to reach the next generation in ways they tend to like to receive information: online in fun and interactive ways.

And even if your own kids aren't interested in following in your footsteps, they can help spread the word about these sites through their classmates.

13. PAIR UP THE EXPERIENCED TECH WITH THE APPRENTICE. No, you can't read anything about the future of training and technicians in this industry without the concept of a mentorship program being discussed. Making such a program work in your shop can be a challenge, but those who have made it work say it's absolutely the best way to train the next generation of techs – and keep experienced techs working and earning a good living longer.

Mike Quinn's team structure system at his 911 Collision Centers in Tucson, Ariz., teams two experienced technicians (paid on salary) with three apprentices (paid hourly). The whole team benefits from helping the apprentices learn and improve because if the team hits its goal for the month, there's a pot of bonus money that gets bigger based on the team's productivity. Quinn said it's an effective way to train the next generation and reward the experienced tech who might be slowing down but has the ability to teach and lead others.

Looking to get started? A good first stop could be the Mentors@Work Web site (www.mentorsatwork.com), which offers links to resources as well as tools and services to help create a mentorship program in your shop.

Educating the next generation of technicians, estimators and eventual shop owners is by no means a task that can be left only to schools and training organizations. It's something in which every shop and every organization in the industry can participate.

But when you consider the types of actions you can do to help, it becomes clear that some require time and some require money, but rarely do they require both. In either case, that investment in the next generation today will pay off in business benefits down the road.

John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Ore., who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].