Equipment Breakout: Growing Your Own Technicians

Kenneth CalhounTruck Centers of Arkansas

November 6, 2014

The Technician Crisis

Critical Mass

What are the factors?

• First and scariest is available manpower.

USA Worker Gap Projections

4

2010 2020

Skilled Worker Gap 5.3 million 14 million

Unskilled Worker Gap

1.7 million 7 million

Total Workforce Gap

7 million 21 million

Source: Anthony Carnevale, National Association of Manufacturers

Expected U.S. Labor Force vs. Labor Demand

Source: Employment Policy Foundation analysis and projections of Census / BLS and BEA data

Vertical Integration

• Skills are no longer necessarily portable.

Engine ElectronicsExplosive Growth Over Time

Sensors

Actuators

Pressure

Temperature

Position

Chemical

Actuators

19916

7

1998

7

102002

18

10

2007

ExhaustAftertreatment

22

11

201028

15

Vehicle Complexity

Relevance of Education

• How do we stay current in what we teach?

Availability of Education

Industry Image

• What are we saying about who we are?

The Technician Crisis

Our Approach to Survival

Apprentice Program

• We made the decision to grow our own.

Apprentice Program

• So we crafted a curriculum…

Apprentice Program

A mixture of classroom and hands on…

Apprentice Program

• On the shop floor…

The Technician Crisis

Lessons Learned

Apprentice Program

• How do you help employees get acclimated?

• Does your business welcome them?

• Do your team members embrace them?

• Who takes the time to take employees under their wing…and help them grow?

Mentoring

• Supports/develops new technicians

• Helps acclimation to workplace and culture

• Builds professionalism and morale

• Mentors grow as well

The Technician Crisis

Lessons Learned

Well…

…Maybe not so much.

Apprentice Program

• Initially our entry requirements were basically; Attend Vo-Tech and have a pulse.

Plan B

• Our objective is to create a pipeline of students to keep the class stocked with high quality candidates.

High Gear Performance Team

• We wanted clear branding that identified the graduates as part of something significant.

High Gear Performance Team

• Identify the hooks…

High Gear Performance Team

• We wanted a theme that would fit who we are…

High Gear Performance Team

• Looking around What do we truly have to offer?

High Gear Performance Team

• What do their lives look like when not working?

High Gear Performance Team

• Specifically What kind of lifestyle does this career afford?

High Gear Performance Team

• We found some pretty varied and interesting things.

High Gear Performance Team

• Our deliverables

Community Outreach

• Arkansas alone has 37 separate Technical Schools to work with.

Community Outreach

• Arkansas State University - All Major Fair• Arkansas State University - Educator Fair• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff - All Major and

Educator Fair• University of the Ozarks Spring Career Fair• Maumelle Job Fair sponsored by the City of Maumelle

and the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce• Arkansas State University - Mountain Home Job Fair• Henderson State University - Educator Fair• Arkansas Tech University - All Major Fair• Arkansas Tech University Career Fair• Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management

(SHRM) Human Resource Conference Expo• Conway Adult Education Center's 2014 Job Fair• 2014 Career & Community Resource Expo• Bald Knob High School College and Career Fair• Veteran’s Benefit Fair/Boots on the Ground Job Fair• Residence Inn by Marriott Hourly Associate Job Fair• Fayetteville 5th Annual Job Fair / Expo• Sykes Job Fair• Randolph County Business Expo / Job Fair• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / Central Arkansas Human

Resource Association (CAHRA) Spring Job Fair• Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce Career and

Job Fair

• This list is just the first six months of 2014

Community Outreach

• Going forward, our next step…

The Technician Crisis

Lessons Learned

Guess what happened next?

• 30 odd weeks and several thousand dollars later…

Career Path Development

• And Retention

Employee Retention

• Now that you have them…

Career Path Development

• So we started formalizing our Job Descriptions

Employee Retention

• Posting our positions on our web site.

Career Path Development

• Communicating Growth Opportunities

Employee Retention

• Recognizing their achievements.

Employee Retention

• Mapping out their career paths.

The Technician Crisis

Lessons Learned

Employee Retention

It is one thing to have a form…

Career Path Development

• Clear paths identified…

Career Path Development

• We also have to develop the soft skills

Career Path Development

• So we have opted to make it a component of each of our positions…

Employee Retention

• Develop A Strong Bench

The Technician Crisis

Lessons LearnedStill

Being