The search for talent is a perennial pursuit among collision centers. Young, qualified technicians— including painters — are not always easy to find. However, the industry’s major companies, professional associations and technical schools are all working to attract new people to the field.
Coursework
Within the educational sector, tech schools across the country are developing courses to draw students and promote the trade. A variety of initiatives offer young people the chance to learn about collision repair and paint refinish as promising careers. Consider Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC), part of PPG’s Partners in Education Program, which pairs the company with technical schools across North America. The Louisiana-based program gives students the chance to become familiar with the industry and learn the skills it requires. It also provides specialized classroom instruction and practical shop experience to prepare individuals for entry-level jobs. The school recently built a $50 million, 100,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility for its repair classes. The facility is so well outfitted with the latest equipment that it’s also used by the pros — I-CAR, WorkForce, PPG and other groups — to train future techs. Similar initiatives are being applied at other schools.
“Our technician base is shrinking, and we need quality painters,” says Jeff Johnson, PPG territory manager. “Facilities and programs like these allow us to develop the talent the industry requires.”
Organizations Chime In
Industry organizations are also taking part. The Collision Repair Education Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that there will be a sufficient number of qualified, properly trained and immediately productive entry-level employees. The organization works with its industry partners to attract students, see that they receive the most current technical education and connect them with local and national employers. The foundation achieves its mission through:
- Career fairs — across the country — that bring together technical students and potential refinish industry employers (major corporations);
- Fundraisers that help finance professional-level collision shop floor setups at 150 schools nationwide;
- Generous scholarships for promising students who need financial support.
“These programs are the industry’s future,” says Tom Wolf, PPG director of business development, USCA. “We’re educating a new generation of refinish technicians to help young people recognize the opportunities and rewards the industry offers.”
SkillsUSA is another organization that brings young people into the industry. This national nonprofit involves more than 300,000 high school, middle school and college students, preparing them through regional and national competitions for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The program includes collision repair and car painting and was developed to help make young people aware of the industry’s career opportunities. While the program emphasizes skills competition, students also improve those skills by learning from the professionals who instruct and support them at the organization’s events. The competition has produced countless success stories. One is Erin Detchon.
Detchon was introduced to the industry through the Medina County Career Center, an Ohio technical school at which she took auto refinish and collision repair courses and, in her words, “Loved it!” She entered the SkillsUSA competition and took first in her region. Winning was important, plus she got the chance to network with industry professionals. She attended a job fair and was hired by a major paint company. Today she’s a sales trainee for that company. Erin believes that there is a ready pool of talent out there, waiting to learn about careers in collision repair.
“We’ve gotten away from trades,” she says. “We need to emphasize opportunities in the trades. A lot of my friends wish they had gone into the trades.”
I-CAR is also vital to the industry’s recruiting success. Industry leaders are part of I-CAR’s Sustaining Partner program, an initiative designed to help address the tech shortage and expand training opportunities for technicians at every level. The program makes I-CAR classes more accessible and affordable for technical school students as well as career technicians.
Grow your own
Collision centers themselves also have a role. For those centers that say that they can’t find qualified talent, there are solutions: make yourself visible and grow your own. There are plenty of ways to do this. Support the industry organizations that develop young painters and participate in their events. Collision centers can easily get involved with the refinish programs at local technical schools. Shop personnel can visit classrooms and offer instruction. These are all great ways to make students aware of your shop while identifying individuals who might be great additions to your staff.
Inviting classes to your shop to see the real collision repair world in action or holding a community open house often brings out the students who are very interested. In offering a job to someone you think could succeed, you grow your reputation as an approachable company, resulting in even more recruiting opportunities.
Putting yourself or your company out there and simply talking to students helps show young people that car painting is a rewarding career. Point out that it is well paying, challenging and satisfying work—and that doing a good job is something to be genuinely proud of.
Enlightened owners and managers are taking those steps.
Industry-developed Instruction
Some shops are going to the next level by sending their new talent to “prepper” courses to help promising but inexperienced rookie technicians learn the ropes. PPG, for example, recently introduced a course called Refinish Preparation Specialist. The class is directed at entry-level personnel who have never received formal in-shop training and work alongside body and refinish technicians.
“This is a class that our customers requested,” explains Gregg Whitmer, PPG training manager. “There have been instances in which technicians working in our customers’ operations are not properly trained on how to prepare a vehicle for refinishing. This class directly addresses these concerns.”
The course instructs entry-level refinish technicians in personal safety, equipment, and fundamental preparation procedures of the repair and refinish process. Techs who have taken the course have been positive about their experience and view it as a valuable step in their career.
No question that there is a constant need to search for new talent in car painting and collision repair. But by getting involved with tech schools and industry organizations, actively looking for the right people, giving them the chance to learn and grow, and recognizing and rewarding their progress the search is easier and more productive.
