21 Inclusion: As a former tech, I can attest to one area often neglected regarding techs: inclusion. Many dealers make the mistake of focusing heavily on sales staff performance, taking sales staff out to dinner or lunch, or even inviting the top performer to tee off with the dealer principal. Dealers should keep this type of thing in mind if retention is an issue. In my experience, techs don’t need big gestures of recognition for a job well done; they just need some recognition. So, take your best tech out to lunch or give them a tool truck gift card (the average tech spends tens of thousands of dollars on tools throughout their career). The investment will be worth it to keep your best performers, and seeing that little bit extra will motivate your undiscovered top performers. Training. Be sure existing techs are allowed to attend as many trainings as possible and senior techs in the shop are trained in the EV technology and how to train others generally. Enhancing the soft skills of existing techs will create an environment that fosters growth and illuminates a path of upward mobility for the newer techs. If feasible, offering an apprenticeship program could attract new talent who already possesses the foundational knowledge necessary to efficiently diagnose and repair EVs. Outside Help. If all else fails and you still struggle to recruit and retain, consider hiring a recruiter or consultant. Having an outsider examine your service drive and hiring methods can offer a new perspective that may shed some light on the issues preventing your service drive from getting and staying staffed with quality techs. Community Involvement. Numerous programs are working to create job pipelines from local schools to dealerships. Stay involved with your local communities and reach out to your local officials for resources and ways to get involved in programs facilitating careers in the trades. Many of these programs are in their earliest stages but could use support and input on how to ensure the successful transition from school to a job at a dealership. CNCDA Foundation. Get involved in the CNCDA Foundation and have the opportunity to see bright young automotive techs in your region gain their education and find their way to dealership careers. The CNCDA Foundation has worked to support the demand for auto and truck technician and management roles by awarding scholarships to over 1,300 students since its inception. For more information about the Foundation or to get involved, visit www.cncda.org/foundation. 3 RS18001-CarDealerAd-jy04-final3-outlines.indd 1 12/11/18 1:28 PM
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