May 2025 was a busy month for Manchester resident Matthew Robillard. He completed his Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) at Merchants Automotive Group and became a technician at the company, earned his associate degree in automotive technology from Manchester Community College (MCC), and he and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child. “It was kind of a mad dash to make it all happen,” he admitted. Matthew is the first New Hampshire apprentice in the automotive industry to receive his associate degree while completing an apprenticeship program. Credits earned at MCC while completing the apprenticeship automotive courses, coupled with some general education credits from Suffolk University and Quincy College earlier in life, enabled him to meet the associate degree requirements. “School didn’t come naturally to me when I was younger, and I had a bad early experience with college, but I’m grateful that my time at Suffolk and Quincy ended up helping me years down the road,” Matthew said. After trying various professions in his 20s, Matthew set his sights on a career in the automotive industry. He had always enjoyed working on cars and built on that interest through automotive jobs in Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire in 2022 at the age of 32. When he interviewed for a job at Hooksett-based Merchants Automotive Group, he was given the opportunity to join the company as a flat-rate technician or expand his knowledge and boost his career potential by participating in Merchants’ apprenticeship program. Merchants Automotive Group is one of nine New Hampshire auto dealers that offer RAPs sponsored by NHADA. In 2021, NHADA, ApprenticeshipNH and the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) collaborated to create standards and the training program for an initial automotive technician apprenticeship program. This program became the foundation for subsequent apprenticeships for tune-up mechanics and automotive mechanics. As the program sponsor, NHADA administers, manages and sets standards for the apprenticeships while CCSNH provides the educational component and ApprenticeshipNH provides technical assistance, helps secure state and federal approvals and collaborates with NHADA to provide scholarships that help cover the educational costs for apprentices. “Automotive technology education programs are among the most popular trade offerings at New Hampshire’s community colleges. Through our partnership with NHADA and individual dealers, we extend that learning with vital on-the-job training to meet current and future workforce needs and help people advance while earning and learning,” said Anne Banks, apprenticeship programs manager for CCSNH. Adam Memmolo, workforce development coordinator at NHADA, says 500,000 more automotive technicians are projected to be needed nationally by 2027. He hopes that more New Hampshire dealers will leverage the power of apprenticeships to attract and train more technicians to meet this demand. “The ones who offer apprenticeships have full shops and are filling their pipelines for the future,” he commented. Merchants Automotive Group embraced the apprenticeship model as soon as NHADA created the program. Joe Wentworth, assistant director of talent management at Merchants, had experience with apprenticeships before he joined Merchants in 2021. He championed their effectiveness to strategically build and train a workforce rather than compete for scarce talent in a tough labor market. MATTHEW ROBILLARD First in New Hampshire to Earn an Associate Degree while Completing an Automotive Technology Registered Apprenticeship BY COOKSON COMMUNICATIONS 22
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