30 By MTADA Interview With Mary Heller, SkillsUSA Montana HELPING DEALERSHIPS FIND SKILLED EMPLOYEES Bruce Knudsen, MTADA’s vice president, is a board member of SkillsUSA Montana, and Mary Heller is the state director. She has been the state director for two years. In June, Mary will begin working with the Montana Office of Public Instruction. She plans to continue supporting the SkillsUSA organization as instructors teach students skilled trades and help them connect with potential employers. Before 2002, SkillsUSA was known as Vocational and Industrial Clubs of America (VICA). SkillsUSA is one of several national organizations that work with students to develop jobrelated skills. The organization was founded in 1965. Montana got involved in 1966. Nationally, there are currently 19,019 instructors and more than 394,000 members. Mike Rowe is the national spokesperson. MTADA recently spoke with Mary about SkillsUSA, what dealers should know about the program, the most recent skills competition, and how it can help them hire well-qualified and well-rounded employees for their dealerships. Finding skilled employees to work at your dealership can be challenging because of the employee shortage. For more than 40 years, most teachers and counselors have directed students toward a fouryear degree as the path to a good, financially stable life, but “there are other good options besides a four-year degree,” said Mary. Industries need to advertise the many high-paying and rewarding careers available for anyone with the right skill set, such as repairing engines. Solving the problem includes reaching out to K-12 students and encouraging them to learn trade skills as part of their general education. That’s what SkillsUSA does. It is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) with programs for students as young as fifth grade. Industry experts develop the curriculum for schoolteachers, and subjects include soft skills. For example, students learn about leadership, community service, fundraising and Robert Rules of Order. The course framework looks like a triangle. “On one side, you have technical skills grounded in academics,” said Mary. “Then you have workplace skills, like being reliable, having a team attitude and working hard. The last side of the triangle is personal skills. When you get off work, you still need to be responsible and act with integrity, but you also need to care about your community. Our students have solid employability skills that outweigh knowing how to
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