Fielding requests from dealerships and fleets seeking qualified mechanics has become a regular occurrence for the Northwest Arkansas Technical Institute diesel technology program.
Sending those employers away empty-handed also has become part of the routine at the Springdale career and technical school.
Master instructor Carl Desens estimated that demand for workers is so high that there are no applicants for two-thirds of the job requests that come the school’s way. Currently, the school has room for about 40 students in its 18-month diesel program, but it’s still not graduating enough to satisfy employer requests for workers.
“There has been more demand than we are able to meet,” Desens said. “It’s been consistent in that respect for a few years now. We hear from them all, especially the private and smaller fleets, and the dealerships. We’re trying to give the industry what they want.
“They want a lot.”
Nationally, the industry faces a shortage of qualified diesel mechanics because of an aging workforce. Additional need is being created by technology and emissions innovations that lead to positions for younger, tech-savvy workers.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the industry grew by about 2.2 percent over the past five years with 238,150 diesel technicians employed nationally in 2013. Projections for the industry from the bureau showed 9 percent growth between 2010 and 2020.
Those numbers don’t account for an expected shortage created by retiring workers. One industry analyst said as many has “half ” of the current diesel technician workforce could be out of the industry within the next 10 years.
Statistical evidence suggests the need for more workers, and Tony Molla, a vice president of the National Institute for Automotive Excellence, said visual evidence strengthens the notion that more technicians are needed.
“Look around any shop, and you’re starting to see a lot of gray hair,” Molla said. “At the rate that baby boomers are retiring, within the next 10 years you’re talking about half the people needed in the profession being gone.There’s a need. All you have to do is look around to see it.”
Employers are recognizing the potential looming crisis and getting creative in how they fill openings. Molla pointed to industry efforts to coordinate with the U.S. Army for civilian certification and placement for its veteran diesel mechanics.
Recruiting and retention of qualified technicians is becoming as competitive as landing an executive, Molla said. Some fleets and dealerships have designated headhunters just for technicians.
Jim Nichols oversees training and recruitment for the Summit Holdings region that includes Arkansas and estimates that half of his time is spent identifying and wooing perspective employees. Summit Holdings is a nationwide network of 29 dealerships formed after Diamond Cos. and Roberts Truck Centers merged last year.
“That’s a lot of time recruiting, but the need is that great,” Nichols said.
Summit (formerly Diamond Cos.) began partnering with Linn State Technical College in Linn, Mo., three years ago in hopes of creating a pipeline of qualified workers. Throughout their 20-month certification the students intern with Summit, which provides its trainees with some scholarship money and price breaks on tool purchases.
New graduates can earn between $11-16 per hour. Not counting overtime, that’s a starting salary of more than $30,000 for what is generally an education investment of less than $10,000. Experienced technicians, those with master journeyman designation, can command as much as $80,000 annually in larger markets, not counting overtime.
Despite the earning potential, the industry is having a difficult time selling itself to high school students evaluating their career options. That is creating concern among companies that jobs will be filled in the future.
“It’s a dirty job. Some of it’s dangerous,” said CalArk International’s Ron Gillen, who serves as secretary of the Arkansas Trucking Association’s Maintenance & Technology Council. “A lot of younger folks don’t realize the opportunities that exist in this line of work, though. There’s a future in the industry, and you can build a long career here.”
Business, Pages 23 on 04/03/2014