Part of any job is recognizing industry sea change and making preparations to adapt and succeed. Sometimes these changes happen gradually and other times they catch us off guard.
Vehicle manufacturers continue to produce vehicles with new levels of automation. But who or what can we rely on to deliver the technicians with the skills to service these heavily computerized cars, trucks and SUVs? Another thing to consider -- if technicians do indeed manage to develop the correct skills, will they be able to find jobs and compensation that align with their abilities?
MEMA (the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association) recently reported on this mounting conundrum in the Fixed Ops Journal.
Much of automated technology remains to be developed. Though self-driving car projects are off the ground out West, there are still variables (like snow, fog, detours, other humans) slowing their widespread development and adoption elsewhere.
Still, just because a car is not self-driving does not mean it lacks complexity. Sensors and advanced driver assistance systems are already making traditional repair jobs -- like body work -- far more complex, changing how vehicle damage is assessed and repaired. Now, rather than banging out a dent, collision repair diagnostic specialists must replace and re-tool sensor-based blind-zone and cross-traffic alerts.
MEMA goes on to report the industry has agreed to make automatic braking and forward collision warning systems standard by 2022. This means body shops will need to employ a new kind of technician, or multiple technicians with different skill sets.
Jason Bartanen, director of industry technical relations for the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair says, “The collision repair diagnostic person is going to be the one who determines what might be damaged,” Bartanen says. “I see them having their own room with scanning tools, proper lighting and calibration targets for aiming.”
Automakers, dealers, industry groups and academics all seem to agree there’s a gap in education and career marketing for this new brand of vehicle service technicians, and new facilities and training programs are slowing cropping up to address the need. Bosch recently opened an automated vehicle testing lab in Plymouth, Michigan to electronics students from a nearby college. The program incorporates classroom learning, hands-on work with software, and electrical integration of sensors in automated vehicle prototypes. The goal is to create jobs beyond those that require a four-year and graduate degree.
“It’s a real issue, not just something the automated driving community is doing on the side or for fun,” says Kay Stepper, vice president of driver assistance systems and automated driving at Robert Bosch.
To keep up with vehicle trends, traditional vocational programs will have to change significantly. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow … but certainly within the next few years. Perhaps it will start in schools, where instruction begins to emphasize electrification and networks over replacing starters and changing spark plugs.
Next month we will offer valuable insights into shop operations, purchasing and training trends to help you stay current in a changing industry, with our third annual Aftermarket Profile. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on technician training and education.
