Unless you live under a rock, you know full-well the crisis of workforce shortage in all the skilled trade industries. The automotive industry certainly is no exception to this problem. The lack of qualified service technicians is one of the most significant struggles dealerships face across the state and nation.

For the last eight years, I have been in the midst of this issue from the standpoint of trying to help the automotive industry build a quality workforce. For seven years, I was the Director of Career Center/Industry Relations at MSU-Northern in Havre, Montana. I worked with employers across the nation who came to that campus to recruit students trained in the trades programs that college offers, including Automotive Technology. In all that time, the common message from these businesses was: 1) we simply do not have enough qualified technicians in the pool to hire from; and 2) what do we need to do to get more into the pool?

These discussions focused on a central problem we all know about; in general, any skilled trade industry is viewed as “dirty, blue-collar” work. Young kids, their parents, and the guidance counselors at the high schools who play a key role in steering students down a career path have absolutely no idea about the amazing opportunities in careers such as the automotive industry. Not only that, but they also don’t realize that careers in the technician field can be obtained with a much shorter time and monetary investment than other careers that require high tuition costs for at least four years past high school.

Included in these discussions was the frustration from dealerships that the days of working jointly with secondary schools were gone. There are a handful of communities in Montana where dealerships have a well-worn path to the local high school, and those are great partnerships. Many others, however, find the doors closed to them. In my seven-year tenure at MSU-Northern, I was repeatedly asked, “What can we do to get into the high schools to change this ‘bad’ view of our industry, pique the interest of these kids, and educate them about all the opportunities we offer?” My answer to that question is what I have been doing for the last year.

Having a passion for the skilled trades, seeing the ever-growing skills gap, and knowing that more needs to be done in the secondary schools, I became the State Director for SkillsUSA Montana.

What is SkillsUSA Montana?

Historically, SkillsUSA was known as VICA, Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. Some of you may remember that this organization was started in 1965 at the national level. Montana created our association in 1966, and schools across the state had their own chapters. Then, in 2002, the name was changed to SkillsUSA.

So what, exactly, does SkillsUSA Montana do?

SkillsUSA is a national association and a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. At the state level, SkillsUSA Montana has the same vision. We are a 501(c)(3) Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) working integrally with the Career and Technical Education Division of the Montana Office of Public Instruction. There are over 50 chapters in the secondary and post-secondary institutions across the state. Meaning, we have members from junior high school students to college-level students. Our focus is to prepare quality leaders in the trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.

How do we do that?

Our advisors are the “shop” teachers in Career and Technical Education and Industrial Technology using the SkillsUSA Framework curriculum that promotes three components in their classrooms: Technical Skills Grounded in Academics, Workplace Skills, and Personal Skills. Not only are technical skills such as cranking wrenches and abiding by company safety protocols necessary, but so are skills such as teamwork, leadership, work ethic, responsibility, decision making, communication, and integrity. In fact, I’d venture to say that dealerships seek these employability skills in prospective employees over technical skills. Potential employees who bring these “soft” skills to a business at the beginning are much more easily trained because they see the value in having a learning attitude. Those employees then become more productive and promotable. That is our goal at SkillsUSA Montana.

What can we do to help the automotive industry?

We know you need a voice in the public school system. The cultural mindset that your industry is a “dirty, blue-collar” career choice needs to change. We can help, starting at the junior high school level. Our mission is to help educate and inform the students, parents, and guidance counselors about all the amazing opportunities in the automotive industry.

We also know that you demand not just a workforce but a quality workforce. We can open the doors to Montana schools so you can work with our advisors. It is vital for them to fully understand what your industry needs to turn around and guide their students in the right direction. In your direction.

SkillsUSA Montana is the bridge connecting you to classrooms – and a future quality workforce – across the state.