Category: Franklin Apprenticeships Opportunities

Reinventing Yourself After Being Let Go: Five Reasons to Consider an Automotive Apprenticeship

You lost your job. Such a simple statement, yet it’s wholly incapable of capturing the overwhelming complexities you’re facing. There’s certainly the loss of income, but there’s also the loss of identity, and of the ability to define yourself based upon the career you’d hoped to have until you retired.

Grieving the loss of your job is normal — along with stress, anger, and depression that may follow. And while it’s understandable to feel any or all of these, it’s also a time to consider this less as a loss, and more as a transition. This is a setback, but it’s a temporary one, and accepting the fact that it’s time to consider another path is all part of the process.

You’re proud of what you achieved at your previous job, of what you learned, and who you helped. You don’t even want to consider going back to school and starting from scratch, or taking part in a training program that may or may not lead to a full-time position. Either option could also be accompanied by a hefty price tag or considerable debt.

But what if there was another way?

What if you could switch to a brand new career in a rock-solid industry, and you could do it while getting paid competitive wages from the day you begin?

It’s time to consider AutoMOtive!, a partnership between the Missouri Division of Workforce Development and Franklin Apprenticeships for dislocated workers that will put you on the fast track to becoming a certified Automotive Service Technician.

Forget what you think you know about apprenticeships. This innovative program offers a host of benefits that begin from the day you start, making it the perfect solution for a mid-career job change. Below are five of these benefits, which are also the reasons why you should consider an automotive apprenticeship: 

1. Earn While You Learn: From the moment you begin, you’ll receive a competitive, full-time wage. You are a full-time employee, and your wages will increase upon successfully completing program milestones.

2. Gain Industry-Recognized Credentials: Upon successful completion of the program, you’ll receive ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) Certification. This competitive and highly-regarded certification provides tangible proof of your technical knowledge, is portable, and serves as a foundation upon which you can build.

3. Grow In-Demand Skills: The automotive industry isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the role of Automotive Service Technician. In fact, as vehicles become more and more sophisticated there is an increasing call for highly trained and skilled professionals — by 2026, it’s estimated that the field will need 46,000 additional technicians.

4. Accelerate Your Career: In a single year, you can become an ASE Certified Automotive Service Technician. AutoMOtive! provides you with hands-on training, classroom training, mentors, and the resources and support you need to successfully complete your apprenticeship and go on to thrive in a highly competitive industry.

5. Remain Debt-Free: What does this cost? Nothing for those eligible for the AutoMOtive! program. All training and support costs are paid for by the employer under which you apprentice.

So what are you waiting for? Shift your search for a brand new career into high gear today. Learn more about AutoMOtive! and take your first step into a solid, steady, high-demand profession as an Automotive Service Technician!

Shifting Gears Mid-Career: Navigating a New Profession in the High-Tech Automotive Industry

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Losing your job mid-way through your career was never part of the plan. Your goal was to retire comfortably from a solid job in your industry of choice. Downsizing, layoffs — these were never supposed to happen to you.

Re-Starting your Career Engine

And yet, here you are: a seasoned worker with an array of highly developed skills, desperate to find the right opportunity without starting from the bottom. You’re not interested in going into debt taking college courses or chasing certifications that may or may not be what top employers are seeking.

You need a competitive paycheck from the day you begin, and you want it in a field that you know will not only be alive but thriving when the time comes for you to retire.

Have you considered a career as an Automotive Service Technician? Perhaps not, but you definitely should.

Why an Automotive Service Technician?

The automotive service industry is projected to need 46,000 additional workers by 2026, and that’s not even counting the existing positions that go unfilled annually. And the service environments of today — as well as the work itself — is far, far different than what you’d expect.

Stop and consider the evolution of today’s vehicles as manufacturers race to keep up with the latest trends in technology, such as interactive entertainment, navigation, engine diagnostics, and safety.

Do you have strong customer service and communication skills? An affinity for problem-solving? Technical aptitude? If so, becoming a certified Automotive Service Technician might be the perfect opportunity that you never even stopped to consider. Until now.

Introducing the Modern Apprenticeship

Franklin Apprenticeships is partnering with the State of Missouri to offer AutoMOtive!, an innovative approach to engaging workers impacted by downsizing in a brand new profession, all while being paid a full-time wage from the day you begin.

This modern apprenticeship program allows you learn as you earn, receive incremental raises for each milestone achieved, and gain an industry-recognized National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification upon successful completion of the program.

A year from now (or less), you could be a certified Automotive Service Technician. You could be established in a brand new in-demand career, accomplished while getting paid and without going into debt. You could be on your way to earning from $45k to $60k after the first year, secure in a growing industry with incredible opportunities for advancement.

So what are you waiting for? Click to learn more about AutoMOtive! and put your career switch into high gear with Franklin Apprenticeships!

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Gearing Up for a Shift in the Automotive Workforce

We live in a world inundated with technology, so it comes as no surprise that consumers seek similar digital access and advances integrated into their driving experience. These range from the obvious — navigation, entertainment, climate control, and hands-free access — to innovations in safety, performance, and diagnostics.

So much has changed within the automotive industry in such a short period of time. Repair bays — once filled with grease-covered tools and parts — now more closely resemble labs, complete with the advanced (and expensive) equipment needed to repair the increasingly complex array of components that power today’s vehicles.

These rapid advances force us to wonder: does the U.S. have enough qualified professionals ready to keep our automobiles running smoothly?

Labor Shortage

The simple answer is no: we don’t have anywhere near the numbers needed for a robust and specialized automotive workforce, either today or in the immediate future.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. will need 46,000 additional automotive service technicians by the year 2026 to keep up with industry needs. There are already as many as 75,000 automotive service technician job openings in any one year. Causes vary, from older workers aging out of the workforce to employees switching jobs to the creation of brand new positions.

Further, Donny Seyfer, Executive Officer of the National Automotive Training Task Force, notes that fewer high schools offer automotive shop programs, further diminishing the potential supply of technicians. And, even when such classes are available, he adds, there is often a disconnect between what they teach and what service departments need.

Attaining Relevant Skills

Assigning young students to tear down an engine or repair a transmission is a bad fit in an industry where the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) estimates that maintenance accounts for 70 percent of a technician’s work, Seyfer adds.

So, whether you are a new worker, or a seasoned worker making a career change, how can you quickly gain the real-world skills necessary to provide exceptional technical service? And, in an industry where the average automotive technician is 40 years old, with 19 years of experience, how can the existing workforce stay current as technology rapidly evolves?

The High Costs of Turnover

The National Automobile Dealers Association’s 2017 Dealership Workforce Study found that the annual turnover rate for the most skilled automotive technicians rose 2.1% in a single year. Some leave for different dealerships, others leave for different industries.

If jobs remain unfilled, losses accrue at an alarming rate: experts estimate that a typical automotive technician brings in an average of $1,000 per day. Consider what that means for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, and more. Suddenly filling current vacancies — and retaining current workers — becomes exponentially more critical to your bottom line.

The Road Forward

The road forward for the automotive industry is filled with both intense challenges and remarkable opportunities. A lack of skilled candidates for an increasing number of highly specialized positions calls for an innovative approach to crafting a brand new pipeline for finding, training, and keeping talented automotive service technicians.

Which is why Franklin Apprenticeships is partnering with the State of Missouri to offer Missouri AutoMOtive!, an ingenious solution for accelerating the growth so essential to making the State’s automotive sector thrive.

Modern apprenticeships create opportunities for both employers and employees, offering a fully developed framework for success as candidates earn while learning the very skills and knowledge needed to be a top-notch technician. For Dislocated Workers, in particular, such an approach allows them to hit the ground running: instead of incurring debt for programs that might get them ahead, they begin as paid workers eager to learn and grow into competitive positions that help them — and your business — get ahead.

With AutoMOtive!, Dislocated Workers from industries that have experienced layoffs and downsizing have an opportunity for a new career in the automotive industry, which includes ASE certification and other technical certifications, as well as a mentor and a peer-supported community. Further, program recruitment, placement, training, coaching, and certification costs are subsidized for participating employers.

Let us help you put your search for qualified automotive service technicians in first gear, ensuring your ability to keep everything about today’s technologically advanced vehicles — from music to guidance to safety — running smoothly. Contact us to learn more about Missouri AutoMOtive! today.