Death of the grease monkey? Service jobs are highly technical

One of Canada’s top automotive dealers thinks the industry needs to encourage high school students to consider careers in vehicle service and repair, and that convincing them the jobs are highly technical is the way to do it.

Shahin Alizadeh, CEO of Downtown Automotive Group (DAG) in Toronto, said there has never been a better time for young people to consider a career in the business.

“There’s so much excitement in our industry, and yet the focus is still on the fact the average technician just ends up getting greasy all day and changes oil,” Alizadeh told Automotive News Canada. “We need a better educational process in terms of engaging [youth]. We need to realistically make a platform from an industry point of view that gives the technical side a bit more presence in the eyes of these [young people] as to why it’s a great career and a rewarding career. Spend some resources on promoting to the youth the idea of entering the technical side of the car business.”

DAG includes 10 retail locations in Toronto representing eight automotive brands. It has yearly sales of more than $400 million.

Alizadeh’s opinion is shared by Tahnee Pitter-Duncan, a 20-year old Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) auto-body apprentice.

“There should be more people jumping to get into the trades, but there’s a nasty stigma of being called a greaseball, dropout or just an idiot for being a technician in the automotive sector. None of this is true,” Pitter-Duncan said. “Top-of-the-line shops are clean because only the rookies spill oil. You also have to be pretty smart to diagnose and repair damages on a vehicle, especially since there’s more and more electrical systems being added to vehicles.

“To be a mechanic or autobody technician should never be synonymous with being broke,” said Pitter-Duncan, who is doing her autobody apprenticeship through a TTC program in partnership with the Toronto District School Board.

“The hard workers of this field make so much more money than what people believe.

HIGH-TECH WORK EQUALS HIGH INCOME

“Good technicians make $80,000 a year and have no school debt to pay off compared to others because they did an apprenticeship,” Pitter-Duncan said. “An apprenticeship allows you to learn on the job while getting paid. Very rarely will any job outside the blue-collar trades grant you an opportunity to be paired up with an experienced licensed technician and give you a progressive pay rate. I am ahead of many of my friends and old schoolmates as I am already working full time in the career of my choosing. Being with TTC also allows me to receive benefits and a pension. Most young adults my age wouldn’t be reaping these fruits of labour until they’re 30 years old.”

Janna Erichsen, chairwoman of part-time learning in the School of Transportation at Centennial College in Toronto, said parents need to look at the automotive trades in a different light when talking to their children about careers.

“We have more mechanical engineers than we know what to do with, whereas we don’t have enough really good techs,” she said.

Alizadeh also said the industry must convey the message that it’s inclusive for women.

“As an employer of over 350 people, I would be absolutely delighted to see more women in general in our business regardless of the nature of their function, but specifically when it comes to service.

“Looking at some of the women that we have working on the technical side, they need to try harder because they know they are looked upon as somewhat of an anomaly in the business — less and less, but still as an anomaly. Their attention to detail and doing a better job, in my opinion, leads to a better quality of finished product.”

WOMEN SHOULD NOT BE INTIMIDATED

“There’s no question that encouraging women to become part of our industry is the biggest challenge we face.

We need to get as many women in our business because I think they make great workers.”

Pitter-Duncan said there’s a great misconception that women can’t physically handle the job of servicing or repairing cars.

“Being a female, there’s a lot of hesitance with males wanting to work with you because they feel you can’t pick up anything heavier than a makeup brush,” she said.

“When I entered the TTC it was the complete opposite. I was welcomed with open arms. Within a week I was already pulling [the frames of] vehicles. I was learning how to bang out dents, how to weld. I’ve already learned the basics of how to paint vehicles. It’s been really nice working there.”