Automotive News Canada - August 2021 - F21

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
Fort Hood in 2016.
" Some Texas Ford dealers were at Fort Hood
and mentioned that there was a crucial need
for auto technicians, " Miller says. " We told
them we had a great fi x. "
Sam Pack, who owns four Ford dealerships
in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, loved the idea
of a tech training program when Miller
pitched it to him.
" I was touched because, while the proposal
fulfi lled a need for us, more importantly, it
was an opportunity for us to, in some small
way, honor the military and those individuals
who are sacrifi cing in so many ways, " says
Pack, who also owns Chevrolet and Subaru
dealerships.
Th e
program was
seeded,
$280,000 from Texas Ford dealers and Ford
Motor Co. and $106,000 in state funding from
Texas Workforce Solutions of Central Texas.
Th e students range in age from mid-20s to
early 40s. Some have been in the Army three or
four years, while others have served 20 years.
" Th ey're more mature candidates, " Pack
says. " Th ey generally have families, are very
punctual and very disciplined. "
Building confi dence
Brad Stapp, fi xed operations director at Randall
Reed's Planet Ford in Spring, a suburb of
Houston, is a big supporter of the initiative.
He tries not to overwhelm the students as they
shadow techs, observe the workfl ow and learn
how to get assignments, procure parts and get
the job approved.
" We want these guys confi dent when they
come, " Stapp says. " Dealerships can be scary
sometimes. Th ere's a lot of moving parts. "
Stapp has hopes that Mark Vejar, his fi rst
Technicians of Tomorrow graduate, is ready
when the heavy-duty truck service center that
Planet Ford is building opens in 2022.
" I want to grow him into a senior master
technician, " Stapp says. " He's a very nice guy,
well-spoken and very detailed. "
In the Army, Vejar was responsible for maintaining
all wheeled vehicles and supervised 120
technicians. He completed the Technicians of
Tomorrow training while still in the service. Upon
leaving the Army in May, the 20-year veteran
was immediately hired by Planet Ford.
Vejar says the training program was helpful,
especially in showing how civilian shops work
compared with the military. Students in the
program should " make full use of it, show up
every day and get all you can out of the training, "
he says.
Vejar, one of about 65 dealership technicians,
has done well, says Charlie Mutz, Planet
Ford's service director.
" Th e guys coming out of the military have
some structure, " he says. " Th ere's just a lot of
self-motivation. "
in part, by
Mark Vejar, front, with tech Jesse
Wright at Randall Reed's Planet
Ford, says students like him in the
Ford program should " get all you
can out of the training. "
It took four years to get Technicians of Tomorrow
off the ground. Jonathan Cuff , manager
of Ford's parts and service operations for
the Dallas region, whom Pack credits as being
" instrumental " in getting the project past
roadblocks, says dealers have lost hundreds of
techs during the COVID-19 pandemic and
that fi nding replacements has been diffi cult.
Filling a need
Ford is ramping up plans to extend its recruiting
campaign to other bases in Texas and
surrounding states. Soldiers from other bases
who are accepted into the program will go to
the Fort Hood training hub. Th ere are plans to
add a second instructor and lab assistant at
Central Texas College, which will enable more
students to be added to the Technicians of Tomorrow
schedule.
Cuff says an additional 20 Texas Ford dealers
are interested in interviewing soldiers and
thinks the number will grow to 50 or more
" when we have a chance to invite all stores to
listen about the opportunity with Technicians
of Tomorrow. "
" Right now, the plans are to keep this a TexParticipants
work on Ford and Lincoln vehicles at Central Texas College in Killeen.
as-based program, but we will monitor our
progress and look for other opportunities to
expand if it makes sense, " he says.
" We are getting a lot of attention from our
other regions, and many have expressed interest.
But before we do this, we need to make
sure we are on solid ground with our core effort,
which is to fulfi ll the technician needs of
Texas Ford dealers. " 
AUGUST 2021 PAGE 21
Automotive News Canada - August 2021

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