Automotive News Canada - October 2021 - F15

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
Rewriting the textbook on grooming techs
RICHARD TRUETT
rtruett@crain.com
A
s the technician shortage grinds on, two more large dealership
groups are investing in training future technicians at the high
school level.
LaFontaine Automotive Group, one of Michigan's largest
dealership chains, with 28 stores and 10 collision centers, is providing
tools, training and mentors to a suburban Detroit high school's certifi
ed technician training program.
Ecorse High School plans to accept 40 students per year - half from
ninth and 10th grade and the other 20 from 11th and 12 grade - who
will be ready to take the ASE certifi cations when they complete the
program. LaFontaine will host tech students at its stores this school
year. Some students will be off ered apprenticeships during the summer
to get hands-on experience and earn money, says company
spokesman Max Muncey.
Ecorse High School is the template for LaFontaine's plan to spread the
program to other Michigan schools, Muncey said. LaFontaine, which
currently has 120 technician openings, believes it will be more successful
at attracting and retaining techs by " growing its own, " Muncey said.
" Opportunities like this hopefully inspire students to enter into a career
in automotive and see the tremendous career growth available to
them, " says Dan LaFontaine Jr., who manages the fi xed operations of
the company's General Motors stores.
Over the summer, GM donated two vehicles, tools and parts to
Ecorse High School to help kick-start the automotive training program.
" Upon completion of the Certifi ed Tech Program, our students will
have the skill set, connections and opportunity to immediately get into
the work force, hopefully with LaFontaine Automotive Group, " says
Ecorse Public Schools Superintendent Josha Talison.
Automakers and dealers have been supporting high school tech
training courses for years as the industry struggles to meet demand for
new techs.
Th is year in Philadelphia, dealer Harry Faulkner pledged $1 million in
equipment, tools and human resources to Father Judge High School,
which br oke ground this summer on its new Career Pathways Academy.
In Florida, Ed Morse Automotive Group announced a partnership
with SouthTech Academy, a career and technical high school in Boynton
Beach, Fla., north of Fort Lauderdale. From this alliance, the Ed
Morse Automotive Technology Program will be created.
Th e program will give students real-word automotive knowledge and
practical experience. Students will receive on-site job shadowing and
training opportunities with Ed Morse's experienced technicians. Juniors
and seniors can earn the Florida Auto Dealers Association and
ASE auto maintenance and light repair industry certifi cations.
In the past, Ed Morse Automotive Group - which has 24 dealership
locations, 42 franchises and 14 automotive brands - has provided
SouthTech Academy with new automotive uniforms, vehicles to work
on, curriculum assistance and the latest equipment. Executives from
the group will serve on the school's advisory board and provide key industry
best practices.
" We have supported this program, which continues to get better every
year, " Teddy Morse, CEO of Ed Morse Automotive Group, said in a
statement. " Th e academy produces incredible talent that is immediately
ready to work at a high level in any professional automotive setting.
We have many graduates currently working with us in our service
departments and look forward to hiring many more. "
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LaFontaine donated shop tools to Ecorse High's tech training program.
Timothy Brown, chair of the academy's automotive department, said
in a statement that the Morse group has " truly helped us shape our
state-of-the-art automotive repair, collision and technology curriculum
into being a game-changing program nationally. "
" When Ed Morse says that they have your back ... they mean it, "
Brown said , " and it is positively changing the lives of our students. " 
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OCTOBER 2021
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