|
Technical colleges try to rev up business
By MATTHEW CALL
Union Leader Correspondent
Souhegan High School students Russell Irish and
Amber Lockwood, both of Belmont, step into the role of a pit crew
yesterday as they change the tires of a stock car while being
judged for speed.
But Campbell, a member of the school’s popular
automotive program, has no real plans to take up the craft full
time when he studies a career.
“If I could maybe open my own shop and I
knew I’d be making a lot of money then I’d definitely
do it,” said Campbell, who is looking at colleges and universities
that offer journalism degrees.
Such is the state of the car technician market
in New Hampshire and across the country. The labor pool for qualified
mechanics has bottomed out as teens are ingrained with the belief
they can’t be successful without going to four-year colleges.
“The best it’ll be is a hobby,”
said Campbell.
To rev up the interest in car careers, a state
community college agency brought its annual trade expo yesterday
to the New Hampshire International Speedway.
The show aimed to pump up the technical colleges’
automotive offerings — with display models of $100,000 SUVs,
tricked-out Toyotas and free lunch to sweeten the deal.
New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges has
put on the show for the last five years. Previously setting up
shop in armory buildings, moving the expo to the speedway allowed
the college agency to sign up 900 students attending via high
school field trips, the largest attendance they’ve mustered
so far.
“It’s awesome,” said Salem High
senior Matt Johnson, eating lunch on a picnic table against the
backdrop of Kasey Kahne’s Dodge NASCAR racer and the site
of September’s Sylvania 300. “I just wish I could take
something out on the track and race.”
The labor force of mechanics-in-training has
been slipping and as such qualified technicians are in high demand,
according to Daniel McLeod, president of the New Hampshire Automobile
Dealers Association, a sponsor of the NHCTC show.
As cars become more computerized and more advanced,
the knowledge to fix them becomes more intricate, McLeod added,
and a labor shortage means higher salaries for those who enter
the field. Certified mechanics can command salaries of $40,000-$60,000
within three years of starting a job, McLeod said.
“This is not a grease monkey — it’s
someone who has a lot of knowledge,” he said. “There’s
such a level of sophistication in cars today. It’s much more
complicated than it’s ever been.”
The community colleges association credits the
stereotype that a mechanic is uneducated for creating a dearth
of workers. Five of the state’s seven public technical community
colleges have automotive programs, with spots in Berlin, Laconia,
Manchester, Nashua and Stratham.
They offer associate degrees as well as certification
for DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors and Toyota models.
“I think a lot of students and parents think
everyone should go to a four-year college but not everyone is
meant for that,” said Janet Phelps, associate vice president
for NHCTC.
Added McLeod, whose organization represents 600
businesses across the state, “It’s very hard to find
people. The dealers put an ad in the paper and they don’t
get a response.”
Almost all of the show’s attendees were
referred by their high school or regional vo-tech program. Some
are on the fence about a future in cars, others are more certain.
“I’m going to one of these colleges,”
said Mike McComb, a Belmont senior who works part-time as a lot
attendant for a Hyundai dealership. “But first I’m taking
a year off after school.”
McComb and his friends scarfed up the free
promotional items from car and accessory manufacturers.
Back
To Resources
|
