The technician shortage remains a problem for many independent tire dealers. However, some have taken the initiative to introduce more young people to career opportunities in tire and automotive service.
Tenise Chaman owns and operates Black Hills Tire, a Rapid City, S.D.-based dealership, with her husband, Weston Chapman.
They are taking the message to an under-represented group – preteens and teenagers.
Tenise recently created Camp Drive, a two-day training camp for kids ages 12 to 15 years. The idea is to introduce them to the tire and auto service industry early and get them excited about working in it.
The event will take place in June. (Registration is $140 per child.)
Chapman has a training and development background and held a position in this field before working full-time at Black Hills Tire. She says she is always thinking about how to develop the dealership’s employees.
“I was scrolling through Twitter and saw a leadership program being led on the other side of the state and I thought, ‘Oh, I wonder if I could send some of my team members there?’” says Chapman.
“But then I thought, ‘Wait, why can’t I create something like that?’ And then we took it one step further. Since we wanted to grow our industry and we love kids, we decided to focus on them.”
Weston remembers that when he was around 15 years old, he helped his father fix up an old car and that is what got him excited about the auto repair industry.
Fast forward to today and the tire and auto industry is “experiencing a technician shortage and it’s only going to get worse,” says Tenise. “We need to promote our industry. It’s an awesome career and it’s a career to be proud of.”
She hopes to convey this excitement to Camp Drive participants.
“What we do is important,” she says. “We take care of people's vehicles. Whether it is a fleet management company or a soccer family that travels every weekend, we are making sure they have a safe and reliable form of transportation and that’s something to be proud of.”
Five technicians from Black Hills Tire will lead hands-on demonstrations during the event.
Tenise also reached out to ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Certified master trainer, Paul Danner, also known to his 360,000 subscribers on YouTube as ScannerDanner, to be a guest speaker at the camp.
On the last day of the event, the camp members will be participating in a NASCAR pit crew-inspired challenge that parents are welcome to watch.
Camp Drive is scheduled to take place each summer, according to Chapman, who plans to expand the program.
She wants to create another camp for older kids – ranging from 16 to 18 years old – that is a little more advanced and hands-on. She also hopes to hold the event on the eastern side of South Dakota.
“We are treating this camp like a steppingstone - just for (kids) to get their feet wet in our industry,” explains Chapman.
Interested parents and students can click here to register.
