As the automotive industry continues to face a technician shortage, NAPA is stepping up to offer shop owners a solution. At the heart of its efforts there is a desire to help store owners and young technicians find a successful, long-term solution in an industry that continues to change. Jason Rainey, vice president of NAPA Auto Care, offers insight into how NAPA is assisting its Auto Care centers and their employees.
How would you describe NAPA’s relationship with independent store owners and the role it's playing in the evolution of the technician space?
Rainey: Our strong relationship with independent store owners and shops, it's truly unique. To think that we were pioneers in that space. And then when you transition forward to know what you're working on and how you're continuing to evolve, it's so exciting.
I feel like it’s at the right time in my career, because I get to really be a part of that. Everybody wants to always leave things better than what you found it and I feel like we are there. I'm excited about the future of our company, the future of our organization, and the stores that we have partnered with that want to be a part of that. Our shop owners, this technician space, it feels like we're really being pioneers in it. And that's fun for me.
What role do innovation and collaboration play in how NAPA supports its store owners and customers?
Rainey: I love the fact that we have proactive category teams. I love that we have proactive marketing teams, and I love that we have selling teams that are engaged with where we're at. The store owners have done a very good job of embracing new innovations from NAPA. I'll tell you, that's really hard to do because they're on the front lines. Trying to get them information on new products so that they can speak to the products and services that we offer isn’t always easy. But they've been really, good, they're embracing it.
That's why events like this are so important. Our customers have a chance to get all their information in one spot. They can see what we're doing in the technician space, what we're doing with things like our team tool rebate. For example, the launch of this Carlyle line is so exciting. And when you watch, young kids that are in our tech programs get their hands on this product, and they just start going bananas over it, it's neat to see that.
What motivated NAPA to act on the technician shortage, and how has the apprenticeship program helped address it?
Rainey: For a long time the industry has been talking about this issue, I'm proud to say that NAPA is taking active steps to address the problem head on.
We wouldn’t have been able to find a solution without NAPA partners like Pete McNeill and Jake Sorenson that helped us build our apprenticeship program. I don't know what the current number is, but the last number I saw, we had over 2,000 apprentices working in our NAPA Auto Care centers. And to know that you have a program out there to address the technician shortage — because let’s face it, this is not going to change if we don't do something about it — is extremely rewarding, because we have a solution for it.
Can you share how NAPA’s apprenticeship program is structured and the additional support offered to help apprentices succeed?
Rainey: The nice thing about the apprenticeship program is it’s all done in the shop. It's using our Autotech training. Apprentices are partnered with an excellent mentor and when they're done, they have four ASE certifications. The shop trained them, they built them, so the habits that they have are the shop’s habits. That's the best solution that you can possibly have.
You couple that with the apprentice toolkit that we put together so that we can address that barrier to entry. You also work with your shop owners, and you bolt on things like this new team tool rebate, this is NAPA’s way of saying we care. We want to fix this.
What are your other specific tactics when it comes to recruiting technicians?
Rainey: Everything from every day lunches at the shop, to just investing in the technicians by helping them with their training. Another thing that's really helping them on the training side is more shops shifting to daytime training and being respectful of work life balance. I would also tell you that team events are more important now than ever. Shop owners should take their shops to industry events and invest in them and really work with them. I think a lot of shop owners are getting that and are really sitting down and seeing what they need to help their young technicians be successful.
