Mechanics Are In Short Supply - What APAC ATI Is Doing To Change That

If you’ve tried to book a car repair recently, you know that the worker shortage has definitely hit that vital segment of our industry very hard. The good news is that a new non-profit organization is trying a new way to help fill the worker shortage gap for skilled car repair. The timing seems perfect given today’s new challenges.

Skilled worker shortages are not exclusive to the auto repair industry. The week this story was written, my garbage pickup didn’t come on the usual day. Instead, I got a message from the service provider saying that labor shortages prevented an on-time pickup and there would be a delay. A handyman I’d scheduled also called to say they couldn’t send a worker because the company had nobody to send. My local news reported that the pharmacy chain I use was also closing its pharmacy in multiple locations due to a lack of trained staff.

Into this grim new reality comes a welcome ray of hope. Some companies are trying to fill in the gaps in skilled labor, and at the same time, give some members of our society a hand up. A non-profit organization we wish to spotlight is called APAC ATI, Automotive Training Institute.

APAC ATI - Origins

Chris Knuth is the owner of a vehicle repair shop in the San Juan Capistrano, California area. As the owner of Star Motors European Service, Chris knows all too well how hard it can be to staff an auto repair business. However, his knowledge of the worker shortage in this industry is broader than most shop owners’.

As far back as 2014, Chris has been running an apprenticeship program at Star to help new entrants to the world of auto repair gain some ground. In 2020, he traveled to Africa and established a training program and a network of quality repair shops throughout Uganda, East Africa, and beyond to help this underserved area.

Although the apprentice program helped Chris staff his own shop and helped some individuals move forward in a rewarding career, he wanted to create something larger that could help more mechanics and more shops. APAC ATI was the result.

Barriers To Entry - The World Of Automotive Repair

One barrier to entry into the world of auto repair can be purchasing a set of tools needed by a technician or mechanic. In order to help overcome this financial hurdle, APAC ATI is networking with church groups, municipalities, government agencies, and private donors to help offset the costs.

The same outreach may help to fund APAC ATI’s training program. We asked APAC ATI’s spokesperson how the program will enable its graduates to find a way into their next job. “We’ve done the heavy lifting and eliminated the stress or struggle of hosting a high-quality training program," said APAC ATI’s Jenni Walker. “We spent a lot of time designing our best-in-class training because we wanted to create a pathway to the next step, which is hands-on training.”

The hands-on training is critical, of course. To enable students to make the transition from the program to an apprenticeship or on-the-job training opportunity, APAC ATI is actively seeking shops to accept graduates. And the shops are vetted to ensure the students land in a job that can provide the mentorship and the basic benefits every full-time worker deserves.

The work that automotive technicians and mechanics do is valuable, and APAC ATI includes instruction on career planning. Jenni told Car Talk, “A second-year student should be earning $60-$80,000 per year, which is a great start. We coach our students on properly repairing every vehicle, but we also spend time on career development and teach them how to also consider their career trajectory.” We asked if dealerships were part of the program’s target, and Jenni qualified her answer by saying, “While some dealerships can pay a lot, the career path is often very slow.” Enabling its students to continue to progress in their careers is a key goal of the program.

Who Will APAC ATI Help?

The program is part classroom, part apprenticeship, and part internship in nature. Chris Knuth hopes that veterans, individuals in recovery, and other groups in need of a helping hand might benefit from the more formal structure the program is intended to offer. Chris told Car Talk, “We are training the future of automotive technicians for a high-demand career that can support our graduates and their families and even take students out of generational poverty.”

We asked Chris what he gains from the program he has established. “One of the most satisfying experiences throughout my week is working with our students daily. I enjoy watching them learn and grow, becoming more confident in themselves and acquiring new skills as they experience personal career success.”

APAC ATI welcomes private donations. If you are interested in helping out, please begin at APAC ATI’s website.