Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) was preceded Monday by SOLD, Service Opportunities Learning Days, and taking a look at the shortage of a trained workforce in the heavy-duty market.
Don Black, Universal Technical Institute Director of Education and Operations, UTI-Sacramento, shared the advancements of technical training for the transportation industry and how UTI is addressing the technician shortage issue by providing highly qualified technician candidates during an early morning session at HDAW Monday morning in Las Vegas.
“Our curriculum is driven by the industry,” Black said. “We are the no. 1 provider of entry level techs. We have more than 35 pathways to get technicians into your shops. Fifteen percent of our students are military personnel looking to get back into the workforce.”
UTI has 13 locations nationwide.
“We partner with local communities to provide the workforce that is needed,” Black said. “We see our students as our product.”
Black said that although UTI has developed partnerships with almost all OEMs, only about a third of graduates work for OEMs.
“We’ve built partnerships with almost all the OEMs, but only about 30 percent of graduates end up with OEMs. The rest fill the rest of the market.”
