Click to enlarge.Heavy-duty truck service providers continue to struggle with a shortage of qualified technicians, but some good news in the way of new techs soon entering the employment pipeline comes from Universal Technical Institute (UTI).
The technician training school reported an 11.9 percent increase in new student starts for the fiscal 2019 third quarter, ended June 30, 2019, compared with the same period last year. UTI reports a year-to-date increase of 13 percent in new students. The data does not include the Norwood, Mass., location, which is no longer accepting new student applications and will be shuttered in the fall of 2020.
“Over the past 18 months, we have redesigned core business processes, leveraged technology and analytics to efficiently attract more qualified potential students, successfully opened a new campus, expanded our welding programs and further differentiated our industry-leading student value proposition,” says Kim McWaters, UTI president and CEO.
“Even in a time of historically low unemployment, when people are far less likely to consider post-secondary education, these initiatives are producing results. We do not know when the macro trends will turn, but it is clear that we are building a business that can thrive in any market environment,” McWaters says.
New student starts are expected to grow in the high single digits in fiscal 2019, according to UTI, which anticipates the fiscal 2019 average student population to increase in the low single digits as a result of the school’s transformation and growth initiatives.
Last month, UTI launched an initiative to engage transportation industry employers in developing their talent pipelines and give students an inside track on long-term careers.
The school’s Early Employment initiative combines post-secondary skills education with on-the-job, apprenticeship-type training. Under the program, students learn about and can apply for local jobs with participating employers as soon as they enroll at UTI.
UTI is launching the program at its Avondale, Ariz., campus and plans to take it national to 12 campuses across the country.
CLICK HERE for more information on UTI’s quarterly financial report.
