COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has more than 1,400 job openings for automotive technicians, according to the State Department of Employment and Workforce.
In response, the State Automobile Association launched the Auto Tech Development Program in 2022. Recently, SCADA partnered with Midlands Technical College.
As of January, eight students have enrolled in the program, including Robert Hardie.
"So from 8 to 12, I’m at college, then I get here roughly around 1 from Midlands Tech, and I normally start working from 1 to 6," Hardie explained.
Hardie is currently several months into a two-year paid apprentice program at Joe Hudson’s Ford dealership in Lexington.
"This gives me something to do. I retired military, so I have a lot of time on my hands now," he said. "I'm getting paid to do the work and getting paid to go to school, so it's a win-win for me.”
It’s also a win-win for dealerships, according to Courtney Kenyon from SCADA.
"It impacts them from the front to the back of the dealership. We've got some dealerships that are 3 or 4 weeks out on oil changes, maintenance, routine; a lot of our dealerships are really suffering due to this crisis," said Kenyon.
According to Kenyon, 67 apprentices are actively engaged in dealerships across the state. 87 of the state’s 300 dealerships are participating. The program also comes with a free set of tools worth almost $10,000.
Jeremy Catoe, the Business Solution Director at Midlands Tech, emphasized the benefits of pairing students with employers for apprenticeships.
“It really helps with our completion numbers. When students have barriers to turn over to them in their life, whether it's lack of income, it's expensive to go to school, you know, things like that it can lead students to drop out,” said Catoe. “When they're paired with an employer who's paying them to be an apprentice. Not only is the learning improved, but that removes barriers from those students that can help them have a better chance of completing this program successfully and building a great career in the auto tech industry.”
Catoe said success in this industry can be lucrative.
“Out of school, you can be looking mid-40s to mid-50s depending on the person but within four or five years this is a six-figure income occupation,” said Catoe.
Looking ahead, Hardie envisions obtaining his ASE certification in the 9 subjects, with aspirations to potentially venture into independent business ownership.
“If you wanna work with your hands or do something creative this is a good step to getting you there,” said Hardie.
The application can be found here.