Back to School: Preparing the Next Generation of Automotive Professionals
As we welcome the new school year, it’s time to dust off the textbooks, fire up the engines, and remind students that “righty tighty, lefty loosey” isn’t just good advice for bolts – it’s a life motto! In just a few months, many of your students will be stepping into the automotive industry, eager to apply the skills they’ve developed in your classrooms and labs. However, a critical question arises:
When class wraps up, where will your students be working?
According to the ASE Education Foundation, a startling 41% of graduates entering the automotive industry leave altogether within their first two years. Almost as fast as 10mm sockets disappearing from a toolbox! This startling number underscores the importance of ensuring that their future workplaces offer more than just a job – they need mentors, clear career paths, and structured processes that support their growth. Think of it as making sure they have a GPS for their career, so they don’t end up on the “road to nowhere”.
As educators, you play a pivotal role in preparing your students – not just for their first job, but for a lifelong career. By fostering relationships with businesses that prioritize mentorship and career development, and weeding out shops that don’t, you can help bridge the gap between education and long-term industry success.
Save Time, Track More
While Mentor Mentee is primarily used in auto and diesel service centers, our mentoring management system offers powerful tools for schools that streamline lab work tracking and ASE tasks. Students log in and self-report the tasks they worked on that day. All you have to do is sign off with an overall score.
In addition to your teaching, giving students a skills report that details what they did in the lab further supports their move into the industry. By seeing details such as how many times a student performed an oil change, and to what level, hiring managers will be more confident in employing your students.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Mentor Mentee can make tracking your students’ lab work more efficient, or if you know a great business in your area that would benefit from a dedicated mentoring management system, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re grateful for your work in building the next generation of technicians and are here to support you in every way we can.
Thank you for your unwavering dedication to shaping the next generation of automotive professionals. Your efforts today will have a lasting impact on the industry tomorrow.