Our industry is suffering from a shortage of good young people wanting to make auto repair their career choice. I believe there are three reasons for this. First and foremost is the demise of two of the best breeding grounds of young mechanics this industry ever had: the full-service gas station and the do-it-yourselfer spending a Saturday afternoon with his son tuning up the family car. Second, there is the perception that our industry is dirty and low-paying. The third reason has really had a domino effect. For the better part of three decades, the entire focus of society and educators has been that to be successful, you must have a college degree. The whole thrust of education in the secondary schools is toward preparing the student for college. Nationwide, roughly 75 percent of the students entering ninth grade will graduate. Of those graduating, 62 percent will enter college to compete for 18 percent of the jobs requiring a bachelor's degree. With this huge effort to push young people into college, what we have been left with are students who fend for themselves in often under-funded, under-staffed and antiquated industrial arts classes.

If there is to be a change of the status quo, this industry will have to become proactive. As business owners, we will need to push our industry to the forefront by telling parents and educators that with the proper skills and training, their students can get a job anywhere in the United States. This job would be in an industry that is growing 8 percent to 10 percent annually and where the average salary is $34,404. We will need to participate in career days and explain the many types of job opportunities that are available, and the challenges and benefits that our industry has to offer. We will need to join with high schools, junior colleges and trade schools to help strengthen the curriculum and recommend the equipment that students should be familiar with to adequately prepare them to succeed in a lucrative career.

After making great strides in Missouri and getting many Missouri schools on the road to achieving National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) has laid the ground work for a similar program in Texas, nicknamed the Texas Blitz. Under the leadership of ASA's Sharon Wiley and educational consultant Dr. Byrl Shoemaker, Texas Blitz will first focus its efforts in Austin, informing the governor's staff and the state education board about what our industry has to offer young people. It will also be pointed out that there are nationally recognized standards for curriculum established by the National Automotive Technicians Education Founda- tion (NATEF), whereby programs can be measured and certified. The next step will be to provide interested parties with information to prepare them to work with the local schools to make this program successful.

The time has come for us to stop relying on the great ad campaigns from Snap-on and ASE to raise the image of our industry. We must roll up our sleeves and invest a little time with today's youth, parents and educators so that we will have the technicians to fill our bays to meet the needs of America's continuing love affair with the automobile.

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