Page 36 - Newcom

36 MAINTENANCE
Who will fix the trucks?
The only way to win the talent war is to develop your own
By James Menzies
Rarely does a month go by
in which Brent Edmonson doesn’t receive an unsolic- ited e-mail or phone call of- fering him a job as a truck and coach technician.
“I keep getting e-mails, phone calls, hits on LinkedIn non-stop from people I don’t even know,” he says.
“I ask, ‘How the heck did you get my number?’ and they’ve gone through five or six people to get it, just to see if I want to go work for them. Quite often, they say ‘What will it take to get you here?’ They’re not even say- ing what they pay, they’re saying ‘Name your price and we’ll see what we can do’.”
Such is the demand for experienced truck and coach technicians. Ed- monson, at 36 years of age, is younger than most of his peers and engaged with the industry through social me- dia. He works for independent shop Transaxle Service Centre in Aber- foyle, Ont. and sees first-hand how demand for technicians like him is outpacing the arrival of new talent into the industry.
“Every shop is swamped,” he says. “We’re run off our feet. It’s been non- stop, go-go-go. The work keeps piling up. Half of the guys in our shop are over 50 and we’re realizing, in five, 10, 15 years, when all the baby-boom- ers have retired, we’re going to be in trouble.”
Employers are realizing that, too. Some are randomly calling up techni- cians and trying to poach them from the competition with sweet offers of more money and better benefits. Oth- ers are taking a longer view and de- veloping talent from scratch.
Bison Transport falls into the lat- ter category, and it’s a point of pride for Jeremy Gough, the Calgary-based director of fleet maintenance, who is responsible for overseeing Bison’s na- tional maintenance operations.
“You can hire for today, but you need to create for tomorrow,” Gough says. “We always want to be very stra- tegic about not only recruiting for our place, but to recruit people into the industry.”
This means reaching out to high
schools, technical schools and other post-secondary institutions wherev- er Bison has terminals. Bison partic- ipates in job fairs and offers schol- arships for students. It seeks out ex-military servicemen and women who are transitioning back into civil- ian life.
Gough looks for potential recruits that exhibit a good attitude above all else.
“Hire for attitude, train for skill,” he says.
Other attributes he looks for are
the ambition to carve a career path and a hunger for continuous learning. While developing a technician from scratch is generally more costly than hiring a seasoned technician, Gough said it’s also more rewarding.
“There needs to be a consistent, well thought out process to bringing those entry-level people in and set- ting them up for success,” he says. “It might take a little longer than your highly skilled technician that already has his licence and has been through that, but the rewards that come out of there from creating an entire team are greater. It’s like being a hockey coach. Someone may not be the best right winger but if you consistent-
ly give them opportunities and new challenges and support them, you’re going to make them better.”
Ed Roeder, LCL director, transport maintenance with Loblaws Canada, when speaking at the 2015 PIT Group conference, said maintenance man- agers have a responsibility to culti- vate talent.
“Apprenticeship is expensive, it can be frustrating as hell, but I do en- courage you if you manage fleets or even manage a third party, to hire an apprentice because if we don’t hire them, train and give back, the short- age is going to kill this industry,” he warned.
The right mix
The constant challenge when mixing apprentices with seasoned techni- cians is to achieve the right balance, but Bison’s Gough said there’s no per- fect ratio because when talent be- comes available, you must always be
Brent Edmonson (pictured) feels service managers should be more proactive about targeting potential new recruits. This could include visiting them where they spend their recreational time, such as at the race track.
willing to recruit.
“If you see somebody that’s full of
talent, you can’t stop recruiting,” he says.
Attracting young technicians is just part of the battle. Retaining them is equally important, especially when the investment has been made in helping them become licensed and they begin receiving those phone calls with alluring promises of more money. This is where developing a positive corporate culture rich with opportunities for further learning
“
es. “Their voice is always heard when they see a new opportunity. We em- power them to elevate our business.”
Edmonson agrees such initiatives are important, as are common perks like boot and tool allowances. How- ever, he also offers suggestions on how those could be improved. Ed- monson says he has spent $75,000 on tools since he entered the trade 15 years ago – roughly $5,000 per year – and that investment benefits his em- ployer as well.
“I can’t stand borrowing other
If we don’t hire (apprentices), train and give back, the shortage is going to kill this industry.”
Ed Roeder, Loblaws Canada
and continuous engagement pays off, says Gough.
“It’s very tough to leave family,” he says. “We do a lot of things outside the box.”
Bison offers flexible work shifts, has gyms available at most of its fa- cilities, recognizes achievements through awards programs and ban- quets and celebrates its culture through events such as barbecues.
Gough said providing technicians with the opportunity to bring forward new ideas and suggestions is just
as important, when it comes to retention.
“Treat them as an owner,” he advis-
peoples’ tools and having more,
I’m able to work quicker, easier and more efficiently,” he points out. So, why don’t employers do more to as- sist technicians with the purchase of tools, he wonders, including ensuring they actually use their tool allowanc- es for the intended purposes?
“Some places, once a year will give you a cheque for $1,000 and call that a tool or a boot allowance,” he says. “Well, a couple hundred bucks is de- ducted right away for taxes. Why doesn’t the owner go out to the Snap- on tool truck and give every guy a thousand bucks? And then you know it’s actually going towards tools and a
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