Auto technician job market remains strong

The demand for automotive technicians has never been greater. The importance of the automobile in today's society means tremendous opportunities await men and women in the automotive repair field. The wheels are always turning on the street and the demand for qualified technicians consequently grows.

A solid understanding of the way a car works is the prerequisite for an automotive repair career or even for one within NASCAR. Thanks to schools like NASCAR Technical Institute, a UTI school in Mooresville, N.C., a new breed of technicians is being trained to enter the workforce.

The school's mission: to increase awareness about the lucrative, yet often-overlooked, career of automotive repair and support training opportunities for future technicians.

"We've had four or five graduates from NTI," said team owner Kyle Petty, CEO of Petty Enterprises. "A couple of them have done well with our team and are working into critical jobs."

While attainable, it can be a challenge to land a prime spot on a NASCAR pit crew. Yet vehicle repair shops across the country are racing to scoop up qualified automotive technicians for their own "pit crews" -- even with yearly salaries of $30,000 to $70,000 or more, depending on the market.

In Babcox's most recent "How's Business" study, when the magazine asked shop owners if they were currently looking to hire a technician, a staggering 64.5 percent said yes.

Estimates reveal the auto industry will need 35,000 new technicians every year through 2010, thanks to the increasing number of cars on the road and the affects of changing technologies.

The complexities of modern vehicles have made auto service and repair a high-tech profession, which requires technicians to work with some of the most sophisticated computerized systems on the market.

UTI has a variety of technical education courses providing the fundamentals needed to be successful in the automotive repair business.

"UTI is teaching the latest technology available," says Menalco Solis, general manager at Martino Tire, a dealer with 25 locations spanning from Jacksonville to Miami.

"In my business, people matter. Schools like UTI produce a bench of intelligent, hardworking people."

Feeling the pinch of the national shortage of technicians, repair shops are luring skilled workers by offering lucrative pay, substantial benefits, paid advanced training and signing bonuses.

Increasing demand for techs translates into job security and opportunities for career advancement and mobility.

Those looking for a rewarding career in the auto-service industry will find a variety of challenging jobs: collision-repair tech, paint-refinishing tech, body-shop manager, entry-level, mid-level and master technician, shop foreman, and race team tech. The industry also offers positions as parts specialists and service consultants.

The bottom line: A career in automotive service is one of the hottest jobs in America, and the rewards are better than ever.