Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association, recently participated in the National Association of Workforce Boards’ “The Forum 2018” annual conference where he and other representatives from the nation’s largest employment sectors met to discuss solutions for finding and retaining qualified employees.
The representatives collectively represent industries that contribute $1 trillion to the U.S. economy.
Many industry leaders said technological innovation is key.
“Having worked for a German company, I’ve seen the success of apprenticeships, which are more commonplace in Europe, especially for the tech sector,” Hanvey said. “There’s a difference between an apprenticeship program and a mentorship program and I feel both are necessary. People like to pass on their knowledge of their industry and trade, and we’re working on a formalized mentoring program in our space. We’re also working at the college level to educate the students on the viability of our industry.”
The other leaders attending included Ellen Davis, executive director of the National Retail Federation Foundation, and Todd Thibodeaux, CEO of CompTIA.
“There’s a balance between the two programs of teaching necessary job skills through and apprenticeship program and developing those skills through active mentorship,” Hanvey said. “We have to nurture our industry’s most valuable asset, our workforce, throughout their careers to ensure future success.”