How Virginia Tire & Auto University Is Addressing the Fact that College Isn’t For Everyone

This article from Julie Holmes, Co-CEO of Virginia Tire & Auto, also appears on Medium.

At Virginia Tire & Auto we know that college isn’t for everyone, but we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to have a career that enables them to earn a good living. Apprenticeships and vocational education are excellent alternatives to higher education, which is why we’ve recently launched a hands-on technical center as part of our learning program, Virginia Tire & Auto University (VTAU). Our goal is to teach men and women a skilled trade—in our case, how to be an automotive technician.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, we aren’t alone. More than 800,000 apprenticeships took place last year and there is somewhat of a resurgence in the popularity of trades after falling out of favor in recent decades.

Fifty-plus years ago, vocational education was a common choice in high school curriculum and was seen as a positive way to enter into a career that did not require a bachelor’s degree. But in the ‘80s and ‘90s, vocational education became less and less popular. By the late ‘90s, these programs were often seen as the place for students with behavioral or academic issues, and not presented as an alternative for any student who wasn’t interested in a career that required a four-year college degree.

However, a lot has changed since the ‘90s.

The financial implications of higher education have, at the very least, given people pause. Vocational education and apprenticeship programs are again being seen as a great alternative and with good reason. Ninety-three percent of apprentices who complete a registered apprenticeship retain employment with an average annual salary of $77,000, and the skills learned in these types of programs stay with the apprentice wherever they go in their career. Automotive repair is just the kind of skilled trade that provides well-paying jobs without encountering college tuition and fees that have more than doubled over the last 20 years.

The cars of today are also quite different than the cars of the ’90s because they have become, more or less, computers on wheels. Today’s vehicles are made up of more than 30,000 parts and are their own software and hardware ecosystem. The profile of today’s automotive technician has also evolved. To work on today’s supercomputer cars auto technicians must be problem solvers and have the skills to use data and technology to diagnose issues. Auto repair is very much a STEM career. From using math skills to convert measurements, to tracing wiring diagrams and schematics to locate a problem on a vehicle, an auto technician is truly a skilled tradesperson in a high-tech career. And the compensation for this kind of skillset, like any skilled computer technician, has six-figure earning potential.

The good news? Despite the hot and cold perception of vocational education over the last half-century, people are again beginning to recognize the value of learning a skilled trade. The bad news is there has been a barrier to entry. Most automotive technicians are typically only exposed to fixing cars when working alongside a family member who is in the business or is a DIY mechanic. And because of societal norms, women are even less likely to acquire these skills.

And all of the factors that I’ve just discussed have created the perfect storm resulting in two problems:

1. There is a shortage of talent to repair the cars we all drive.
2. Those interested in the field don’t have access to a career path that has six-figure salary earning potential (after just a few years of work experience).

To address this skills gap and as well as satisfy the need for educational opportunities other than college, we’ve created Virginia Tire & Auto University (VTAU). We are recommitting to making an education in automotive repair easily accessible to people in our community by creating a program that teaches our workforce and gives them skills that are in high demand.

Production Trainer Chris Allen leads hands-on technical training courses for VTAU.

Our mission is to provide hands-on training, access to tools, and the ability to learn from master technicians and skilled trainers. Because the industry is changing every day, we are committed to setting students and our employees up for success by helping them evolve with the industry so they can meet the needs of our customers.

As for VTAU, our program is two-fold and includes hands-on learning with an experienced dedicated trainer as well as an apprenticeship.

Our training is available to high school students and Virginia Tire & Auto employees throughout their careers enabling them to be well-rounded and successful auto technicians. There is no cost to learn to become a technician in our program—it is the ultimate “earn while you learn” work. And to encourage women to enter a career in automotive repair, we launched a “Women in Automotive” scholarship. Up to three scholarships will be available for post-secondary education for those planning to attend an ASE-certified (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) auto technology program. Scholarships are worth up to $2,500 per candidate for one semester of tuition, books, and other materials.

And we hope other organizations will follow our lead! We believe creating programs like this is beneficial for our company, our team, and our community.