ARE WE FOCUSED ON RECRUITING YOUTH, OR RECRUITING PARENTS?
BY ALLISON ROGERS
You’d be hard-pressed to find an industry event where the current skills shortage is not mentioned. Heck, get two shop owners together and the topic will likely come up in less than five minutes of conversation. I’m not making fun—truly!—it’s a real issue facing hundreds of shops in Canada and beyond.
But, since I’ve joined the industry, I’ve found one major factor utterly befuddling: why, oh why, do we focus so many recruitment efforts on parents, rather than the youth we’re trying to hire?! It seems recruiters in the industry need a refresher on who they’re actually aiming to recruit to the industry. Are we trying to recruit young people, or are we trying to hire their parents?
You’ve heard the term ‘Gen Z’. It stands for anyone born between the years 1997 and 2012; i.e., a big majority of the potential hiring pool. Following Gen Z is ‘Gen Alpha’—anyone born from 2013 to the present. Sure, 2013 may sound like it was yesterday—but those kids are turning 11 years old this year. Five more years and they’ll be making major career decisions or considering co-op programs; two years after that, they could be part of the workforce.
Both Gen Z and Gen Alpha are known to value independence and autonomy in decision-making. These are generations that have grown up with technology at their fingertips; every answer is a mere Google away. For some members of these generations, subverting their autonomy and going straight to their parents can be considered a direct infringement on their values.
I understand the parents-first strategy. The idea is that, if we convince the parents that bodyshops are not smoke-and-dust-filled spaces where everyone swears like a sailor, they’ll be on board. If we convince them that their kids will be safe, have a lifelong and successful career, why wouldn’t they buy in?!
As much as I understand the logic, it frankly does not work with today’s youth. Sure, some of them may respond to this; but, in my eyes, many of the recruits that emerge from this process will not stick around. Today’s youth want to be in love with what they do, and the chances of them falling in love with whatever career their parents told them to do versus something they are genuinely passionate about…those margins are slim.
So, to anyone reading this complaint, answer me this: would you be more likely to buy into a career if your parents were pushing it? Personally, as a Gen Z-er myself, I would be far less likely to consider it. I love my parents; I respect my parents. But when I was considering my future, I—quite literally kicking and screaming—refused to even apply to the same schools my parents went to.
Let’s huddle up and refocus. We’re all here because, in some capacity, we love cars. Car culture, despite the rumours, is not dead. There are thousands of car-loving kids out there just waiting to get their ear talked off about collision repair. We just need to know how to reach them—not their parents.
