Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JUNE 2015 80 HELP US HIT A HOM E RUN... T H E A P P LI A N C E S E R V I C E I N D U S T RY H A S LO N G FAC E D C H A LLE N G E S R E L AT E D TO T H E AVA I L A B I LI T Y O F W E LL-T R A I N E D T E C H N I C I A N S TO S U P P O R T F I E LD S E R V I C E R E Q U I R E M E N TS . T H E R E H AV E B E E N S E V E R A L E F F O R TS TO C O N F R O N T T H I S I S S U E F R O M M A N Y F R O N TS , B U T W I T H O N LY M I D D LI N G LE V E LS O F S U C C E S S . I n the past, many appliance service technicians came from "home-grown" efforts—they worked in a family business and learned the trade directly from family members or other employees. This still seems to be the case today—many service techs come out of family businesses. In a somewhat related source of technicians, many electronics companies are switching over to appliances due to the pressures that are impacting the electronics business- falling service rates, replaceable products and a resulting loss of volume. PSA's annual Attrition Report bears this out- since 2010, there has been a loss of almost 1,500 electronics service provider, and a gain on the appliance side of over 6,000 appliance service companies. This would seem to indicate that there are plenty of appliance service professionals to go around, but that is clearly not the case. Service companies throughout the country are constantly on the lookout for quality appliance service techs- technical schools in many cases have dropped appliance technology classes, and Skills USA has a consistent challenge in gaining contestants for its annual state and national competitions. High school appliance technology classes are rare, and secondary school guidance counselors don't actively promote appliance service as a primary career option. So—what to do? There are some steps the home appliance industry can take (and in some cases, continue) to help get this issue turned around… • Manufacturer and dealer support This will be critical moving forward; it will take advertising, promotion and donations of product to identify and train tomorrow's appliance service professionals, and the bully pulpit that manufacturers and sales organizations provide can help the industry let prospective candidates know that appliance service technology is a solid career choice for a young person to pursue. • Support tech schools Many industry players are already doing this through providing products for training and other support. This needs to continue and even grow, but don't overlook contributions that can be made at the local level. Many schools have set up programs with a willing instructor from the local area - consider working with schools in your area and provide your talents and an instructor or mentor. Role models for those entering the industry can be as important as the school training is, so see if you can help support a student in your business. It may provide benefits for you down the road as you look to grow your own company. • Support SkillsUSA Skills continues, with the help of many hard working industry S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T

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