Think about how advanced vehicles are today. That’s what the industry needs to be promoting to change the narrative around the technological revolution taking place in automotive repair careers, according to an industry leader.
Speaking at NAPA’s 100-year celebration event in Las Vegas, Cassie Bell, senior vice president of people at NAPA, explained how much work needs to be done to transform how people view automotive technician work. While there is still an element of getting dirty in the bays given the average age of vehicles on our roads, that stands to change when looking at how vehicles are evolving.
“If you think about back in the ‘80s, when we still had crank windows, to today, where we’re telling the window to roll down without even touching a button, there’s a lot of change,” Bell observed.
The automotive technician role has evolved dramatically. What was once purely a manual labour job is now a high-tech career involving complex computer diagnostics, especially with the rise of electric and hybrid vehicles.
“ADAS is a big deal,” Bell said of advanced driver assistance systems. “How we get to EVs is completely different. It’s an entirely different skill set, and we’re having to teach and train very differently.”
The industry is making these technical careers more appealing by highlighting their innovative nature. Bell noted they’re making the profession “a bit more sexy, quite honestly” compared to decades past, when it was just about getting greasy.
“Now you don’t want grease on those parts,” she added.
Interestingly, there’s a growing desire among younger workers to combine technology with hands-on work. “People want to use their hands,” Bell said. “There’s a value in building something, putting it together, while also having this dynamic of innovation behind it.”
The shift isn’t just about technology; it’s about perception. Bell is challenging long-standing stereotypes about automotive work being a male-dominated, limited career path.
“Get rid of the stereotypes about the role,” she advised. “We’ve put so many stereotypes on it, whether it’s a male-dominated environment, or you have to only work with your hands.”
With electric vehicles transforming the automotive landscape, technicians now need skills in complex computer systems, electrical engineering, and advanced diagnostics. The job isn’t just about understanding combustion engines, but more about being a tech-savvy problem solver.
Bell is looking forward to a future where automotive technicians are seen as innovative professionals, not just mechanics.
“If you have an internal mentality that reshapes that, it can be so much bigger than just the job itself,” she said.
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
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