Episode Description

In this week’s episode of Beyond the Wrench, we are joined by Sara Kerwin, Marketing Director, WrenchWay to discuss everything you need to know before TechMission 2021. We cover how TechMission started, the purpose of TechMission, topics of TechMission 2021, and much more!

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How TechMission Started

It started with WrenchWay doing monthly webinars. Our audience really enjoyed them and loved the topics we were discussing. We had an idea of what it would be like if we did one big annual event. We wanted to bring together technicians, shop owners, managers, and schools to discuss different topics/issues currently going on within the automotive industry.

Best of TechMission 2020

We had many different types of roundtables, including a technician roundtable, a school roundtable, and a manager roundtable. It was interesting bringing all these groups together because there were so many different perspectives. However, there were recurring themes and topics that kept coming up from the different roundtables. We thought different groups would have different concerns, but they all seemed to hit on the same topics and issues.

TechMission 2021 Theme

We’re really focusing on how to keep technicians in the industry. We refer back to the ASE Education Foundation stat of 41% of technicians leave the industry within the first two years. We want to focus on things we can do as an industry to keep technicians working in shops. We came up with a couple different focus areas including career development, training, compensation, employee recognition, employee engagement, and training. We’re diving deep into these topics by bringing in subject matter experts to talk about actionable solutions shops can do. We really pride ourselves on taking a hands-off approach on our end. If needed, we’ll help come up with talking points and questions, but want to leave it open for the panelists. It’s really authentic, and we want to be able to open it up to everyone to share their insights and experiences.

Topics of TechMission 2021

Our opening session is discussing why technicians are leaving the industry. We’re bringing technicians in to talk about some of the issues they are seeing. Technicians have the best insight and there is so much talent in this industry. It’s a great way to kick it off. We’re also talking about how schools can better prepare students for industry. We’ll be comparing the expectations shops have versus the expectations schools are setting for students. Another session is all about employee recognition. We have someone from outside the industry coming in to talk about employee recognition and the importance of it. We’ll also be covering topics including flat rate, mentorships, onboarding, and so much more!

 

Show Notes

Resources:

Download the free WrenchWay app in the App Store or on Google Play:

About Our Host:

Jay Goninen
Co- Founder & President, WrenchWay
jayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122

About Our Guest:

Sara Kerwin
Director of Marketing, WrenchWay
sara@wrenchway.com

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