Five years after partnering to create a best-in-class diesel education program, WyoTech, Mack Trucks Academy and Volvo Trucks Academy are launching Dealer Connect. Under the new five-year cooperative agreement, WyoTech will assist Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks in identifying and recruiting highly qualified graduates to work as diesel technicians in dealerships across the United States. In addition, WyoTech is supporting Dealer Connect by committing $1 million annually in scholarship assistance to students who demonstrate financial need.
“We created Dealer Connect with WyoTech to help our dealer network address the severe shortage of skilled talent qualified to work in the highly technical field of diesel technology and improve the rate of technician success,” said Dave Winner, senior vice president of distribution development, Volvo Group. “Through Dealer Connect, WyoTech does the recruiting for dealers, so they can spend less time searching for talent and more time taking care of customers. We trust WyoTech to prepare candidates with the hands-on education, skills and experience we’re seeking.”
WyoTech is committed to providing half of the scholarships to retired military personnel. More than one-fourth of the school’s current students are veterans.
“Top employers look to WyoTech for job candidates because they know they’ll find a talented pool of career-ready graduates,” said John Hurd, assistant vice president strategic relations for WyoTech. “We rely on industry partnerships to give us the in-the-field perspectives we need to ensure our programs best prepare students for rewarding careers. We thank Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks for their ongoing commitment to quality training and after-graduation career opportunities.”
Through the Dealer Connect initiative, WyoTech recruiters will connect Mack and Volvo dealerships with qualified technicians, helping them fill talent gaps. The program includes support from WyoTech’s campus leadership teams, recruitment and admissions teams, and career placement services to work hand-in-hand with dealers.
This is the second collaboration between Volvo Group and WyoTech. In 2012, Mack Trucks Academy and Volvo Trucks Academy partnered with WyoTech to create a best-in-class education program called Diesel Advanced Technology Education (DATE) to train students on Mack and Volvo truck maintenance. Since then, more than 300 students have graduated from the DATE Program, and more than 90 percent of these students found in-field employment after graduation — including a significant number who went on to work for a Mack truck or Volvo truck dealership. The DATE Program for Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks awards a diploma after approximately nine months of successful training.
The DATE and Dealer Connect programs are designed in part to address America’s skills gap. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the skills shortage will worsen for installation, maintenance and repair occupations, which will result in about 365,500 new jobs, making vehicle service technicians and mechanics one of the top jobs with the potential for significant job openings over the next decade.
