Scania MD warns of looming skills shortage

SCANIA Australia managing director Manfred Streit told GoAuto this week that the Australian trucking industry is facing a dire shortage of skilled technicians and encourages those with an interest to strongly consider a call to the trade.

Recently taking on the role after a lengthy stint with Scania Austria, Mr Streit says the growing road transport industry and rapidly advancing technology found in most modern trucks and buses Down Under can provide a potential applicant with decades of secure and highly skilled work, with the shift toward new energy heavy vehicles extending the prospects for generations to come.

“It is a real area of concern that the industry needs more technicians,” he said bluntly.

“As an employer, we offer many ‘carrots’ to attract employees to our business … there are a lot of benefits to working for the Scania network. But unfortunately, for most applicants, working in this industry is something that is not on their menu.

“We need to make people – especially younger people – aware that there is a growing need for technicians not just in cars, but in trucks as well. And while there is an element of ‘getting dirty’ to the role, it’s also a highly skilled role that not only pays well, but that can also provide the opportunity to grow into other parts of the business.”

Mr Streit said that his experience in Austria had proven that technicians were highly valued for their ability to communicate potential issues with the customer and were often utilised in parts of the business, including those where customer interaction is required.

He said that over his 16-plus years in the business, he has also seen technicians go on to become “some of the best salespeople in the business”, primarily because of their close relationship with the product.

“We need people here (in the workshop) and there (at the front of house). Technicians that have good communication skills are particularly beneficial to the business in numerous roles, which can make them a terrific asset,” he said.

“It’s also an exciting time to be starting out as a technician. A technician that starts in the industry now will likely be working with electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles over their career – so in fact, the work will become cleaner, as well as more complex.

“From our perspective, we already have some of the most advanced trucks on the market, and advanced control systems that require a great deal of knowledge, and not just on the mechanical side of things. A lot of what we do now is on a laptop…it is a very technically advanced environment.”

Despite the elevated need for skilled (fully qualified) technicians, Mr Streit said Scania Australia’s renowned apprenticeship program is receiving solid interest at each intake, with 22 successful applicants beginning the program this year.

Scania Australia currently has close to 100 apprentices employed nationally, with participation in the four-year program limited only by the number of qualified technicians an apprentice can be ‘buddied’ with during the duration of their training.

Mr Streit said it is his belief that with more qualified technicians employed in workshops across the country – including those sourced from other countries – businesses like Scania Australia would be able to offer even greater numbers of prospective apprentices a place in the industry.

“I have always maintained that people are our most important resource – especially younger people because we are able to educate them ourselves and give them a feeling for our products from their very first day, and that helps to build a closer connection with our brand,” Mr Streit told GoAuto.

“We have close to 100 apprentices in our installations nationally, from first to fourth year, and it is impressive to see them learn the values of the Scania brand when they are young, as it is something they tend to carry with them through their careers.

“And this is something that is very important to us, and it is why we need skilled technicians to help impart this feeling (to an apprentice). One-on-one training on the job is important. It helps an apprentice to feel valued and challenged. The information exchange is imperative, and we foster that relationship from the beginning, all the way through their apprenticeship.”

Mr Streit said that the way Scania Australia trains its apprentices is keenly noted by TAFE and other vocational training providers as “better than many others”, with apprentices often more advanced than their peers when measured against a particular datum.

He said it was a system that has long proved to be of great benefit to those involved in the program and asks more school-leavers to consider the career, irrespective of their background.

“We have always had female technicians showing an interest in this career, particularly in Melbourne. We encourage diversity in the workplace. It is very important. We are proud of that point, and it is something we actively support,” he said.

“If you’re a young guy or girl that is coming out of school, there is nothing culturally that is going to hold you back from becoming a Scania technician.

“Our people are what makes our brand strong, and we will continue to make sure that’s the case. But at the moment, we just can’t take any more than we have, because without a qualified technician to show them the way, then the quality of their apprenticeship is suffering.

“An apprentice needs guidance, and the program needs to be able to provide that guidance. If they are alone and not challenged, then they will become frustrated and leave the industry. We are very serious about turning our apprentices into long-term employees, and the industry knows our apprentices are far more experienced by the end of their apprenticeship.

“So, could we take more? The answer is yes, but only if this kind of mentoring process is in place,” he concluded.