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The State Dealer Association That Cracked the Technician Shortage · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  All right, how much time have either of you ever spent in New Jersey? [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. Uh, I could probably go, like,
• 0:18
  mm, total, total time? Yes. We'll go somewhere in the neighborhood of, like, 13 days. Okay. Michael? Yeah, I, I, I'm thinking it is probably, like, two weeks total- Two weeks total... in 20 years. And, and- Yeah... okay.
• 0:33
  Well, I used to live in New Jersey. What? You... Well, I have Philly and right across the bridge is New Jersey. This is the first time that Paul gets to say, "I used to live in-" Yes... since the Philly episode came out.
• 0:43
  I wish, I wish I was, I, I lived in Philly, New Jersey, and New York. Those are my three, Kyle. I don't have 17, you know what I mean? [laughs] Kyle's got, like, military pastor family. He kind of vibes.
• 0:53
  No, but New Jersey is one of those states that most people have, I think, a skewed perception of because the t- parts of New Jersey that typically get talked about are the parts that are right next to New York City.
• 1:03
  So, you really think of- Yeah... like, Jersey is just an extension of New York City, when in reality, New Jersey has such a variety of, it has rural areas, it has urban areas. It has beach.
• 1:13
  It has forests, like pine forests. The biggest pine forests in the country are in New Jersey. Isn't that weird? I, I was thinking about, isn't there a movie- Yeah... like, Garden State? Isn't that about New Jersey?
• 1:22
  That had, I, that, man, that's bringing us way back. That's like college years. No, but all that to say, New Jersey is an incredibly diverse, uh, just landscape, and it's a small state.
• 1:31
  But it's got tons of dealers, like 500 and some dealers, franchise dealers. And today we get to talk to Laura Perotto, who is heading up NJCAR, which is their state dealer association. We met her not too long ago.
• 1:43
  We instantly clicked, and then when we found out what they are doing with dealers to partner with dealers to invest in training technicians and into the community, just blew our minds, so we needed to jump on a podcast to talk about it.
• 1:54
  So we- Yeah, I have 78 questions after what you told me about what they're doing, so. Oh. [laughs] All right. Well- Y'all better, y'all better get your elbows out if you wanna get in this one.
• 2:03
  [laughs] Let's get into a conversation with Laura Perotto. [upbeat music] Laura, thank you so much for joining us today. It's great to be here with you again. Oh, thanks, Paul and Kyle. I'm honored to be here with you.
• 2:17
  All right, so, um, I wanna talk a little bit, you and I, you and I have had this little, you know, conversation going on for the last couple of months.
• 2:25
  But one of the things that intrigued me so much from the, the beginning of the conversation that we first had was the way you have come into the automotive side of the business.
• 2:35
  You've been around things with motors for a long time. So maybe just give us the, the 60-second, one minute or two background of what your career has been, and then how you ended up in, uh, with retail auto dealers.
• 2:46
  Sure, of course. So, um, well, my track was that I started on Capitol Hill.
• 2:53
  I worked for a congressman right out of college and fell into policy and lobbying, and then got, um, to the spot where I was lobbying for the National Automobile Dealers Association back, like, 2014 to 2019.
• 3:05
  So I was, um, one of the light duty, uh, lobbyists- Yeah... but also focused on medium and heavy duty too. So that was my focus. And then I, uh- Okay... decided I really wanna run organizations.
• 3:16
  So I got into, um, most recently I was, uh, the president of the American Truck Dealers, so the medium and heavy duty truck dealers across the country, a division of NADA.
• 3:26
  And, um, it was such a cool honor to get to work with the truck dealers and get to know all these wonderful dealers across the country.
• 3:33
  And, uh, but then I had this opportunity to, uh, come and run NJCAR, 'cause Jim Appleton, my predecessor, was retiring after 27 years. And so, um, you know, I am thrilled.
• 3:44
  I moved to New Jersey, and I get to do what I love, which is work on auto issues, but still work on truck issues, too. So I just- Oh... love policy. I love cars. I love trucks.
• 3:54
  And, um, I love getting to advocate for the most amazing dealers in the country now, New Jersey. And we're talking about, like- We both do...
• 4:01
  we're talking about tractor, tra- like, we're talking about big trucks, like Mack trucks- Yeah... like that, that type of thing, right? Yeah, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt- Yes... uh, Internationals. I've driven them all.
• 4:11
  I do not have my CDL. Do you have- Okay. Wait, video or it didn't happen. I, I- Video or it didn't happen. Yeah. [laughs] I have video. I have video, and I have pictures to prove it.
• 4:19
  But, um, all on test tracks and safe environments, but, um, I can drive trucks- What's, what's unique about that?
• 4:25
  And, uh, uh, like, let's go down that just a couple seconds, because I think there's always things that we can learn, um, from especially slight- like, adjacent but different industries. Yeah.
• 4:35
  What, what are the dealers in the, uh, you know, the heavy duty, the, the big trucks kinda thinking about, preparing for, or, or working on that might be relevant for auto dealers to be considering or thinking about?
• 4:49
  Yeah, that's a great question. You know, they, uh, had a lot of consolidation ahead of the auto dealers on the light duty side. Hmm. Um, and now obviously you're seeing more and more consolidation on the light duty side.
• 5:00
  But they were really far ahead on that. And a, a lot of folks say what happens with the trucking industry for the truck dealers was happening ahead of what was happening on the light duty side. Hmm.
• 5:10
  So I think that there are a lot of lessons learned there, uh, you know, about the pressure from the manufacturers to consolidate and what that means for your brand, and how you, um, make sure that your dealership culture is brought to various states when you're acquiring dealerships is very interesting.
• 5:26
  Yeah. But on top of that, another area where there was actually a lot of overlap was, um, in the regulations the truck dealers were facing from the California Air Resources Board and the EPA.
• 5:35
  So I think there was, like, a lot of regulatory, um, situations that were very transferable to what was happening on the auto side.
• 5:43
  Uh, you know, but the, even that, like, on the truck side, it was so terrible because of the cost of the electric trucks was so, uh, astronomical. Hmm.
• 5:52
  You know, that a Class 8 electric truck where you can't charge it- Mm-hmm... is pretty challenging. [laughs] Yeah, so. Hmm. Yeah, but it's been an interesting lessons learned. Let me ask you this. Um, I'm gonna be...
• 6:02
  'Cause we wanna talk about-... specifically your, your technician training program because it is an amazing thing that's happening right now.
• 6:09
  But, uh, I want you to explain a little bit about what the structure of NJCAR is because I think there's some pretty unique things. You don't just oversee- Yeah... some office staff.
• 6:19
  You, there's a whole processing d- arm of it. So if you could just explain, 'cause when I heard it, I was like, "I had no idea a state association would be doing this level of infrastructure for the auto industry." Yeah.
• 6:31
  No, we are, are very unique. We're very diversified, which is really wonderful.
• 6:36
  Um, so we have, you know, we represent the 523 rooftops here in New Jersey, but as an organization, we have our typical trade association staff.
• 6:44
  We do everything from advocacy to compliance to, um, events and, um, training. And then we have a whole team in a different building down the road that is our motor vehicle operation.
• 6:57
  So we are a subcontractor for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and we have been since the 1990s, since 1993. And we process, for the dealers, all of their titles and registrations.
• 7:10
  So we were able to negotiate with- Wow...
• 7:12
  the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to take that business out of the branches and the agencies and put it into our kind of personal agency that we have a subcontract with, with the Motor Vehicle Commission, to give a three-day turnaround time.
• 7:26
  Talk about that. Let's go. [laughs] Wow. Yeah, so. We'll take that from you, state. Let's let the, [laughs] let- Yeah. Let, let-... some of the auto people handle this. Yeah... they have, they have no overhead.
• 7:36
  The state has no overhead, and we send them a check, or a tr- I guess, uh, electronic submission of money every day at the end of the day. "Here's your money, uh, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
• 7:46
  We did your work for you. Here's your money." Yes. [laughs] Yeah. Oh, you do it in a 10th of the time- Yes. Oh... of the typical, f- like, close to 30, sometimes longer day turnaround- Oh... of most states, right?
• 7:56
  No, it's crazy. And then we also have a whole nother area of, um, products and services that we do, too. So it's, it- When was that... Wait, let's start with that one- 19-... 'cause I wanna go to the other area.
• 8:05
  But when was that set up? 90s, she said. 1993. W- so we've done, I believe it's roughly 51 million transactions for the state- Why is that not something that other states are doing?
• 8:15
  [laughs] 'Cause they don't know about it. [laughs] We're trying to tell them. Well, some states do, actually. Pennsylvania Automotive Association does. Um- Ah... Kansas does something.
• 8:25
  Um, we, I, I think probably our volume's pretty high compared to maybe others, but, um- Mm-hmm... and not everyone's doing it, no. I mean- Yeah...
• 8:33
  we had to convince the state back in 1993 that this was in their best interest.
• 8:38
  And, um, we just had someone on our team who just retired, her name's Judy McKinley, she's, like, the goddess of, um, of NJCAR forever 'cause of all the wonderful revenue she's created for our organization [laughs] to be, uh, stronger and better advocates because now we can be f- because we have this revenue stream.
• 8:54
  Um, she convinced my predecessor, a few removed, that this was a great investment for the organization and for our dealers. So it was a win-win. Absolutely. Who wouldn't necessarily believed that it was the right...
• 9:07
  You know, he thought it was so risky. For sure. And, um- It's new... but we, we did it, and it worked. The first year or two, she says she worked around the clock. She worked seven days a week, never took a vacation day.
• 9:18
  It was losing money, and then all of a sudden they figured out how to do it, and it turned, and they started making all this revenue. It's got that startup mentality. Yeah. It was crazy.
• 9:27
  And now, um, it is our, our backbone. It is our ep- And we're doing this wonderful service for our dealers where they're getting what they need quickly. Talk about being connected. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
• 9:37
  Like, in a functional, rel- co-reliant way. Yeah. That sounds unbelievable. Yeah. Um, okay.
• 9:43
  Let's get to the main point of the conversation from our perspective because all that is basically set up to show, um, your passion for the industry, how essential NJCAR is for the auto dealers in the area, and then all of that, all of those resources, and all of that kinda has been channeled into this direction where you're like, "How can we solve problems, not just for the dealers, but also for our community with this technician training program you were telling me about?"
• 10:08
  So, um, give us the rundown. Paul, I thought you were gonna ask her about how she likes to do spin classes, 'cause she told us that, and we were gonna do- Can you tell she's ki- Pretty often...
• 10:14
  I don't know, it's on her Apple Fitness. I, you know, I'm not- She's kinda low energy. But you- [laughs] All right. I am a juggernaut, Paul, and Kyle. I'm a juggernaut. [laughs] I, I can...
• 10:26
  Do, do you teach classes, or are you just going there to- No, I just go. But I go, I leave my house at 5:00 AM, go to class at 6:00. You know, it's, it's a thing. [laughs] Wow.
• 10:35
  All we're missing is all the motivational content on the internet. Yeah. Well, there you go. [laughs] Yeah. There we go. Done. Okay. So yeah. So go into it, because you got this- Yeah...
• 10:44
  you got this whole thesis, and you guys are building the bench- Right... of technician proficiency. Where did that i- where did that initiative start?
• 10:53
  And give us, like, the, the groundwork for, for building that ecosystem, too. Well, I have to give Jim Appleton credit, again, my predecessor, on this 'cause I've only been here a year and a half. Right.
• 11:04
  It was pre-COVID, our leadership and Jim said, "You know, there's such a shortage of technician, we're s- technicians in the state of New Jersey and across the country. We're struggling so much.
• 11:14
  Um, what can we do to build a pipeline to get them in these great jobs and in, in, into these dealership families?" So they came up with this concept of the Technician Advancement Program, or TAP.
• 11:26
  And, um, what it is is training your technicians at the dealership. So bu- for the dealers at the dealership, training the technicians of, of your future for the state.
• 11:37
  And, um, so we put in seed money, and NJCAR was able to do this 'cause of things like our Motor Vehicle Commission work. [laughs] Yeah.
• 11:44
  Um, we put in seed money and started, you know, we hired the right person to help us build the program and go after grants. And then we, um, actually secured a grant last June of 2025 for $665,000.
• 11:59
  And that was the game changer 'cause it really, it allowed us to really build out the program.
• 12:04
  So how it stands right nowIt is a 18-week program, and we're hosting the, the training sessions or TAP classes at the dealerships that raise their hand.
• 12:15
  So we're doing, uh, six classes this year, roughly 10 students a class. Or, and then one of the classes had 20 students, so it kinda depends on whether it's a 10-student class or a 20-student class.
• 12:26
  But we had the funds to do 60 students this year. And, um, we are bringing it to the dealership. We have a instructor, we use the dealership's master tech, so the dealership has to have, put some skin in the game, too.
• 12:40
  Um, and then we hire s- we pay some of the additional techs at the dealership to support the class, because it's intense.
• 12:47
  For 18 weeks, it is Monday through Thursday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and, um, they have about an hour of theory in the classroom on a t- like, a topic.
• 12:57
  For example, maybe it's, like, uh, the electrical system or brakes or, I know, an oil change. You know, all these entry-level technician jobs.
• 13:06
  And then they actually take them down into the service area, and they work with the technicians hands-on to perform what they just learned. So, um, and it's free for the students. Like, absolutely free.
• 13:17
  They don't pay a dime. And, uh, not only that- Which, like, and it's 4:30, so you can- Only... No, no, no. No, no. Wait, there's more. Kyle, wait. Wait. It's butter, Kyle. There's more. She's- Butter [laughs]...
• 13:25
  she's totally Billy- Oh, my goodness... Billy Blanks-ing you right now. She's like, "But wait," or Billy Mays. But wait. There's more. There is more, yeah. This is- But wait, there's more.
• 13:32
  Yeah, 'cause I'm already like, I could be working in a coffee shop- We got New Jersey infomercial-... in the morning... running hard right now. Go ahead. Yes. So- Okay, hit me with it... it's free.
• 13:39
  It's free, but on top of that, we pay the students $200 a week to show up and participate. [laughs] So we pay them to learn. And upon graduation, we give them $3,000 worth of tools to- Oh... take with them.
• 13:54
  So free, they get paid, and they get tools when they walk away. And on top of that, we place them at a dealership in New Jersey to start their career. Come on, now. So, yeah. Yeah.
• 14:04
  So [laughs] it's, uh, pretty much full circle. I don't know how you mic drop any harder than that, actually. [laughs] I, I... No, it, it is, it's spectacular. I'm meeting these students.
• 14:14
  I was just out at a class we had, um, last week, and they are excited. They thought it was a scam when they heard about it [laughs] and came to the reveal. [laughs] It's that good, yeah.
• 14:26
  Um- You're like, "Am I getting pyramid schemed over here?" Yeah. No, they- Like, say, at some point I pay them back everything plus, plus interest or something? Yeah, no, it's not. No. And they are just hungry to learn.
• 14:36
  They're usually maybe folks that would, um, fool around with their vehicle, try and do things at home. Um, kind of a passion for autos, but also right now are generally in different jobs. Like, maybe they're, um...
• 14:49
  You know, uh, one, one woman I met who was in the program a, a few programs ago, she was a, um, long-term caregiver, you know?
• 14:58
  So she was helping the elderly, like in-home nursing, and she was like, "I don't wanna do this. I'm a tanker. I like fiddling with cars." She's like, "This is my dream. You guys are letting me work-" Right...
• 15:07
  "during the day and then go and do this in the evening, and, um, and you're paying me," [laughs] you know? So it was pretty amazing. Yeah, the work during the day is the other piece. Like, you can- Yeah...
• 15:17
  grab a coffee shop or a restaurant job, get paid, go to this at night- Yeah... have a future career, be not in debt w- Right... with all of the learning,
• 15:29
  get into the flow of a dealership ecosystem, already have a job coming out because you've got partner dealerships that know they need technicians. They're involved in the training. I mean- Mm...
• 15:39
  this is, when we say this, this, this being an industry that people fight to join, my hope is that one day you're like, "Sorry, we only have enough, you know, for 120 technicians this month," you know? Yeah.
• 15:50
  "And, and then next month we might have some more. Keep your li- uh, y- keep your name on the list." Because- Yeah...
• 15:55
  and have you, have you talked to, like, other, uh, ADAs about, like, their capability or capacity to build something like this? Or is it still, like, in kinda like... Well, how f- how old is the program?
• 16:07
  [laughs] Well, that we've actually really got it going about a year. A year. Okay. Oh, okay. I, I, I started to tell you, so we had started to set it up pre-COVID. Pre-COVID, yeah.
• 16:16
  COVID hit, you know, we got derailed, and then we had to rebuild, 'cause our people had left who were dealing with it. Mm. And so we had to rebuild.
• 16:23
  And right that time we applied for the grant, and then we got the money. So it's been a year of success so far. Got it. And we're going after another grant, and we'll find out, um, in June.
• 16:33
  Are these state grants or federal? They're state. Okay. It's New Jersey Department of Labor. It's called, uh, the PACE Grant, and I don't know I have that right in front of me what it stands for, but I should know this.
• 16:43
  Uh- What's the spirit of, what's the spirit- Oh, it's fine... of the grant, though? Um, the spirit of the grant is to basically train, um, students for apprenticeship, uh, program.
• 16:53
  So it's student, student-based and to move into a prentices- apprenticeship in the trades, I'm guessing. Correct. Correct, yep. So I'm thinking there are probably a lot of states that have similar programs.
• 17:02
  There's a lot of states with that, for sure. Yes, yes. And, um, I think the thing, though, we just have it so structured now. You know, we are now bringing it to each dealership.
• 17:12
  We've, we know, you know, what they need in their toolbox, what the, the weeks are for the program layout. We know, um, you know, what we need from the dealership.
• 17:21
  We send a commitment letter to the dealership saying, "We need you to commit to X, Y, Z" so that we're, we know that they know what they're getting into, [laughs] you know?
• 17:29
  So I just think now we have such a good structure, and it's plug and play. So, um, yeah. And how many students are going through it? 60 with this tranche of the g- Right now... the grant. For right now. Yeah. Yeah.
• 17:39
  Mm-hmm. Yep. But I can only imagine. You use 537 dealers. You, y- you think they wouldn't each want a couple of these going on, you know? Oh. You know, at least half of the year, right? Absolutely.
• 17:49
  We have a- We- I did pull a stat. We need a roughly, I think it was 9,300 technicians between now and 2028. [laughs] And we're just in New- Just in New Jersey. Yeah. You're like- Yes. [laughs] Oh, my gosh.
• 18:02
  S- so 60- Yeah... is like shooting a BB gun at a tank. I know. Right? I know it's- Give me some-... a start, though. It's a start... but it's something. Yeah. It's moving. Yeah. But it is moving.
• 18:10
  I won- I, I'm wondering if, like, other programs are gonna spring up as a result of-... you doing this, especially when you have proof of concept. Right. Right? Yep.
• 18:18
  And you can put a dollar amount to it, and you can say, "Here's what's working." Yeah.
• 18:23
  Like, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some other large groups and people with resources are like, "Hey, how can we stand up, like, and fund one of these programs?"
• 18:31
  And they might be a little more, like, direct in the sense that, like, "Hey, these people are going to work here. It's an apprenticeship ingestion point for just our stores."
• 18:39
  But I would not be surprised if, if that, now that you've showed that this is possible, people are interested, and there's a path. And then these 60 are, they, you're gonna have 60 testimonials in a year.
• 18:50
  Oh my gosh, I know. That- We're already capturing them. And we have a lot of... N- I shouldn't say a lot, but I've been pleased that I think we probably had five or at least five women go through the program.
• 19:00
  Um- It's that cool, yeah... I'm, like, so happy about that. One of the programs had three women at a time in it, [laughs] and I was just like, "Oh my gosh, this is insanity." It was very cool.
• 19:08
  And just, um, and there's very diverse groups, too. You know, all ages, all walks of life. We had someone who was in a homeless shelter, um, shortly before getting this opportunity. Yes. You know, just really crazy. Yes.
• 19:23
  And they know how much potential there are in these careers. You know, become part of the dealer family. You get paid- Ah... while you... The sky's the limit. The harder you work, the more money you're gonna make.
• 19:32
  You know, you- Yeah, we see the-... get the benefits of, like- We see people four-... putting-... five years in making six figures in, in service, you know? Exactly.
• 19:38
  Working great hours and, and, and enjoying what they do, and they get to work with their hands, and it's rewarding. Like, it's ama- A- and now, the technology that you get in- Yeah... that you get to get into.
• 19:48
  So many dealers doing video walk arounds, so you b- so you build your personality. Like, you, uh... It's, it's such an incredible career. Yeah. No, it's really cool, too, that I've loved the testimonials. I've loved...
• 20:00
  Uh, the folks who have been in technical, technical programs for auto techs, and I don't wanna badmouth them. I know they're an important piece of the ecosystem.
• 20:08
  I'm just saying they've been in those programs, and they've said they've learned more in 18 weeks just being in the real world setting of the dealership- Always Absolutely...
• 20:15
  than they did, you know, in the entire time they were in school. That doesn't surprise me, because we all know that that's how you learn best. Yeah. Especially in the auto industry.
• 20:22
  Because it's not just that you're in the, you know, you're, you're working in a real facility that's actually functioning, but there's just a lot of ancillary things that you learn from being in a dealership.
• 20:32
  How it functions- Absolutely... how it works- Yep... why the departments are the way they are.
• 20:35
  Well, I think the trades, especially when you think about, you know, a technician, when you go back to the trades of woodworking or metalworking or brickworking, it was all apprenticeship.
• 20:44
  Everything is apprentice-mentor. Mm-hmm. And so you, you force that by putting them right into the store, and that's the, the, uh, that's the accelerant on learning. You can only make those mistakes in real time.
• 20:55
  That's right. Right? Absolutely. That's right. And just learning about the telematics and the, you know, just all of it, so exciting to...
• 21:01
  And I've gone to all the classes and talked to the students and, and then gone into the shop and watched them work in the service area and just to see they just become, um, like, team, the team just working together.
• 21:12
  Yes. Going through. They break into their own teams. They pull out the tool carts. You know, they're, it's, it's- I mean, that could be a new dynamic in and of itself. Yeah.
• 21:19
  A lot of these people maybe didn't ever work with a team toward a, a shared goal. Yeah. And just, I think of what that does for someone's confidence, right?
• 21:27
  When you know what it is to work on a team, which is basically what a dealership should be. Right. Right? A team. And to be able to access the master tech right there and ask them, like, "What could my future look like?"
• 21:38
  And have those conversations- Oh my gosh, yes... with them, you know, it's so cool. Yeah, really cool.
• 21:41
  Well, Laura, we are running down on time, and I, I, I bet there's someone listening to this that is going, running around their office trying to find a phone, trying to figure out how to- [laughs]... how to get in touch.
• 21:54
  Is there a way, like, i- is, is there someone or, or, or, or some team with, uh, you know, with, with NJ Car that someone could reach out to and say, "Hey, look, I'm interested in trying this.
• 22:04
  Would you share with me a little bit more of what you've done?" Um, should they reach out on NJ Car? What, w- what's the path there? 'Cause I feel like more in the industry w- would be hungry for this.
• 22:14
  Absolutely, you know, and I think, um, anyone's always welcome to reach out to me. But our real expert here, let me just... And I am dumb that I didn't think to pull up his, um- We can put it in the show notes, too...
• 22:25
  uh, yeah. His, uh, his name's Brandon. Brandon on our team is our workforce development person. His name's Brandon Jurakhon, and it's J-U-R-A-K-H-A-N. Um, so it's B-J-U-R-A-K-H-A-N @njcar.org. Perfect.
• 22:43
  Ah, cool. So, or you can also, if you just wanna learn generally more about the TAP program, just go to NJ Car's website and click on Workforce Development, and you'll see it right there.
• 22:52
  And there's even a portal for students who, potential students can sign in- Yes... and put their name into the queue. We've, I think we have a wait list, last time I looked- That's what I'm talking about. Let's go...
• 23:03
  100 people are in there. [laughs] Industry people, fight to join. Yeah. Oh, Laura, it has been such a joy hanging out with you and learning about- Oh... what you are doing.
• 23:10
  Thank you so much for joining myself and Paul, uh, here on Auto Labs, and we can't wait to follow up with you after classes on classes go through this. Oh, thank you, Kyle. Thank you, Paul.
• 23:21
  Anything you need from me, the door is always wide open. I'm always happy to talk. Oh, thank you. All right. Thanks. [upbeat music] Okay, look, I am gonna just write the playbook so everybody can do it,
• 23:38
  because this is insane. The number of technicians that they are bringing through in a single year for free- In the beginning-... plus pay with the career pass, and they got a wait list already.
• 23:49
  We've been trying to solve this for years, and they did it. They did it, and- I don't know what else to say... I mean- What I w- like, someone go run back and go do the thing...
• 23:58
  well, the testimonials that she was talking about where students would say they went to other technical schools that were specifically technical schools and just saying, you know, she wasn't, like, trying to, like, dunk on them, but she was saying the students were just going on and on about how much they were able to learn because they were doing these programs inside dealers with access to leadership, with access to a mentor who is a master tech.
• 24:20
  Like you said, they figured it outYou know what, you know what's, like, running through my mind? So- No...
• 24:30
  when I was growing up, when we were growing up, so many people were pushing us towards computer jobs, 'cause they were like, "That's the future." Learn how to code. Learn how to code, baby. My...
• 24:40
  I- it's, it's weird, like, a- adjacent to this, like, I'm talking to my kids now, and I'm actually urging them to go and get jobs that require their hands. Mm. Yeah.
• 24:49
  And then it got me thinking about technicians and how th- this is, like, there's something here. Because, like, technicians are already familiar with, like, robots doing certain parts of the job, but knowing that- Mm...
• 25:02
  there is something specifically for them to do. Mm-hmm.
• 25:05
  Which is probably why fixed ops in particular and, like, technical training like this is seemingly kind of unfazed by the whole AI conversation the way us computer- That's very true.
• 25:15
  Well, it's gonna be actually the intersection of technology and working with your hands, right? Because of the number of- Right...
• 25:20
  computers that are on board these things, but you still need that human picking up the tires, right? Moving the, moving molecules. And, like, plugging in the things. Yep. Yeah. Moving molecules.
• 25:30
  It's gonna be that perfect intersection. Wow. Well, this isn't gonna be the last time we have this conversation. We should go down there, and I know we've already talked about this.
• 25:37
  How do we get down there, get on site, bring some more of this program, and help more people adopt it or f- learn the playbook?
• 25:42
  Because this is a playbook dealers in every state across the country should be saying, "How can I run this playbook on repeat?" Um, yeah. We got excited.
• 25:51
  And I'm gonna take you guys, we're gonna take a trip to New Jersey. And we're- To New Jersey... I'm gonna show you the si- no one talks like that, Kyle. K- To eat pizza?
• 25:59
  I'm gonna, I, no, I'm gonna bring you to my- Yes, New Jersey pizza's amazing... family's hometown in Nutley, New Jersey. And I'm gonna show you some- See-... ridiculous Italian food in downtown Nutley.
• 26:09
  That would be great. Oh, no. Well, I'm gonna keep this cute. Especially Kyle just outed himself. He's like, "My family has a home and I've only ever spent 13 days in New Jersey."
• 26:15
  [laughs] [laughs] Oh, listen, if you didn't have fun here with us today, then you just weren't paying attention. [laughs] Uh, thanks for giving us the platform to do this.
• 26:26
  Thank you so much for being a part of this community in all the aspects of More Than Cars. And on behalf of Kyle Mounts here, Michael Cirillo, and myself, thanks for joining us today on Auto Collapse. Mash subscribe.
• 26:40
  [upbeat music] [laughs] Welcome to Auto Collapse. Welcome to Auto Collapse. [laughs] Why are we recording? [laughs] Are we rolling yet? Not yet.