Community Voices: Partnership builds next generation of automotive professionals | Community Voices

The Larger Bakersfield New Automobile Vendor Association was created in 1945 and by on the lookout by way of our tax records, it is apparent that the GBNCDA has usually been fully commited to supporting two matters: our yearly community golf match and community college students pursuing bigger schooling with futures in the local community.

When Harold Meek was president of the GBNCDA, it was clear that he cherished Bakersfield and he wished to see Kern County thrive. To Mr. Meek, our affiliation was far more than networking about the automobile field and profits it was about service to our community and assistance to 1 an additional and past that, he was even far more passionate about building up the next technology of neighborhood members.

In being real to our history, GBNCDA is happy to be partnering with Bakersfield College’s Automotive Engineering system to supply students the to start with-of-its-kind and a exclusive possibility to master at the new Bakersfield Auto Shopping mall heart on real trade-in autos, in practical dealership situations, and with point out-of-the-artwork, field-primary equipment.

On April 21, we will slash the ribbon at our joint grand opening of the Automall Bakersfield Faculty Schooling Web page, a new auto schooling facility, to be situated in the Bakersfield Vehicle Shopping mall. This partnership is thanks to the merged endeavours of the Better Bakersfield New Motor vehicle Dealer Association, WSM Auctions, and Bakersfield College and I have no doubt it will positively effect hundreds and ideally, countless numbers of people as a result of coaching and skill progress of our neighborhood workforce.

It will take a whole lot of difficult doing work and committed folks to operate a productive dealership and most nearby dealers in Bakersfield employ about 250 persons just about every with distinct expertise and specializations. As the technological innovation in our field carries on to progress and evolve, so does the growing need for far more and experienced workers. Now, Kern County has an Automotive Restore and Routine maintenance close to-time period need to have of more than 2,000 employment, building an ordinary earning of about $59,000 for each calendar year. This market is estimated to have a overall GDP for Kern County of $173 million.

It is essential for the GBNCDA that we proceed to assist homegrown expertise that will enable Kern County prosper, even through changing occasions. We intention to make use of area, practice regional, ability-up neighborhood, and improve our individual. Above the several years, the college and staff members at Bakersfield Faculty have completed an unbelievable task of providing area dealers and marketplace gurus a voice at the university in regard to what we want in the trade and in the workforce.

They’ve designed a pipeline that can take fascinated learners from graduating substantial school seniors as a result of BC’s program and straight to work at a regional dealership, and they’ve even developed non-credit history certification courses that permit our current workforce to ability-up for sophisticated professions at no expense to them.

Considering that the very commencing, GBNCDA has supported scholarships at Bakersfield University for all types of pupils which includes automotive know-how students, which provides at minimum a dozen or extra skilled graduates that fill proficient, significant and gainful positions promptly each and every yr in our neighborhood. Now with this partnership, it is really interesting to know that our existing employees and long term graduates will have the chance to master palms-on at the new facility at the Bakersfield Car Mall.

The upcoming growth of our group, and the progress of our field, is actually grounded in education and learning and partnerships. Substantially of our action now is influenced by the early GBNCD ambitions and the eyesight that their leadership started out with — it’s about company to our group, services to just one another, and even beyond that, it’s about constructing up the following era.

By this partnership, the GBNCDA along with Bakersfield Faculty and WSM Auction is fostering a sturdy path forward for the next technology of automotive specialists and gurus.

John Pitre is COO of Motor City Buick GMC Lexus and director of the Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association.