About 20 area auto service managers and employees from several northwest Des Moines auto dealerships -- many along the Merle Hay Auto Mile -- attended a first ever seminar/luncheon event sponsored by officials of the National Maintenance Training Center at Camp Dodge aimed at creating closer ties between the Army Reserves and the dealerships. Major Daniel Robbins, Strength Maintenance Officer for the 67th Troop Command, said the program and the private industry professionals have a lot to offer each other. "We hope to show the auto dealers that this is a place where there are qualified people that they can hire and we hope that they will direct job applicants interested in becoming service technicians, but who lack the necessary training, to consider the Army Reserves," Robbins said.
Lowell Dudinski, service manager for Charles Gabus Ford, Des Moines, said he plans on sending job applicants who seem to have the drive and desire to become a mechanic but lack any real skills to consider the Army Reserve. "I will be contacting Maj. Robbins," Dudzinski said. "We do get people who I think would be good prospects for him. We get people who want to be auto technicians but have no experience and no training. It's a really good deal for them." It's that type of sharing that Robbins said the luncheon/seminar was to spur. "We want to share with our neighbors," he said. "The training that we provide to our soldiers provides for an ASE certification -- the same certification that the auto dealerships are looking for. We can provide those qualifications. "We provide real time training here in Iowa for Iowans," Robbins continued. "We teach our soldiers the skills directly related to civilian employment. We want them to send us potential recruits and we would also like for these employers to realize that these same soldiers also provide a potential pool of qualified employees."
The National Maintenance Training Center was established in 1987. It became fully accredited by TRADOC since 1990. It consists of two physical facilities -- a 100,000-square-foot General Support Shop housed in two adjacent buildings. The Direct Support Shop is a 48,000-square-foot facility with 20 work bays. The center is located in the southern edge of the Camp Dodge compound in Johnston. Col. Michael Bacino, Chief of Staff of the Iowa Army National Guard, was the keynote speaker at the luncheon. He told the employers that the guard can serve as a valuable resource for the dealerships. "Right now, the Guard has 600 people who have raw maintenance skills," Bacino said. "That's a vast potential employee pool. In addition, each unit has another 15- to 20-people who also work on maintenance."
"The
training that we provide to our soldiers provides for an ASE certification
-- the same certification that the auto dealerships are looking for. We
can provide those qualifications. "We provide real time training here
in Iowa for Iowans."
"...the
typical Guard soldier also has a good work ethic and is well-groomed to
be an excellent civilian employee...the typical enlistee is a high school
graduate who more than likely graduated in the upper half of their graduating
class."
He said the typical Guard soldier also has a good work ethic and is well-groomed to be an excellent civilian employee. He said the typical enlistee is a high school graduate who more than likely graduated in the upper half of their graduating class. And, Guard employees are drug free, have time management skills, are used to hard work, always maintain a professional appearance, possess leadership skills and are in great physical condition. "One valuable role of the Guard," Bacino said, "is to keep Iowans in Iowa." Dennis Lydon, a volunteer member of a group called Employers Support of Guard people (ESGR) drove home the entire theme of the event. "In an economy like today's with low unemployment rates, you couldn't find a better employee that a Guard employee," he said. Gabus' Dudzinski echoed that sentiment. "I have an active Guard member working for me and he is a great employee," he said. "He's a steady, dependable, well-trained employee. I've been very impressed by the training that these guys and gals receive. And, I don't think a two-week commitment for training once a year is too much to ask from an employer."
For more information on this program, you can contact Maj. Robbins at 1-800-294-6607 or view the web site at www.guard.state.ia.us.