In order to attract diesel technicians Scania Australia will fund their upskilling from light vehicles to heavy duty vehicles the truck maker announced this week.
The plan, according to Scania Australia, is to attract diesel technicians to its nine company-owned workshops in Australian capital cities as industry continues to respond to the widely acknowledged shortage of skilled service and repair technicians in the road transport industry.
“Recently we have been approached by light-vehicle technicians looking to work for Scania, but they are not qualified or certified to work on hydraulic systems or heavy-duty air-pressure braking systems,” said Sean Corby, Scania Regional Executive Manager for NSW and Victoria.
“As a result, we have begun a program to invest in these technicians’ futures by funding their skills gap training through TAFE,” he said.
Corby began his own career ‘on the tools’ in the United Kingdom, and over a period of two decades graduated steadily through the ranks to hold a senior executive role within Scania.
“One of the benefits of an original equipment manufacturers’ owned sales and service network is that you can come in as a technician and progress along a career path,” said Corby.
“This might take you as far as workshop manager or you might move into other areas of the business. How far you go and what skills you pick up are dependent only on your degree of motivation.”
Scania is keen to attract technicians who may have light-vehicle experience but who want to work on heavy trucks and buses as well as trailers and trailer equipment.
“We’re saying come to Scania. We want to talk to you, and we have processes in place to upskill you, and plenty of opportunities for you to carve out a more successful career path,” said Corby.
Scania provides continuous professional development throughout a technician’s career, and in normal times, as a global company offers the possibility of international transfer between Scania operations around the world.
“Every two years we hold a global after sales skills competition called Scania Top Team, where workshop teams from 1,600 Scania locations compete to be crowned the best in the world,” said Corby.
“This is a competition that Scania Australia has won three times and placed very well in on several further occasions. Not only does Top Team hone skills and knowledge but it also builds teamwork and forges relationships that last for decades,” he said.
For a technician joining Scania from a light-vehicle environment, the skills gap can be bridged in 12-24 months depending on the degree of motivation a technician has, as well as the level of experience and qualification they have achieved so far.
“We’d like to hear from diesel technicians who are ready for a career move and who are eager to expand their skillsets and knowledge base,” Corby said.