By Kirsten Zaremba, senior director of marketing, Auto Care Association

Experts consistently put “providing ongoing training” on the top of their list as a way to attract and retain employees. Employees want to be successful and by providing them the tools to grow and excel, you will be able to attract and retain them while realizing many other benefits, including increasing morale, motivation and efficiencies. Your capacity to adopt new technologies and methods also will be enhanced. Studies show that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development.¹ On the flipside, employees who are not receiving the opportunity to access training to increase their skill sets are more likely to leave when an opportunity presents itself, which costs you time and money. Gallup estimated that employee replacement costs can be 150% of the worker’s annual salary, or more. ²

As we continue through this difficult time, the aftermarket is rebounding much faster than other segments of our economy, but we are still facing limitations on how we travel and how we meet in person. This does not mean that you should abandon or avoid growing yourself and your employees. In fact, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the myriad of virtual training programs available to you and your teams. We have seen so many programs pivot to virtual training and no more impressive will be the options available via the Virtual AAPEX Experience. 

For those of you who have been in the industry for a while, do not make the mistake of thinking you’ve seen this before – because you haven’t. Never before has there been such a robust and comprehensive opportunity for direct access to the best and brightest our industry has to offer – and you can do it from the comfort of your shop, office or home. Aptly touted as “your own professional tune-up,” virtual attendees will have access to free training that would normally cost hundreds of dollars per person, making this a can’t miss opportunity for your entire team.  

These are accredited courses provided by elite technicians and business leaders. And anybody in your shop can take them. For starters, I recommend taking the session, “How to Attract Top Talent,” on Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (EDT). You’ll also find classes on diagnostics, social media implementation and business growth strategies to product and equipment demos in Joe’s Garage. You cannot miss this opportunity!  

Momentum Moving Forward

Most importantly, do not lose your momentum. Creating a strategic development plan based on your business goals is key. Not only will your commitment to ongoing development help you and your team become more successful, training programs are often used as a competitive advantage when hiring.  You only need to look at this year’s Auto Care Association ACE (Auto Care Career and Education) Award winners:  Dykstra’s Auto, Arnold Motor Supply and Auto Value Bumper to Bumper for examples of companies dedicated to excellence in education. As the mantra of Arnold Motor Supply founder states, “You don’t build a business with buildings, brick, and stone. You build it with people.”  Whether the Virtual AAPEX Experience becomes part of your overall training initiative or it is your first step, take these three days to connect and invest in your future – your people. Bring your entire team to the 2020 Virtual AAPEX experience to hear about the latest technology trends, interact with experts and learn from the elite of the industry. Check out the complete schedule of events including dozens of free training sessions here.

Kirsten Zaremba is the senior director of marketing at the Auto Care Association. In her current role, Kirsten is responsible for leading the Auto Care Careers program efforts, supporting member engagement and acquisition initiatives, driving sales of products and services and building association authority. 

1  ‘2018 Workplace Learning Report’. Linkedin Learning.

2  ‘State of the Global Workforce’. Gallup.