Automotive Technicians Constantly Adapting
The automotive world moves a mile a minute, to use a very apt old adage, and because of that, if you’re an automotive service technician or involved in one of many other auto careers, you need to be able to adapt to the quickly developing industry. If you involve yourself in some of the trades training B.C. has to offer, it’s a great way to get your foot in the door, but keeping it there requires constant attention to how the industry is changing.
Staying on top of trends and popular fads is just one part of the game, the other is making sure you keep up to date on the latest technologies, ensuring that you can properly handle a new engine or a problem on a brand new model when you see it. These are just a few of the emerging trends and technologies that automotive technicians are keeping up on.
New Model, New Composition
It used to be that when an automotive company introduced a new model, it would be heavily based on old models – especially when the engine was concerned. This meant that mechanics wouldn’t have to do too much work to get up to speed on the new automobile, since its composition remained largely unchanged – perhaps only aesthetically. However, in the world of hybrids and Techtronic shifting (sometimes called semi-automatic shifting or a clutchless manual transmission), engines on new models can change in the blink of an eye between years.
Check out this video comparing automatic and Techtronic shifting:
Increased Imports
Because our world is becoming more and more globalized and interconnected, this means that barriers between countries are getting looser, and a higher rate of importation and exportation of vehicles. The implication is that our mechanics here in North America are going to have to brush up on their knowledge of vehicles from European or Asian countries, as we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the coming years.
In Europe, diesel is still extremely popular, which means that there is going to be a sharp increase in demand for skilled diesel engine mechanics when cars start being shipped over here. Likewise, in many Asian countries, electric and hybrid cars are becoming increasingly common, so mechanics will have to adjust to working on those types of automobiles as well.
Keeping abreast of what trends are popular in other countries could soon be just as important as keeping track of what’s happening in your own. By taking a vested interest in the global automotive community, you can not only stay on top of trends, but ensure that your skills are always in demand.
