CEO Jim Farley explained on a recent episode of the “Office Hours: Business Edition” podcast that Ford has roughly 5,000 open mechanic positions. The pay is strong at $120,000 a year.
Farley said it takes about five years of training and hands-on experience to learn how to pull a diesel engine from a Super Duty. But the country isn’t producing enough people with that capability. He blamed the hollowing out of trade education and said the nation has failed to invest in a new generation of workers who could make a solid living in these roles.
The automotive sector alone sees an annual deficit of about 37,000 trained technicians, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.