Have you tried to get your car into the shop lately and ran into delays? You’re not alone. Service shops are dealing with an ongoing labor shortage of automotive technicians. One Rochester area school for mechanics is working to help solve the issue. It’s a big one.

Breckin Parsons grew up around cars. Now he’s learning to fix them.  

“It's been kinda around my entire life,” said Parsons, a student in Monroe Community College’s Automotive Technology program. “Started as a little boy. You know, little boys like cars. So I watched the movie 'Cars,' it only got worse from there. And after a while I wanted to get into the real thing, so in high school I started taking classes. Here we are.”

Parsons is looking for a career as an auto mechanic. When he graduates, finding a job shouldn’t be hard.

“There are no shortage of positions out there currently,” said Eric Strong, an assistant professor at the school. “We don't have any problem filling any positions out there, whether it's a dealership or an independent shop, there's a really great need right now for technicians.”

Before coming to MCC, Strong spent 19 years in the field. He teaches future mechanics at a time when service shops are having a hard time finding them. According to the National Auto Dealers Association, 76,000 service technicians leave the industry every year, while schools in the U.S. turn out fewer than half that amount of new ones.

“There has never been a better time to get into the trades, and right now there's a lot of opportunities out there,” he said. “The industry is paying really well for people with talent who want to do this for a living.”

Many of the automotive students grew up watching relatives fix cars. Michael Ta’Phan learned from his uncles.

“Not knowing what they were doing, but being interested enough to learn what they're doing, really got me into it,” said Ta’Phan.

Tresor Niyonkuru has a similar story. He has an internship in the city of Rochester fleet garage.

“I feel very happy because that’s something I always wanted to do,” said Niyonkuru. “That’s my passion.”

In fact, most students already have jobs waiting for them through a partnership between MCC and local dealerships and shops. When students aren’t in the garage, they’re in the classroom, talking — and learning — shop.

“They have more experience when they get in there,” said Strong. “They can more easily hit the ground running.”

For Parsons, it’s good to know once he graduates, he’ll be in demand. With more job openings than people to fill them.

“I can go wherever I want and have somewhere to work,” he said.  “Different cars to work on, different cars to see, different cars to buy.  And just tinker on whatever I want.  All while making a buck.”