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f PERSONNEL FILE
Page 67
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A shortage of trained parts personnel will hit the truck industry in the 1990s, and unless companies act to attract and train school-leavers and graduates they could face a crisis.
This is the prediction of Vol vo Trucks parts division marketing manager Stephen Kirk, who says declining birthrates in the 1970s mean 25% fewer 17 to 25-year-olds will be available to enter the road haulage industry.
He says manufacturers must get rid of the "old stores image" that parts operations are saddled with. Working in parts is an extremely skilled job which requires staff to listen to customers and identify the cor
rect part from their description, he says. They need a high degree of technical knowledge.
Volvo offers trainee parts personnel in its dealerships and service operations a self-study kit which includes three training courses covering the truck product range, tools needed and microfiche use.
New staff also learn telephone techniques and customer contact. Around 40 easy-toread Volvo induction packs have been distributed and another 50 are in production, says Kirk. "We try to work with our people as early as we can."
He says all manufacturers must update their parts image and make their training more professional if they want to have the right calibre of young staff working for them in the next decade.