{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Downshift With Tonnika","title":"We Created the Technician Shortage | Katie Gates - Ep 41","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":6194,"description":"Tonnika Haynes sits down with Katie Gates for a raw conversation about what it actually takes to build the next generation of automotive technicians. Katie shares her journey from being told automotive wasn't a place for women to becoming a technician, service advisor, trainer, writer, mentor, and field diagnostic technician. But the conversation gets bigger: if the industry is worried about a technician shortage, why are entry-level technicians still being thrown into shops without proper mentorship, training, or support? Tonnika and Katie talk shop culture, technician burnout, investing in training, women in automotive, personal responsibility, and why both owners and technicians have a role in changing the industry.\nTimestamps:\n00:00 – Why Young Technicians Are Leaving\n00:42 – Lipstick, Beards & Getting the Morning Started\n03:13 – Meet Katie: Technician, Advisor, Manager & Trainer\n07:19 – Why Katie Chose Automotive Anyway\n09:32 – The Professor Who Made Her Feel Bulletproof\n11:50 – Mentorship, Wrenching Women Wednesday & Paying It Forward\n16:40 – Women in Auto Care & the Scholarship That Changed Everything\n19:15 – Starting Tech School With a Three-Week-Old Baby\n21:13 – Are Entry-Level Technicians Being Set Up to Fail?\n25:32 – Shop Leaders Need to Get Out and Talk to Their People\n29:07 – Why Training Your Existing Team Is Cheaper Than Replacing Them\n33:25 – Why Tonnika Takes Her Whole Team to Training\n38:00 – We Told Kids NOT to Learn a Trade\n39:56 – “You Told Them Not to Come Here”\n41:11 – Why Automotive Professionals Still Get Disrespected\n47:49 – “You Pushed Them Away” — The Entry-Level Tech Problem\n54:43 – Technicians Have to Invest in Themselves Too\n57:22 – Shop Owners: Get Up and Walk the Shop\n1:00:55 – Building a Culture Where People Actually Communicate\n1:10:07 – Front Counter vs. Back Shop Communication\n1:16:56 – Why Auto Repair Costs What It Costs\n1:23:22 – Building Trust With Your Repair Shop\n1:33:20 – Are We Failing Service Advisors Too?\n1:36:36 –...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/RqLvAXD6t3OmHHS9ZFHGPTGVrggjn4BeYj1DvroAUC4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yNzBj/NmUwMzMxNDk0NTIz/OTlhM2UyNjY5ZDM5/ZmM0NC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}