HONOLULU (KHON2) — There is a growing need for mechanics of all kinds across the country, including here in Hawaii. If that need isn’t filled, it could negatively impact us all.
“The automotive program is still flourishing, really well, also like the diesel program,” Honolulu Community College diesel program instructor Bobby Salvatierra said.
According to Salvatierra, his classes have been full in recent years but added that there is a need for more people to go into the trades.
“We could use a lot more technicians of course,” he said. “I mean all the graduates almost always finds a job, so you know its not a saturated environment.”
The 2024 study by Techforce Foundation shows an increase of 2.8% in the transportation technician workforce nationally, which includes car and diesel mechanics. But, according to the study, it’s not enough to offset the number of mechanics retiring, where replacement needs outweigh growth four to one.
“It’s going to be a big impact, a negative one, which, now you’ve got to wait weeks, maybe months to even get your car repaired,” Salvatierra said.
It will also drive prices up even higher.
“I think the average cost, right now, for automotive repair per hour is $220,” he explained.
Salvatierra said going into mechanics and getting licensed can be lucrative career choice.
“A journeyman technician can make a six-figure income in a diesel field,” he said.
He said learning a trade like automotive or diesel mechanics and working on rigs can also give people the knowledge and skills to go into a variety of different fields.
Alena Bolosan, a graduate from Leeward Community College’s Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training is now pursuing electrical engineering and hopes to ease the workforce decline by inspiring others to pursue a similar pathway.
“It started with my interest in fixing cars and I decided that I wanted to go deeper into the engineering field,” she explained.
She said she sees the need and hopes to inspire others to get into the trades.
“There’s a huge demand for trades people,” Bolosan said. “They’re really like the backbone of our community, and we all work together to produce a working society.”
The 2025 Trades and Motorsports Education Fair to highlight the future of motorsports in Hawaii and the need for skilled technicians will be March 16 at the State Capitol Rotunda between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.