Over the last two years Autobahn Fort Worth has doubled the size of its service department. Once the auto dealer moves to a bigger location at the end of 2026, they project the service department will double again.
Company leaders foresee a need for trained auto technicians in an industry that’s always searching for them.
“You’ll hear most dealers whine about how they can’t hire technicians. They can’t find anybody,” said Brendan Harrington, president of Autobahn Fort Worth.
As chair of the Automotive Task Force with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Harrington decided to do something about the problem. The chamber analyzed the needs of the industry and how to train students to get the skills they need to succeed in the field.
One step in that direction is a $50,000 donation from Autobahn Fort Worth to students in the automotive technology program at Tarrant County College’s South campus. Ten $5,000 scholarships will be awarded this year. Students will also earn $20 an hour in paid internships at Autobahn Fort Worth. The hope is that once they graduate, they enter a growing industry that typically pays an entry-level technician an annual salary of about $50,000.
At the luxury car dealer, where Autobahn Fort Worth services BMWs, Volvos, Volkswagens and other cars, most experienced technicians make around $100,000. A few highly sought-after master technicians can make north of $200,000 annually, car dealer officials said. To gain the skills to make that kind of money takes time.
“Everyone wants a master, trained technician to walk through the door and be like, ‘I’m ready to work,’” said Harrington. “That happens so rarely, and no one is willing to commit for the five years it takes to train someone from a brand new (employee) to being a technician who’s effective.”
TCC’s South campus enrolls around 400 students each year in automotive service programs. Over the past four years, the college has nearly doubled its placement rate. Now, 65% of its graduates go on to work in the industry, college officials said.
“We’re teaching them, bumper to bumper, everything they should do, they should know to get started working,” said Tracy Miller, an instructor in automotive service technology. “You’re going to know enough of the basics to be able to get by and work your way in the industry.”
Business leaders like Steve Montgomery, the president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, want TCC students to learn the skills needed to navigate the modern automotive world.
“The old days of working on a carburetor, that’s history right now,” said Montgomery. “It’s high tech. It’s a lot of digital stuff, a lot of diagnostic equipment.”
Through the business partnership with Tarrant County College, he said, both can learn to pivot in an evolving industry.