The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 76,600 auto mechanics are needed to be trained annually through 2016.

There are only 1,500 students enrolled in New Jersey high school vo-tech programs, and 163 students in two-year public colleges.

A certified auto technician could start out making $15 an hour, but the average salary is more than $59,000 a year — close to the national median.

Ruan Van Der Merwe began working with his hands when he was only 6 on his family’s South African farm. He’s always been a self-described grease monkey.

Higher education for trade careers, however, wasn’t pushed at his alma mater, Basking Ridge High School.

“It’s not that they didn’t care about technical schools, but they cared more about four-year schools,” said Van Der Merwe, who is now 29 and a diesel technician student at the Universal Technical Institute in Bloomfield, which opened earlier this year.

Manufacturers, such as Ford, BMW, Volvo, and their dealerships hope to help educators turn a corner on automotive training to meet U.S. demand for repair jobs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the nation will need an average of 76,600 car and light truck mechanics annually through 2026. In New Jersey, that accounts for 3,400 jobs each year, or 23,800 over the next seven years, according to Jim Appleton, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers. And the number of young automotive technicians graduating from the state's vocation programs is not enough to meet the need.

“The demand is staggering,” Appleton said.

New Jersey voters recently approved the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act, allocating millions to vocational schools and community colleges that may trickle down to auto tech training. Of the $500 million approved, $350 million will be set aside for vocational programs, as well as K-12th security. A specific amount for vocational or automotive education has not been determined, according to Judy Savage, executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.

"Automotive is one of the longest-standing programs in those schools," she said. "It is hard to afford the equipment, which is computer-driven and continually in need of updates to keep up with what the industry expects."

Dealerships account for 31 percent of U.S. technician market. They have 4.5 percent, or 10,400 workers, turning wrenches at 520 New Jersey service centers, according to Appleton.

In the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes New Jersey, dealership techs earn an average $59,543 annually, he said.

Someone who put more time and money into a bachelor's degree, by comparison, earned a median annual income of $62,600 in New Jersey in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

New Jersey’s mean hourly wage for auto techs is $23, or $49,400 annually, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. The higher-paying jobs come with experience, especially in dealerships and fleet management, industry and education officials say.

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Today’s work requires computer savvy in addition to the mechanical skills, which makes recruitment of qualified candidates challenging, said Alan Graf Jr., co-owner of Teterboro Chrysler Jeep in Little Ferry.

According the New Jersey Department of Education, 28 public high school districts offer automotive education, including the vocations school districts in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.

About 1,500 high school students enrolled in automotive programs at the state's 21 county vocational schools in 2015-16. There were 2,245 students enrolled in transportation studies, according to Savage.

This fall, 163 students are enrolled in automotive technician classes at public two-year colleges statewide, according to the New Jersey Office of Higher Education.

But not every graduate of an automotive vocational program starts work as a mechanic.

Listen to NorthJersey.com's Owen Proctor talk about the need for auto mechanics in New Jersey on the "The Car Doctor" radio show. Story continues below.

“Whether [the students] go into the field or not, it’s good to know how to fix something yourself,” said Graf, whose sons, Evan and Alec Graf have attended automotive classes at Ramsey High School. But if they do pursue a career in auto repair, it can be rewarding, he said.

Someone right out of automotive school can earn $20 an hour at his dealership, but over time, they could earn as much as $40 an hour — about $83,200 assuming a 40-hour work week. But workers can potentially put in 90 to 100 hours a week.

“The opportunities are out there as long as you have the drive,” Graf said. “I’ve got people making over $100,000, plus pension and benefits.”

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Smaller shops, like the Joe Guarino's Automotive Center in Garfield, have the same needs and challenges.

“Finding young people who want to get in the field seems rare,” Guarino said. “For A-list guys, they are few and far between, and the experienced baby boomers are retiring.”

Workers who are right out of school and have little experience start out earning $15 to $20 at his shop, but Guarino keeps wages competitive as their skills and competence grow, he said.

It’s “a longer path” for on-the-job trainees, starting at $10 to $15 an hour doing light maintenance, but no shop job is outsourced to India or the Sun Belt, Appleton said. An auto tech, after one to two years of training, has job security in less time, expense and debt than a four-year graduate, he said.

“I don’t think we’re doing high school graduates any favors steering all of them the college route,” he said.

Graduates of the automotive program at Wayne Valley High School come away with a key certification that is needed for most repair jobs. The high school shop program is Automotive Service Excellence accredited and only three New Jersey general education high schools have that industry distinction.

The garage prepares pupils for an entry-level ASE certification, a ticket to a job. The certification is valid for two years, and it allows students to get their foot in the door without prior experience, said Ken Bergen, who has taught Wayne Valley’s automotive classes for 23 years.

In the classroom, students learn theory then apply their knowledge in the garage. They work on the faculty’s cars, a demolition car, or small equipment like snow blowers that students bring from home.

Seven students in Wayne's programs work in commercial shops after school. Wayne Valley senior Justin Sandner does a work study at Paul's Volvo in Hawthorne.

"I make $11 an hour, not bad for a student still in high school," the 17-year-old said. "You can read all the theory you want. You have to know what you're doing, but I don't see how you learn anything without actually doing it."

Sandner plans to attend the Pennsylvania College of Technology, where he plans to enroll in a three-year diesel program, and would earn two associate degrees.

After high school, many in those classes pursue other studies at four-year colleges, but some go straight to work rather than pursuing higher education.

John Nouri Jr., of Broadway SuperCars in South Hackensack, said he was a mediocre student at Wayne Valley when he took Bergen’s class during his senior year in 2000.

“It was the only place for me because there was no way I was going to college,” he said.

The high school training, along with a Lincoln Technical Institute course in Mahwah, was enough to prepare him for a job at his father’s Broadway Auto Repair. He eventually opened his own business, an exotic car rental shop, Nouri said.

“The value out of college, in addition to the cost, is horrible unless you’re going to be a doctor, lawyer or architect,” Nouri said.

After working several years at Euro Performance in Bound Brook for about $12 an hour, Van Der Merwe, who lives in Chatham, wanted to fast track his education at Universal Technical Institute, which opened its 13th school this past August in Bloomfield.

“We decided to come to the Metro New Jersey-New York market because of the high demand,” UTI-Bloomfield President Steve McElfresh said. “We know there are jobs waiting for our graduates when they’re here.”

About 800 students are anticipated to enroll annually. There are daily student shuttles from Newark’s Penn Station.

“We teach as if you know nothing,” McElfresh said. “We’ve had students that have never touched a vehicle in their life and went on to a career as an automotive tech.”

The year-long program, which can advance to manufacturer designed courses, costs $35,000, which is more expensive than a public community college program, but it’s a faster track than pursuing an associate degree, the president said.

New Jersey's annual average tuition and fees for a public two-year college are $4,652, according to the Office of Higher Education.

Additionally, some high school vocational districts offer post secondary automotive programs in the afternoon or night. Middlesex's full-year program costs about $3,700, while part-time adult training elsewhere can range from $1,500 to $1,700 per program, Savage said.

Other institutes, such as the secondary Morris and Essex schools of technology, offer post secondary continuing education, usually under $500 per class.

“They are all way less expensive than for-profit schools,” Savage noted.

ASE certifications are available in nine categories, eight non-diesel including engine, transmission, drive train, brakes and electronics. The eight non-diesel certifications earn a Master Technician status.

UTI coursework counts toward ASE's two-year, on-the-job training requirement, and it steers all curricula toward ASE testing, Van Der Merwe said.

After his graduation in diesel, and other specialty courses, he anticipates receiving ASE certifications leading to a career in fleet management in hopes of making $100,000-plus.

"It's the American dream," Van Der Merwe said. "I hope to retire at 55 and not have to work the rest of my life."

Email: proctor@northjersey.com