New UMA foundation will offer learning opportunities and address workforce shortages

NASHVILLE—The United Motorcoach Association’s newest initiative is designed to enhance professional development and address workforce shortages across the industry.

The Bus & Motorcoach Industry Foundation, powered by UMA, was officially launched at the UMA Motorcoach EXPO in Nashville on Jan. 19-23.

The foundation is UMA’s first foray into a charitable 501(c)(3). Over the past six months, UMA President and Chief Executive Officer Stacy Tetschner and Bill Allen, foundation chairman, laid the groundwork for this new industry resource.

The organization will provide content advisement for various learning opportunities, both in-person like the inaugural Sales Summit in 2019, and on-demand through online education that is available anytime, anywhere.

Multi-pronged approach

This goal will be met with a multi-pronged approach:

On-demand learning. UMA is the first trade organization to partner with LinkedIn Learning, the largest online video and development system in the world with more than 13,000 professional development videos.

UMA will work with LinkedIn to create and feature effective content tailored to the needs of those working in the motorcoach industry. These custom-produced videos will be available to subscribers who come to LinkedIn Learning through the website’s UMA portal. Some of the sales video content was developed by the Motorcoach Marketing Council, which came under the UMA umbrella in 2018.

“You will be able to access the content any time in the day, because we know that everything you need is not just available from nine to five; there are times when you need us at 11 at night. We want to make sure you have a resource available to do that,” Tetschner said.

Driver recruiting campaign. UMA is partnering with ABC Companies, which developed a campaign spotlighting why driving buses and motorcoaches is a strong career choice for many. The social media platform “Why I Drive” raises awareness within and outside of the motorcoach industry to identify the next generation of drivers and features 27-year-old driver Sean O’Meara as the spokesperson.

“ABC developed it solely on their own and then, once they found out we were developing this foundation, they thought this would be the perfect platform for us to develop these resources to promote on behalf of the industry to connect you to drivers who want to come into that program,” Tetschner said.

Mechanic training. American Diesel Training Centers recruits people who want to become diesel mechanics by partnering with facilities around the country to co-host their training while keeping costs low. Training is about 25 percent of the cost to attend a traditional vocational school.

“They’re looking to put basic-level mechanics to work and have them train up and learn the business within someone’s facility. So we’ll be developing that program and rolling it out for any of you that are concerned about keeping your mechanics staffed as well,” Tetschner said.

Addressing talent shortage. The foundation’s efforts will address the industry talent shortage, whether that is finding drivers, mechanics or essential staff members. One of the most effective ways to grow a workforce is to give employees an opportunity to take on new challenges and develop new skills. That can be difficult because of tight budgets and busy schedules.

Support for the project is coming through a capital fundraising campaign for the foundation. In this initial fundraising stage, members and vendor partners who contribute at least $5,000—which can be a multiyear donation—will have full access to the video archive. The videos are viewable through employees’ LinkedIn profiles and normally will require subscriptions to watch.

Learn more about the Bus & Motorcoach Industry Foundation at uma.org/foundation.

 

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