NADA's Automotive Career Week Kicks Off Today

Students to Explore Auto Careers in New Car & Truck Dealerships Nationwide

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 24 -- Students around the country will learn about a variety of career opportunities available in automobile and truck dealerships this week, October 24-29, during Automotive Career Week, a program sponsored by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).

More than 700 new car and truck dealerships will host career events for high school and middle school students in their communities. Governors in 14 states have joined NADA in proclaiming the last week in October Automotive Career Week. These states include California, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

In a time of economic uncertainty and cutbacks in many other industries, automobile and truck dealerships are expanding rapidly in all areas of their operations.

"Many young people and their parents are surprised to learn that dealerships offer outstanding opportunities, including high-tech careers that pay well," said Jack Kain, NADA chairman and a Kentucky new car dealer. "This is a chance to share our experiences about this rewarding profession with these young people; we hope that many will end up deciding on a career in our industry," he added.

Students participating in Automotive Career Week will receive a "behind- the-scenes" tour of a dealership in their area to see first-hand how the business works in sales, service and parts. During the event, they will have an opportunity to interact directly with dealership employees and view a newly released video on auto careers.

The auto sales business is the largest retail industry in the U.S., already employing more than 1.1 million people, and thousands of additional qualified professionals are needed through the next decade alone.

With dealership businesses growing, dynamic positions with high-income potential can be found in such fields as:

   * Sales
   * Auto Repair and Service
   * Finance
   * Marketing
   * Management
   * Administration
   * Design
   * Internet Services
   * Communications.

Many dealers will continue to host career events throughout the year. NADA has provided its members with a kit offering guidance on organizing an effective career event.

The kit can be ordered year-round by dealers at http://www.nada.org/careers. A list of dealerships participating in Automotive Career Week and their event dates is also available on that site.

The National Automobile Dealers Association, founded in 1917 and based in McLean, VA, represents approximately 20,000 franchised new car and truck dealers, with nearly 43,000 separate franchises, both domestic and international.