The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) announced a program aimed at the technician shortage at the NADA show in Dallas.

The new a pilot service technician apprenticeship program will launch in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.

NADA has partnered with the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association (LADA) and the Urban League of Louisiana's Office of Workforce Development to place aspiring technicians into apprenticeships at local Louisiana dealerships.

The NADA Foundation will fund the initiative, according to a news release.

“This pilot program is the first step in what we hope will one day be a national program to recruit, train and place trained technicians in dealerships across the country,” said NADA Foundation chairwoman Annette Sykora, owner of Smith Auto Family in Levelland, Texas, in a press release.

“Working with our Urban League partners, we will identify aspiring technicians, train them at a participating dealership and community college, and place them into critical work at Louisiana Dealerships,” Sykora continued. “Our vision is to create a program that can scale anywhere.”

The Urban League of Louisiana will select up to 20 candidates to start its four-week professional and life skills training program in February. After completion of that training, the candidates will be placed with participating dealerships where they will shadow dealership employees as they take technician classes at either Baton Rouge Community College or Delgado Community College.

“We are excited that this important workforce development program is taking root in Louisiana through the Urban League of Louisiana, National Urban League, and National Automobile Dealers Association,” said Urban League of Louisiana president and CEO Judy Reese Morse. “This is yet another opportunity for our local technicians to develop and this program creates equitable pathways for a stronger and more innovative automotive industry in our state.”

Once candidates complete this training, they will begin working at the dealerships as technician apprentices. The apprenticeship program will run for approximately 18 months and include both ASE and OEM certifications.