NADA effort aims to boost auto retailing diversity

NADA has partnered with the National Urban League, a historic civil rights organization, on a work force development initiative aimed at recruiting, hiring and training more women and minorities in auto retailing.

The initiative consists of two pilot programs — technician apprenticeships and dealership internships — designed to promote diversity and inclusion among the next generation of dealership employees.

"This is not just a moral priority. This is an initiative that's good for dealers," Paul Walser, NADA's 2021 chairman, said at a news conference Friday.

"If we can change the face of this industry — if we can be recognized as an industry that does great work in terms of both gender and minority, racial diversity — it's going to make us look good, it's going to make us better," Walser added. "Diverse teams work better together. They get better results."

The National Urban League's New Orleans chapter will lead the development and recruitment for the technician apprenticeship program, and the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association will assist with the training portion, NADA said.

The program will recruit candidates from historically Black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions and universities with diverse student populations, the association noted.

"We're going to help you find the type of young people who can help you run your dealership someday and maybe have their own dealership," said Don Cravins, COO of the National Urban League. "And then we're going to just work on … how do we make our country stronger, by being a more diverse work force, a more inclusive work force and a more equitable place."

Myra Dandridge, NADA's executive director of external affairs and public policy, stressed that there's more work ahead beyond this partnership.

"This is not a one and done," Dandridge said.