Introduction to a New Generation of Technicians
The American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council has announced the discharge of a brand new augmented reality game app aimed toward attracting and welcoming a brand new generation of expert technicians to the industry. This app, called TMCSuperTech: The Game, is predicated on TMC’s National Technician Skills Competition and is geared towards middle- and high-school students.
What is TMCSuperTech: The Game?
The app is offered as a free download for smart devices on the Apple iOS and Android platforms. It was initially pilot-tested in Arkansas through the state’s Department of Commerce Office of Skills Development. According to ATA President and CEO Chris Spear, "The time is ripe for brand spanking new methods of attracting the following generation technician workforce to our industry." Having a mobile, smart-device-based game is a superb technique of supporting outreach campaigns focused on generating interest within the trucking and transportation industry amongst school-aged children.
How the Game Works
In the app, players learn to diagnose and repair tractor-trailers through a series of three mini-games focused on tire/wheel, brake, and engine repair. Gamers can progress through 15 levels of gameplay, starting as a student technician and ultimately becoming the owner of their very own repair shop. Gamers are rewarded by being "paid" inside the app, with which they should purchase special paint jobs for his or her fleet of trucks and other performance improvements.
Links to Career Opportunities
Links inside the game direct students to TMC and its outreach partner, the TechForce Foundation, where they’ll find out about profession and scholarship opportunities for becoming a industrial vehicle technician. TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell said, "Today’s technician faces very different challenges than 30 years ago — they usually tend to use a pc than a crescent wrench to repair today’s industrial vehicles." Gamification is a compelling latest strategy to reach people, especially a younger audience, through smartphones and tablets.
Partners and Sponsors
Providing students with all of the tools needed to learn more about high-demand, high-wage profession opportunities is paramount. Andrew Parker, executive director of Be Pro Be Proud, said, "TMC has for many years been the leading force for developing the talent pipeline for America’s trucking industry. Their introduction of TMCSuperTech is the following evolution of their incredible work." Be Pro Be Proud will offer students access to the TMCSuperTech mobile game during their Spring 2021 tour stops. The game was developed in partnership with Design Interactive, based in Orlando, Florida, and is sponsored by Travel Centers of America, Arkansas’ OSD, Cummins, Dana, Worldwide Equipment, Volvo Trucks Academy, and Peterson Manufacturing.
Conclusion
TMCSuperTech: The Game is offered without cost within the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This modern app is an exciting latest strategy to attract and have interaction the following generation of technicians within the trucking industry. By providing a fun and interactive strategy to find out about industrial vehicle repair, TMC helps to deal with the industry’s workforce needs and supply students with useful skills and profession opportunities. With its release, TMCSuperTech: The Game is poised to make a big impact on the longer term of the trucking industry.
