Training new technicians is part of any repair shop owner's job, but some owners warn that assuming any skills an entry level tech might possess can have dangerous results. Recognizing this and the importance of testing in the aftermarket, three organizations in the industry have teamed up again to make skills assessment easier on shop owners.
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) and Skills USA are co-branding end-of-program tests for students in high school and post-high school automotive technology programs.
Now when entry-level technicians come in for interviews, many will be armed with this extra credential. According to Trish Serratore, senior vice president of ASE, it will be a starting place for shop owners to gauge a potential hire's abilities.
"It lets the future employer know that the individual, he went to class. She went to lab work," Serratore says. "He or she took an assessment that will show that the individual learned something."
That is key in today's market when hiring someone new."We can't assume they know anything coming into the shop. That could be a fatal assumption," says Eddie Butler, owner of Butler Automotive in Augusta, Ga. "Even if it's just knowing how to use a piece of equipment, we can't assume anything."
The test will offer a credential students can carry into interviews.
"What it does for the students is it allows them to know that they are taking a test that has total industry support," says Serratore.
Susan Moe, executive director of AYES, reports that the end-of-program test will cover eight areas of automotive service and four areas of collision repair. It most likely will be a combination of theory and vehicle service information in a multiple-choice format.
The target date for the new test is spring 2009, and it most likely will be administered by a proctor in a digital format, though nothing has been decided officially. While it can be administered at a post-secondary level, it is designed more for high school students finishing their programs.
"What we hope to do is bring more quality young men and women to the table to assist them in proving to the shops and dealerships that they are indeed qualified to come into the business," says Tim Lawrence, executive director of Skills USA.
