Mitchell 1's PerformanceCenter places high school automotive students on certification path

Not only are Mitchell 1's PerformanceCenter (MPC) training sessions providing shop owners and service advisors the professional training they need to help improve and grow their businesses, the program is now also being used in high schools across the country to help ensure that young people get the best possible education, training and preparation for a career within the automotive industry.

"Mitchell 1's PerformanceCenter provides a head start on students' automotive repair career paths, allowing them to actually learn their roles now, while gaining the real-world technical expertise that's required in shops today," says Tim McDonnell, Mitchell 1's national training manager. "Exposure to MPC at the high school level gives these students a clear advantage entering into the automotive repair job market. Because they've had experience with being a service writer and/or technician on Mitchell 1 shop management software, they don't require training because they're already up to speed on program concepts required for these duties in an actual shop. They stand out as more fully qualified candidates, ready to step into the role because they can demonstrate expertise."

At New Caney High School in New Caney, Texas, automotive instructor Jack Garrett uses Mitchell 1's PerformanceCenter as an integral part of his classroom instruction. Students receive shop management certification by watching six learning modules that include actual shop management program screens and work scenarios. Upon passing all six module quizzes, they receive a certificate of completion and an MPC patch.

To further develop their diagnostic skills, Garrett gives each student a paper with a fictitious customer, vehicle and repair issue, and asks how they would go about diagnosing and solving the problems. Once they understand their individual tasks, the students head to their computers and begin writing estimates in Mitchell 1's Manager Plus program, as well as looking up the required parts and labor in Estimator. Depending on what the job calls for, the students can also access specifications and diagrams using OnDemand5.

"In my classroom, the students are both the service advisor and technician," says Garrett. "They have to create the job, go through it, create the estimate, do everything so that if someone like an assistant principal comes in and asks, ‘What is that black Chevrolet truck doing here?' we're able to bring up the order that shows exactly what we're doing to it and who is working on it, just like you would in a regular shop. Even students that come out of post-secondary education often have trouble learning the management system, so PerformanceCenter definitely gives our students an advantage when they go looking for a job."

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Garrett adds, "One of the things that's going on with high schools right now, particularly with vocational programs, is that they're scrambling to get more certifications. I think once word gets out to all the high schools and instructors, they will fully embrace this. Mitchell 1's PerformanceCenter fell right into our lap; it's exactly what we needed."

The goal of PerformanceCenter is to increase users' capabilities with Mitchell 1 programs, and in turn, increase the perceived value of the products to their business.

MPC features include:

Self-paced management software learning modules (30 minutes each)
- High-quality format
- Easy-to-follow program - (just click, watch and learn)
  Available 7-days a week / 24-hours a day