The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) program is new. It has been around less than two years. An Automotive Service Association (ASA) past chairman -Donald C. Seyfer, AAM -was heavily involved in its development. And, much of it was modeled after the Continuing Medical Education (CME) program for physicians and medical technicians.

ASE's education foundation, the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF), working with representatives from the automotive training industry, developed the CASE program in response to numerous requests from automotive training organizations. They wanted ASE to certify their training, as ASE already did for entry-level automotive programs in high schools, technical schools and colleges.

Primarily responsible for formation of the CASE program was Don Dew, director of special projects for NATEF.

Seyfer, owner of Seyfer Automotive in Wheat Ridge, Colo., said Dr. Kevin Bunnell of Boulder, Colo., who was largely responsible for putting together the CME program and has worked on accreditation programs for other industries, sat in every meeting when NATEF was putting together the CASE program and contributed greatly to the effort. NATEF had retained Dr. Bunnell as a consultant. Although CASE has similarities to the CME program and programs developed for other organizations, it was tailored specifically for the automotive industry.

Seyfer himself has been instrumental in the evolvement of the CASE program. And, he said, his efforts in this endeavor will continue.

He serves on the board of directors of ASE and is immediate past chairman of the NATEF board of trustees.

He is a member of the In-service Training Committee (ITC), which was appointed by the NATEF board of trustees to oversee the development and implementation of the CASE program. Members of the committee include ASE and NATEF board members, as well as non-board members.

When a training provider is evaluated for ASE certification for CASE, part of that evaluation process calls for a team to visit the training provider on-site. Seyfer is an evaluation team member.

Seyfer said it is extremely important that shop owners and technicians continually ask training providers if they are certified by ASE to present courses.

"Such courses will meet industry standards and we won't waste our time and money on courses that too often prove not to be beneficial," said Seyfer.

Training providers are happy about the program, said Seyfer. He cited the case of Larry Yeager, formerly director of technical services for Engine Systems Learning in Chicago, which has long enjoyed a reputation in the automotive industry for providing quality courses. "We thought we had a good training program, but going through the CASE certification process made our program so much better," said Yeager. Yeager's successor at Engine Systems Learning, Larry Lamb, said he agrees wholeheartedly with Yeager's comments.

Most technicians agree that good training is one of the biggest needs in the automotive industry today. As cars become more and more advanced, training is imperative for a shop that wants to stay in business.

One of the largest providers of technician training is aftermarket manufacturers and vendors. Companies like NAPA, Snap-on, Federal-Mogul as well as many others are offering extensive training courses for technicians with varying levels of expertise.

These training programs have become a large industry, and are often independent entities within the company. The NAPA Institute of Automotive Technology (NIAT) is NAPA's extensive training organization that offers hundreds of courses that can be led by an instructor or self-study. Most other training providers have similar groups coordinating their training efforts.

The image of these large training programs is changing as well. Many conceptions of vendor- and manufacturer-provided training are becoming a thing of the past. According to Tim Waters, All Pro/Bumper to Bumper vice president, manufacturer training has changed from a glorified sales pitch to a real focus on repair. "Most companies have stopped assigning greatness to their product and started emphasizing the importance of the repair," Waters said.

Waters also said that they look for trainers who are not even aware of the product lines they carry to ensure that the sessions aren't a manufacturer's push.

The emphasis has shifted from simply how to use a manufacturer's product to a strong focus on diagnostics. The objective of many of these courses is to help the technician identify and think through the problem, not just replace a bad part. Doug Vidler, Snap-on's director of training operations, says, "the focus has shifted from nuts and bolts training to strategy-based diagnostics." Allen Mytyk, training manager for Federal-Mogul, echoes this sentiment. "The goal of our training is to help the technicians become diagnosticians, not just part-changers."

Vidler says their objective is to provide quality education, not to sell products. "The training program is a stand-alone operating unit within the company and is not subsidized by sales from a product," said Vidler.

Mytyk agrees. "We have always focused on helping technicians diagnose problems, not pushing products," Mytyk said.

He feels, as does Waters, that the opportunity to provide quality training to current and potential customers builds relationships that will benefit both the customer and the vendor. "We feel that if technicians receive quality training from us, then they will be more inclined to buy our parts," Mytyk said.

Not only do the companies benefit from the exposure they receive from providing training, but they are, in essence, ensuring their future. Their goal is to keep their customer base alive and successful. The more successful the shop, the more products they'll buy.

This benefits the technician because the companies are working hard to meet their needs and provide them a good training alternative to the OEMs, according to Don Dew, director of special projects for the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).

Dew feels positive about the changes that are being made in aftermarket training programs. He says the company-sponsored programs are working to be more accessible for technicians, and are providing more advanced learning theories. "OEM training can be limiting to independent shop owners and is often very product specific. Aftermarket manufacturer training is broader in scope," adds Dew.

Technicians can find almost any kind of training through these programs. The courses range anywhere from self-study to intensive, week-long workshops. Fees vary also based on the length and complexity of the training program.

Is the average technician eligible to participate in any of the courses? For the most part, yes. Some companies like NAPA, All Pro/Bumper to Bumper and Dana offer training to anyone who purchases their products or from their stores. And others like Snap-on and Federal-Mogul open their training program to anyone, regardless if they are a customer.

Federal-Mogul's Mytyk says that while their courses are open to anyone, they screen applicants carefully to ensure they have the proper experience to benefit the most from the training. "We don't want people to walk out and feel like they wasted their money. That's why we make sure they have the experience necessary to take the most from the courses," Mytyk said.

Another important issue technicians face with training programs is accessibility and convenience. Some companies such as Dana have one primary training center where the courses are conducted. Those participating in the training must come to them. They are now offering more locations for their training. According to Bill McKnight, manager of education/development for Dana, "We now have training courses that travel to six or seven locations around the country so it will be more convenient for our customers."

Snap-on has 48 training centers all over the country, and also provides courses in remote areas through community colleges and vocational schools.

While there are many training location options today, companies say that training availability will be even more widespread and convenient in the near future.

NAPA's Kiple says, "With more and more people having access to computers and the Internet, a lot of the training programs will be computer-based."

Dana's McKnight said they will soon be able to have interactive training, where participants from all over the country can be wired in to an instructor and participate in training from remote locations.

Another change that has taken place in manufacturer and vendor training programs is an increased emphasis on the electrical aspects of cars. Snap-on's Vidler has seen an increase in this area. "It is important to get into this area because even though actual problems with the newer cars are fewer, the knowledge that it takes to fix existing problems is greater."

Federal-Mogul's Mytyk has also found the interest from the participants in the training programs to be on electronics, anti-lock brake systems, OBD-II and similar areas. As a result, the trainers must bring their training staff up to date with the constantly advancing products OEMs are producing.

Most training providers feel that the amount of training and participants will only increase as cars become more complex. NAPA's Kiple has already seen a steady increase in attendance over the last five years. "Technicians have always said that training is of prime importance, but usually couldn't find the time to participate. They have finally succumbed to the fact that they need the training for survival."