The concern over the shrinking number of qualified entry-level technicians has been a hot topic in and around the automotive industry for some time now. It also begs the question: what can individual shop owners do to address this state of affairs? If you consider the organizations and programs already available in the industry that could use your support, answering that question is easy. And a good place to start is becoming familiar with the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).

NATEF provides a set of standards for the content of instruction whereby schools offering courses in automotive technology are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

At the moment, there are more than 1,500 NATEF-certified schools nationwide. You can become involved in any number of ways, by volunteering to serve on a school advisory committee or mentoring an intern or entry-level technician, just to name two. You can also offer your financial support to help NATEF, which depends on donations from the industry to accomplish its mission. Both original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket organizations, including ASA, currently provide funding to NATEF to show their commitment to ongoing certification and training. You can do the same.

What does a commitment to ongoing certification and training accomplish? Well, for starters it shows a basic respect and appreciation for your technicians. The willingness to invest in training to keep your technicians up-to-date would seem to be an obvious necessity of any repair business. How else are you going to provide a career path worth following, if you're not willing to help an individual grow and increase his or her skills and value to the company? Encouraging those same technicians to obtain voluntary ASE certification not only increases their value to the company, it increases their professional pride in themselves. Achieving certification provides a badge of accomplishment that consumers can readily identify. It also shows that same sense of commitment to the profession from the technician, and if you're looking for the type of employee who has the motivation to consistently perform, what better yardstick than the demonstrated proficiency of achieving ASE certification?

If you are serious about attracting and retaining the best and the brightest technicians in your shop, an ongoing program of paying training and certification expenses for your employees provides an excellent incentive. You can also use training and certification as part of your employee development program. Providing both as personal goals upon which to base judgments about compensation, bonus plans and promotions makes good business sense.

Smart marketers spotlight their employees' training diplomas and ASE certification in their promotions and advertising to consumers. Encouraging consumers to have their vehicles repaired by an ASE certified technician is an easy sell - provided those consumers are informed of what ASE certification involves. It's a story you should be telling.

Both ASE and NATEF are working to raise the appreciation for the expertise we all know is at the heart of automotive repair. It's not easy, but nothing worthwhile is. Now, more than ever, we need professional credentials and ongoing training to help improve the image of the industry. It's up to all of us to support all efforts that provide the well-trained and educated work force we need to do the job properly.

Ronald H. Weiner has been president of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) since 1982. He also serves as president of the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). A charter member of the ASE board of directors, Weiner has spent more than 40 years in various facets of the automotive industry including five years as president of the Automotive Information Council. He was also instrumental in the formation of the trade organization, Automotive Service Councils (ASC), a precursor to the Automotive Service Association (ASA).

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