How important is training to shop owners and
technicians today?
Ten years ago technician training was not
nearly important as it is today. Vehicles were slightly less
complicated high strength steel was for bumper reinforcements and
we were just entering the multi stage and located everywhere safety
systems we have today. I took my first ASE test about ten years
ago. I felt the need to validate my 30 years experience with some
training and some verification of what I felt like I already
knew!
I tested well and got grades in the 90% zone.
I was now ASE master certified. I also obtained some General Motors
structural training that year and felt like I was validated. The
dealership I did work for at the time was under pressure to even
have their sublet shops like mine, certified to do warranty repairs
on GM vehicles.
Today's environment is far more complicated
than then. Shops that have relationships with Insurer's are being
force fed training. Technicians and other shops may be free from
mandated training, but this may also damage your shop image.
Training is far more important than we once thought.
Liability for our repair work being foremost
on the list of things we take seriously, proper training can also
avoid important issues affecting shop liability for repairs. At
least I would recommend looking up the repair procedure for the job
at hand. OEM's all provide this information on the web. This
information may not be Free; however subscription's can be
purchased for 48 hours in some cases. The prices I have paid seemed
very reasonable for the amount of information that was available.
If I can find all the secret clips for panel removal and not break
something that costs several hundred dollars I feel like the
purchase was worth the price. Cars and parts are super expensive
today compared to ten years ago. I think that replacement parts
prices can seem out of hand compared to what a vehicle is worth.
That subject is for another time.
Liability for safe repairs and following OEM
repair procedures can help protect you from future law suits. We
all want our repairs to be safe but who better to certify a method
for repair than the designer of the vehicle? Sectioning procedures,
welding procedures, coatings, corrosion prevention and part
removal. Just these few items can make the factory procedure worth
looking up!
I-Car offers some great training, although more
general and not model specific, the procedures and outlines can be
very helpful in your shop. I teach I-Car classes part time and I
have found that the information portrayed can be very helpful.
General safety, personal safety, care of vehicle, handling of
hazardous waste and the list goes on. I-Car offers hundreds of
relevant classes for all aspects of collision repair. A lot more
options exist than in the past. There are Alliance classes for
tech's starting out, I-Car Live 4 hour setting and I-Car online.
All are helpful and my students get 2 hours classroom and 2 hours
lab twice a week. The techs with more experience do not need to
learn the basics. I have found there are some good things to learn.
Of the 50 classes I can teach, I have taken away something for
every class.
Don't rule out training at any level of Auto
body employment. Things in our trade are constantly changing. If
you do what you always do, you will get what you always get!
Bob Winfrey
