Fleet Maintenance - 34

TRAINING

» Fig. 1: While nearly
half of students believe
they are "extremely well
prepared," 43 percent
indicated they were only
"somewhat prepared."

» Fig. 2: This outcome
is different from those
surveyed as students.
There seems to be a
significant jump in both
"Non-accredited" and
"Other" categories for
program graduates.
*Other automotive jobs included shop foreman, golf course equipment, motocycle, construction equipment, machinist, and hot rod.

Where are all the
students going?
Survey results indicate a discrepancy
in preparedness and enthusiasm
for the industry between current
students and graduates.
Author note: This
article is based on
my personal interpretation of the results
and information
contained in the
survey developed by
the ASE Education
Foundation. None
of my comments in
this article are meant
to reflect the official
position of ASE.

The ASE Education Foundation recently
conducted an Automotive Career Survey to
gain an understanding of current and graduated student opinions of ASE training and certification, and to understand job placement after
completion of training in automotive, collision,
and medium/heavy duty truck programs in
the U.S.
ASE invited 157,804 current students and
graduates to complete the survey, sent in three
separate formats. A total of 2,760 current
students and 1,946 graduates responded to
the survey.

By George Arrants

Outlook for current students

The results were broken out by accredited and
non-accredited educational programs. The first
important indicator was the question, "Do
you intend to pursue a career in automotive
service technology?" (It is important to note
that in the survey "automotive" in this question refers to transportation training and not
just light duty vehicles.) For this question, 59
percent of students in accredited programs
stated "definitely," compared to only 37 percent
in non-accredited programs. Of the students
surveyed, just over one quarter advised they
would "probably" pursue an automotive service
career. Another 20 percent said they have no
plans to pursue a career in automotive service.
The responses to the question "How well do
you think your training program is preparing
you for employment?" raised an eyebrow for
me (see Fig. 1). While nearly half of students
believe they are "extremely well prepared," 43
percent indicated they were only "somewhat
prepared." What does that mean? My take on
this is that many students, especially those in
non-accredited programs, are just not sure of
their ability. Does this translate into students
seeking other professions and/or career tracks?
Students were also asked "Have you participated in a work-based program?" - which

TRAINING CONSULTANT, K&D TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
George Arrants is the training consultant for K&D Technical Innovations. As an automotive education consultant specializing in National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF)/ASE Accreditation,
Arrants works with instructors and administrators to develop partnerships with local business and industry
through program advisory committees. He chairs the Technology and Maintenance Council's TMCSuperTech
the National Technician Skills Competition and the TMCFutureTech the National Student Technician
Competition. His entire career has been in the automotive service and education industries.

34 Fleet Maintenance | May 2019

includes programs such as internships
or apprenticeships. Work-based learning
programs are critical and provide students
with an increased understanding of the industry and the occupation first-hand. Only 35
percent of accredited programs did not have
students engaged in some form of work-based
learning, while over half of non-accredited
students did not participate.
Not having exposure to real-world work
environments with these programs may
contribute to the technician shortage. For each
program that is not engaged with industry,
those students (which in some cases could be
20 or more annually) may never get the opportunity to experience the workplace environment and benefits.
When it comes to opinions on ASE certification testing, 83 percent of students believed
their school offered testing. Of those respondents, 84 percent indicated they had passed
one or more of the tests. Sixty-six percent of
accredited student respondents said ASE certification was "extremely important" to their
advancement in automotive service, and another 24 percent stated it was "somewhat important." Nearly half of non-accredited student
respondents indicated ASE certification was
"extremely important" to their advancement
in the field, with another quarter saying it was
"somewhat important." This is a good sign that
schools and students are taking and passing
the student certification test and that they find
value in ASE certification.

Feedback from graduates

The graduates who responded to the survey
were asked "In which of the following types of
jobs are you currently employed?" (See Fig. 2)
This outcome is different from those
surveyed as students, and there seems to be a
significant jump in both "Non-accredited" and
"Other" categories. The survey also revealed
that 55 percent of both accredited and non-accredited graduates were "Very Satisfied" with
their career decision.
At first glance this may lead you to believe
the schools and industry are doing a good job
preparing and engaging these graduates. But,
the survey also revealed that 42 percent of
graduates surveyed are no longer in the automotive service industry.
Of those no longer in the industry, 18 percent
entered technical trades and another 14
percent are in the retail/food service field. They
are leaving our industry and going somewhere
else. Some of that could be the starting pay.
It would be interesting to see the breakdown
of which transportation fields - automotive,
collision, or medium/heavy duty truck - are
seeing the most displaced from their original
training into another field.
From what I've seen across the country,
starting pay in the truck/diesel industry is
very good, compared to other segments with
lower starting wages. Another interesting
point: 11 percent indicated they pursued
other school or training and another 10
percent are unemployed.

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