Ford/WANADA Tech Training Partnership an Unqualified Success

Ford/WANADA Tech Training Partnership an Unqualified Success

“If you have a good guy with a genuine interest in making this his career, itês a great program,” says Steve Capps, service director for Sheehy Ford of Gaithersburg, speaking about the WANADA Technician Training Program. And Capps ought to know. He has a –hat trick” of three graduates of the program who have been working in his shop as line technicians for more then three years plus a new tech he just hired who is now enrolled in Module 1 at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, the key training site of WANADAês Automobile Dealers Education Institute (ADEI).

These young men are prime examples of the extraordinary success of the partnership between WANADA and Ford Motor Company, which spawned the WANADA Technician Training Program that has helped more than 160 individuals begin or enhance their careers at Ford and its family of brands dealers – and numerous other dealers – in the Washington, D.C. region. And with the creation of ADEI last year, the program has evolved into a flexible, –mix-and-match” training resource able to fill critical tech training needs from certified MLR (maintenance and light repair) to master technician of dealerships of all makes.

Sheehy Ford’s Gary King, for example, is a front-end technician on Cappsê alignment team, where he and a senior tech split the hours. Mike Austin is a regular line technician who also supervises the quick lube team. Heês the guy who fields the questions and oversees the work to make sure itês done right, which earns him a percentage of the hours that they turn. Tyler Witt is a diesel technician in the Sheehy Ford truck center, where Capps says he –is doing very well,” and is working on becoming certified. Lucas Kresse is the latest hire, and he is training to become certified as an automatic transmission technician.

“Theyêve all done well in the WANADA program. They all really valued the training and they highly recommend it,” Capps adds.

From Marine to Master Tech

Shawn Stanley, who served with the Marines in Kuwait, heard about the WANADA program through his wife, who works in the titling department at Martens Cars of Washington. He was particularly interested because WANADAês Montgomery College training facility is an approved training site under the Department of Veteranês Affairs –On-The-Job Training and Apprentice Training” program, which allows veterans to receive a monthly stipend for up to two years of post-service training.

Eight months before his discharge, Stanley called Archie Avedisian, a top recruiter on WANADAês –tech team,” and signed on. In early 2005, he enrolled at MC, where it was obvious from the start that he had the –right stuff.” Today, Stanley is on track to become a fully certified master tech in Martensê Volvo service operation by the end of this year.

–Shawn was a very good candidate for training,” says Service Manager Paul Heister. He really applies himself and is self driven. In fact, rarely does a tech push me for training as hard as Shawn does, so I pretty much let him loose and let him take as many classes as he can digest.” Currently, Stanley is signed up for four Volvo training classes that will qualify him for master tech.

Heister calls the WANADA tech training –a very well organized, structured program. They try to screen and pick the right candidates for the class, and we all know how tough that is. Iêm surprised that all dealers are not involved in it.”

A Unique Partnership

Active recruitment and thorough screening of top high school graduates, mentoring and support while in training, and ongoing follow-up assistance at the work site to ensure the success and advancement of trainees were core elements of the Ford WANADA Apprenticeship Training Program when it was launched in 2001 as the first cooperative effort between a manufacturer and a dealer association to “grow your own” qualified technicians. And it is still these personalized services administered by the associationês experienced “tech team that set WANADA’s program apart from other industry training programs.

From the beginning, the WANADA program was designed as a structured, industry-centric curriculum based on National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) standards and focused on Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification. This would be combined with full-time, on-the-job training and employment at participating dealerships. Originally a training specific program for Ford family dealerships, the program was opened to dealerships of all makes in 2004. Building on Success

ADEI, a 501c3 corporation, was established by WANADA in 2006 to further focus on the specific needs of dealerships. An immediate goal is to expand ADEI training to Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), and, eventually, to include training in sales, managerial and financial career areas also in high demand at area dealerships. And building on its many successful partnerships, ADEI is actively seeking additional support from auto manufacturers, allied industry sources, and educational and community groups to achieve its goals.

“WANADA salutes the Ford Motor Company for its long time support as the driving force behind the success of our technician training program, which we believe can serve as a model for the nation,” said WANADA CEO Gerard Murphy.

For more information on ADEI, contact Steve Arabia or Bill Belew at (202) 237-7200.