WANADA/ADEI Technician Training Becomes NATEF Certified

WANADA/ADEI Technician Training Becomes NATEF Certified

The Automobile Dealer Education Institute′s (ADEI) real world approach to developing new automobile technicians for WANADA dealers got a big boost this week with word from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) that its program achieved NATEF Certification, the industry standard of auto technician training. ADEI technician training, which systematically blends technical education courses with on-the-job-training (OJT), pursued NATEF Certification shortly after the host school, Gudelsky Institute at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD became certified last year ″For some time now, the WANADA team and our partners at Montgomery College have worked closely with NATEF to take care that our program would meet strict industry standards, and now we are delighted to join the ranks of the ASE Certified training programs around the country,″ said WANADA CEO Gerard Murphy. ″Our dealers and their OEM franchisors can now be assured that they are receiving the highest quality training available for the students we recruit and educate for them,″ Mr. Murphy added.

Run as a service of ADEI, the WANADA Technician Training Program is unique in the industry and was assembled to provide career opportunities for young adults interested in pursuing post high school education in auto technology. Unlike the typical associate degree program at community colleges, where students may attend fulltime, WANADA tech training matches the student with a fulltime dealership job and coordinates OJT with service department management. The ADEI technician training experience results in the dealerships developing its own line technician at the end of the process.

Class instruction occurs one day per week at a NATEF Certified college, and consists of four key modules which are taken one per semester. Each candidate is also required to successfully complete his or her own manufacturer-specific training program. Completion of all four modules (a two-year process) provides the competency needed for participants to successfully pass the ASE Certification exams, which benchmark the path to becoming a productive line technician.

WANADA professionals regularly visit and interact with the student, college instructors and key service department personnel, to include a technician mentor over the course of the two year program, which ensures that all program components are in tandem.

″We couldnt be more pleased with this certification,″ said ADEI Board Chairman Vince Sheehy. ″Not only does NATEF Certification recognize the rigor of our educational program, but also the practical repair shop career path we offer those committed to becoming auto technicians.″

WANADA has trained more than 200 technicians in its program for several years at Montgomery College and Northern Virginia College. For more information on the ADEI Technician Training Program, please visit www.wanada.org/adei.