ASE benchmarking survey show techs getting younger, need more training

At its annual conference in Peachtree, Georgia, the ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC) released the 2022 ATMC Training Benchmarks Survey, which provides a current snapshot of the automotive and truck repair sector, from average age to pay to access to training, along with results from previous years.

There were 3,343 respondents: two-thirds came from automotive repair, 14% were shop management, 5.6% were truck technicians, and 10% were instructors. The rest were split between parts distribution, service advising, and collision repair.

One thing that was immediately apparent is that technician age is trending younger, expected as boomers age out and more millennials and zoomers take their place. Demographics under age 45 have steadily increased since 2019, while over 45 have steadily declined.

With all that tribal knowledge being lost, shops and dealers may need to ramp up their training programs, and there is plenty of room for improvement. Overall, 56% thought that they had access to the training they needed. This is up from 2021, when less than half responded positively, though down from 2018, when 62% of respondents said they had enough access.

On the fleet side, 60% believed they did not have enough access. Technicians at fleets are also slightly less likely to attend a vocational school prior to getting hired. The industry average is 73%, but fleets are at under 68%.

Pandemic restrictions were a major factor (54%) that limited training, though the industry stakeholders surveyed also cited they couldn’t take time off for training opportunities (24%), and that training costs too much (18%).

They also identified which training they are most in need of:

The respondents also reported a disparity between how they want to be trained, and what they get. Technicians seem to prefer instructors, classrooms, and hands-on training, while they are getting virtual classrooms, self-paced e-learning, and video learning. COVID-19 obviously had a huge part in the transition, as 29% of training was in classrooms and led by instructors in 2020, while only 12.5% had that in 2022.

Data also illustrated how migratory technicians are. About 14% have only worked at one shop, and 20% at two, whereas 46% have worked at three to five employers, and 21% at six or more.

There is a possible connection between technicians getting younger, and the desire for more training. As automotive and truck technology gets more complex, technicians will want more specialized training to build their skills and increase pay and career opportunities. If they don’t find what they are looking for at their current shop, they will look elsewhere.