The rapid pace of technological change has become a hallmark of our industry, and ongoing technical training is a way of life these days. As we struggle to cope with the challenge of keeping our technicians up to speed, it’s important to take the time to recognize those programs and organizations that represent the best in training excellence. Each year, the Automotive Training Managers Council (ATMC) takes the time to do just that.
As I’ve mentioned in past columns, ATMC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of training and professional development within the automotive service industry. A member of the ASE Industry Education Alliance, ATMC helps members keep up with innovations in automotive training delivery by facilitating interaction among its members and serves as a leadership forum for training professionals to promote world class training standards in the transportation industries through the sharing of best practices.
At the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) during Industry Week in Las Vegas in November this year, ATMC presented its prestigious National Excellence in Training Award to four industry firms in recognition of their outstanding training programs. These awards are given annually and are designed to emphasize the importance of training to the success of the transportation industry. Those programs selected for recognition represent some of the best training available, and offer a window into the best practices and latest training technology.
Judged by a panel of ATMC training professionals, these programs were selected from among numerous submissions for their ability to meet training objectives in a highly effective and innovative manner. The ATMC National Excellence in Training Awards program is open to any training organization that would like to submit their program for evaluation. The 2012 recipients are:
• Federal Mogul Technical Education Center for its program ABS, Stability and Traction Control Diagnosis
• The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium for its program Electric Drive Vehicle First Responder Safety Training
• NAPA Autotech for its program Volumetric Efficiency with Pressure Wave Forms
• The Natural Gas Vehicle Institute for its program CNG Vehicle Fuel System Inspector
The winners selected this year offered a diverse collection of content, but what they all had in common was a commitment to provide the very best training possible. Their achievement points the way toward the future and sets the bar just a little bit higher. It’s important to recognize these deserving companies and the personnel who contributed to the development of some of the most outstanding training programs in the industry. That recognition is particularly appropriate when it comes from training peers, and the membership of ATMC benefits from the idea exchange and opportunity to meet the training challenge together.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how to join this group of training professionals, visit its website at www.ATMC.org. We salute those achieving this well-deserved national recognition, but outstanding results in training happen every day whenever technicians leave better prepared than when they arrived for a class. Take the time to celebrate the small wins, just as we do the big ones. Together, they form the path to the future.
