Everyone in the industry agrees that training is important, but a variety of factors keep technicians and shop owners from attending. Today’s panel discussion during day one at the 2007 GAAS in Chicago looked at this important topic and offered some ways distributors and manufacturers can help fill training session seats.

Part of the problem rests with the industry itself. The average amount spent on training across all industries is 2.5 percent of payroll. The aftermarket spends an anemic 0.5 percent.

But not all repair shops fall into this category. Tuesday afternoon’s panel discussion “Changing the Culture in Aftermarket Training: Perspective of the Independent Repairer,” highlighted several repair shops that make training a priority. These progressive shop owners discussed their opinions of training and how the industry can offer courses that technicians and shop owners want to attend.

The panel was made up of independent service dealers Douglass Kirchdorfer, Downing Street Garage; Victor Tarasik, Vic’s Precision Automotive; Bill Tyson, Bill Tyson’s Auto Repair and George Witt, George Witt Service. Panel moderator was ASA President Ron Pyle.

Many in the industry struggle with low training attendance rates. Yet at the same time, most shop owners and technicians feel that they need the training. Why the disconnect?

It’s often a matter of time. Shop owners contend that they can’t afford to have their technicians take time off for training, Ron Pyle reminded the audience that it often costs more to not attend training.

One panelist, Bill Tyson, understood the time and financial commitments required to attend training. He also understood how important it is. He now requires his technicians to attend at least 40 hours of training per year, and also financially rewards his techs for doing so.

Besides technical training, there is also the important issue of business training. Many repair shops were started by a technician who was great at fixing cars, but had no training or background in running a business. As a result, most repair shops are not very well run. George Witt, a repair shop owner and business management trainer, agrees that business management skills are critically important for the industry.

“The ability to think like a businessman is important,” he said. Witt said that few repair shop owners ever get started, and that the industry needs to encourage them to begin getting the training they need.

In order to achieve this, shop owner Victor Tarasik advocated industry-wide collaboration. He mentioned the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association’s Care Car Professionals Network as a step in the right direction.

As an industry, there are many issues that it can tackle. One of the most pressing issues is the problem of image. Parents simply don’t want their children to pursue careers as automotive technicians. To address this, panelists advocated cleaner, better-run shops, better pay, better working environments and better shop management. All of these issues can be directly addressed through training. Each panelist described how training increased car counts, decreased comebacks and increased technician efficiency.