Over 500 were in attendance at the recent ASE Instructor Training Conference held in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by the ASE Education Foundation, the in-person conference was conducted for high school and college instructors from auto, truck and collision repair programs nationwide.

The conference included over 100 technical-update training sessions from 60 different industry partners, with automakers sharing information about their latest systems. Presenters also covered topics such as ADAS systems and calibration, electric vehicles and high voltage systems, and strategies for effective teaching.

A special panel discussion, entitled “The 2 Percent Solution”, kicked off the conference and addressed the fact that women make up 50 percent of the workforce, but only two percent of automotive service technicians. The lively discussion provided an array of ideas on how to make training programs and workplaces more welcoming to everyone, including women and other underrepresented groups.

The conference was sponsored by leading industry organizations, including platinum sponsors Advance Auto, BMW and Volkswagen; gold sponsors American Honda, ATech Training, Milwaukee Tools, Snap-on Tools and WD-40; and silver sponsors CDX Learning, Cengage Learning, Consulab, Daimler Trucks, Electude, FedEx Freight, Ford, Goodheart Willcox Publisher, Hertz, Isuzu Truck, LKQ, Megatech, Navistar, Subaru, The Group Training Academy and Vertex Professional Services.

“We had a tremendous conference with some open and frank dialogues on how to improve our great industry,” said Mike Coley, president, ASE Education Foundation. “The one thing everyone attending the conference had in common was the shared goal of finding ways to increase the number of students entering our training programs, providing them with a great education and making sure they want to make the automotive field their career. We cannot thank our sponsors enough for all their support of the conference and continued commitment to the ASE Education Foundation.”