At the end of the day, the value ASE certification provides to many business owners and fleet operations is appreciated to the point where they offer higher earnings based on the number of ASE certifications held.
Tony Molla
An Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certification is an investment. Achieving it requires effort and experience, along with an ongoing commitment to keep up with the latest automotive technology. Given the rapid rate of change in the medium/heavy truck market, just keeping up is almost a full-time job. But how do you know your skills and knowledge are keeping pace with the latest technology? Would you be surprised if I told you that the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence has had a process for assessing this for more than 40 years? An ASE Certification is an integral part of the professional credentials that form the knowledge standards for our industry. It鈥檚 interesting that, when we ask our certified professionals why they chose to pursue voluntary certification through ASE, most say something like 鈥淚 do it for myself鈥擨 just want to be the best and show it!鈥� Although that kind of spirit and dedication is its own reward, holding ASE certification can provide a compelling Return on Investment in a number of ways.
Career Development
ASE Certification is the only national technician professional credential that is recognized by both OEM and aftermarket segments of the industry. The tests cover all industry segments, from automobile to collision repair to medium and heavy truck. ASE also provides certification for Parts Specialists, Collision Estimators and Service Consultants. The ASE certification exams are industry-developed and industry-maintained, so it鈥檚 basically technicians making tests for technicians. ASE does this by holding workshops across the country and inviting subject matter experts. These content experts include working technicians, educators, engineers and other specialists well-versed in the technical area being tested. The average ASE test is updated every two to three years, wth the exception of the Advanced Series L1 and L2 tests, which are updated annually.
ASE Certification uses a proven process of third-party assessment with more than 40 years of experience in the testing and certification of automotive professionals. Achieving ASE certification is a challenging goal many organizations use as part of their career development process. Goal-setting is the mantra of modern human resource management. In fact, many businesses provide an earnings differential based on the number of ASE certifications held by a technician. It provides a standard 鈥測ardstick鈥� by which managers and owners can better gauge where each employee is strong or weak on technical knowledge to better target what are usually scarce training resources.
Achieving ASE certification is not easy. The pride in accomplishment when one does pass their first ASE test pays dividends to both the individual and the businesses that employ them. Few will argue that a healthy sense of self-esteem leads to job satisfaction, increased productivity, greater first-fix repair accuracy and therefore increased profits and customer satisfaction. As a career enhancer, ASE Certification provides a professional credential that employers often look for when making hiring and promotion decisions. It鈥檚 also a credential that crosses several career paths鈥攆rom technician to trainer to educator. ASE Certification can allow the kind of flexibility to better cope with life changes due to relocation. As a nationally-recognized credential, ASE certification provides a level of credibility for technicians which transcends state boundaries鈥攁nd at least one national border (Canada).
Proven Professionalism
Technicians themselves regard ASE Certification as a mark of achievement. The peer recognition and esprit de corps evident in any gathering of ASE Master Technicians with L1 Certification speaks for itself. ASE Certified professionals form the largest professional technician fraternity in the world. It鈥檚 a group of nearly a half-million highly qualified individuals who have put their knowledge and skills on the line and proven their professionalism.
Naturally, the pride and professionalism that comes with ASE Certification is one of the primary forces changing the face of the automotive service industry. The professional image of ASE Certified technicians portrayed in print and mass media editorial and advertisements is dispelling the 鈥済rease monkey鈥� image among consumers, who look for the ASE Blue Seal as a mark of professionalism. That professionalism is leading to greater consumer trust. ASE Certified technicians and the businesses that employ them provide a level of confidence in the service being provided. That means consumers feel their service dollars are well-spent and perceive true value in the service experience. The value of ASE truly does go far beyond the credentials themselves.
Many businesses see the value ASE certification provides and aggressively use it to give them an advantage in several areas. I鈥檝e already mentioned how professional credentials are becoming more important, and how ASE Certification is being used in career development, particularly at the OEM level. Some shops look to ASE Certifications as an indicator of the skill level of the individual they consider hiring. Being a Master Technician can be particularly significant. In addition, many businesses actively market their ASE Certified professionals. That鈥檚 true whether the audience is the general public, or public administrators at municipal fleet operations. Many businesses also see a significant value in ASE Certification for the Three Rs鈥擱ecruitment, Retention and Recognition. As mentioned, those who want to recruit the best look for ASE Certification. Those who want to keep their employees take advantage of the pride and professionalism ASE Certification provides. The best companies recognize the value of their ASE Certified professionals in many significant ways.
Benefitting the Individual Technician
We鈥檝e shown how ASE Certification works in the big picture, but how does ASE certification benefit the individual technician? To begin with, there are many OEM and Aftermarket programs that integrate ASE Certification into their process. Examples like several OEM dealership technician training programs use ASE Certification as a qualifier at many levels. In addition, such programs as NAPA Autocare and AAA Approved Shops have ASE Certified technicians as a requirement for the business to participate. Both of these examples increase the technician鈥檚 value to the organization.
There are many recognition programs in our industry for ASE professionals. The most elaborate provide significant financial rewards, not to mention national exposure and acclaim for the winners. In addition, each year, scores of ASE certified professionals are recognized at the ASE Annual Board Meeting by various manufacturers and suppliers. The National Institute for ASE helps facilitate these recognition programs for the benefit of all ASE certified individuals across the country. In fact, ASE鈥檚 own Blue Seal of Excellence Recognition program takes this concept one step further by singling out those businesses that employ a large number of ASE certified professionals. To date, more than 1,300 businesses, from service and repair shops to collision shops, to support establishments like information providers currently participate in the Blue Seal program.
Mark of Excellence
In short, the ASE logo is a recognized mark of professionalism and hallmark of top performance both inside and outside the automotive industry. At the end of the day, the value ASE certification provides to many business owners and fleet operations is appreciated to the point where they offer higher earnings based on the number of ASE certifications held. But when you consider the increased productivity, accuracy and efficiency of an individual who thinks, acts and feels like a professional, the financial rewards tend to take care of themselves.
Like anything else in life, the more you put into something, the more you get from it. That鈥檚 just as true for those with the commitment and dedication to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise through achievement of professional credentials like ASE certification. They are generally the ones we want on our service teams, and represent the best our industry has to offer.
Tony Molla is Vice President of Communications for the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (Leesburg, VA). With more than 35 years of experience in the automotive service industry, Tony has held positions at all levels, including technician, service manager, parts store manager, new car sales and automotive technical editor writing service manuals for the Chilton Book Company. He has authored more than a dozen technical and car care manuals for both professional technicians and consumers. He can be reached at [email protected]. For more information on the ASE Certification program, visit .
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Preparing for the ASE Certification Exams
The best preparation for taking an ASE test is work experience, but there are a few things you can do to make sure you鈥檙e ready:
- Visit and take the CBT Test Drive to get familiar with the computer based testing format.
- Download a copy of the appropriate ASE Study Guide for the tests you want to take.
- Review the Content Areas and Task Lists in the Study Guide as a self-assessment to make sure your technical knowledge covers what the questions will cover. Hint: If something doesn鈥檛 look familiar, you might want to get additional training in that area before taking the test.
- If you feel you need some additional training, check what鈥檚 available from the aftermarket training providers. There is a great deal of ASE Test Preparation Material out there, and quality does vary, so choose the materials that best fit your needs. Just Google 鈥淎SE Test Prep鈥� to get started.
- Schedule your test appointment at a time that is most convenient and make sure you are well-rested and ready to take the test.
- Don鈥檛 read anything into the questions. Take them at face value.
- When in doubt, take your best guess. If you don鈥檛 answer, that question is marked wrong.
For more test preparation tips, visit www.ase.com.