Are your service and repair credentials fresh or could they use a jumpstart?
Completing any certification (or recertification) requires a mix of secondary training (classroom, video, etc.) with valuable hands-on experience. Both bustling urban shops and small, sleepy town merchants shoulder the responsibility of pursuing and completing the training necessary to keep up with today's vehicles.
As we wrap up winter (hopefully) and roll into spring, now’s an especially good time for shop owners to review their staff’s collective knowledge and abilities when it comes to HVAC tools and service.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes clear any technician repairing or servicing a motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC) system must be properly trained and now certified under section 609 of the Clean Air Act by an EPA-approved program.
As stated on epa.gov, such programs will cover “the proper use of MVAC service equipment, applicable regulatory requirements, the importance of refrigerant recovery, and the effects of improper handling of refrigerant on the ozone layer and climate.” After completing an approved program, technicians must pass a test demonstrating their knowledge. You can visit the EPA website for a list of approved training and certification companies and programs, two of which are ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) and MACS (Mobile Air Conditioning Society).
U.S. shops whose technicians are not properly certified can face significant fines, so it’s worth looking into.
Even when a year is at its craziest (like 2020) or a shop is at its busiest, training must remain a priority. ASE recently offered extensions and provisions to technicians looking to certify and recertify amid COVID-19 disruptions, such as testing facility shutdowns, and in December the training organization announced it would offer several new options to technicians for expiring certifications. For example, technicians looking for Automobile & Light Truck (A2-A9) recertification could sign up for the ASE Renewal App for smartphone, tablet, or computer, and were also offered a one-year extension.
ASE notes test questions used in the app are “unique and address more leading-edge technology topics not typically seen in ASE certification tests and may also include manufacturer-specific questions.” After answering each question, test-takers are pointed to an online forum where they can then discuss each question as well as answers with other technicians.
Other hot-button training issues and certifications to watch include those for electric vehicles (including working on high voltage HVAC systems) and ADAS.
No matter what line of work you’re in, you just don’t know what you don’t know.
Today’s technician isn’t merely someone who knows their way around a wrench, and technician training for that matter isn’t just a “good idea.” Whether a tech specializes in one area (diagnostics, transmission, brakes, front-end, A/C service, etc.) or many, the learning never ends.
