World Class Wednesday: Jamie Bruce: A Master in Two Fields
Earning the title of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) World Class Technician is no small accomplishment. To be recognized as world class, these individuals have obtained ASE certification in 22 specialty areas: A1-A8 (automotive), T1-T8 (medium/heavy truck), B2-B5 (collision repair), and L1-L2 (advanced).
Not only is achieving certification in these areas impressive, but as of 2026, a few more than 2,000 technicians have achieved World Class status.
In this Q&A, Motor Age sat down with Jamie Bruce—an ASE World Class Technician and Instructor at North Georgia Technical College in Blairsville, Georgia—to learn more about his journey in the automotive industry and how gaining World-Class status has helped advance his career.
Motor Age: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your experience in the automotive industry.
Bruce: I got into automotive way back when I was in high school. I graduated from high school in 2001 and went to work for a GM dealer. I have worked for Chevrolet for about 20 years now. I work part-time at a GM dealer and also instruct at North Georgia Tech College. I got my world-class back in 2023.
Motor Age: What's the most memorable repair you've ever completed?
Bruce: A guy brought me a Jeep that had been at two other shops for over a year. They couldn't figure it out, and after some diagram searching, we found a clock spring that was causing engine performance problems.
Motor Age: Tell us one thing about you that we can't guess from your certifications.
Bruce: I have a master's in health science.
Motor Age: What automotive technology trend are you most excited about/ most concerned about?
Bruce: I'm really excited about the self-driving technologies. I love all of that, and I'm super excited, because I love electrical diagnosis.
I love seeing how we tie all these sensors together to let the car drive itself. But at the same time, that's super scary to me. As technologies have progressed, we as humans have lost skill. Like with the manual transmissions. We've moved past manuals, and now some generations have no clue how they operate or how they drive.
With automation, how many generations out will it be before we have people who have no clue how to drive a car?
Motor Age: How has ASE certification helped advance your career?
Bruce: As a GM technician, to be master certified, ASE certification is required. So that definitely got me master status.
Just being world class, you get to meet other technicians who are world-class. As an instructor, having those industry connections is the greatest. This has allowed me to bring in people from Ford, GM, Honda, Kia, etc., into my classroom. This helps make this next generation of technicians more rounded,
About the Author
Emily Kline
Emily Kline is a Special Projects Editor for FenderBender and ABRN, ABW, Motor Age, and Ratchet+Wrench. She also produces an annual publication for SATA called Painter's Playbook, is a Senior Contributing Editor for NAPA INSIGHT, and oversees Ratchet+Wrench's Shop Goods issues and FenderBender's Ultimate Collision Repair Shop.
She has worked in the Vehicle Service & Repair Group at Endeavor Business Media for over 3 years, learning about vehicle repair and the automotive industry as a whole. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona. As a writer, she enjoys her fair share of reading and has no shame in using the long Minnesota winters as an excuse to stay indoors and cozy up with a good book.