Fixed Ops Journal - June 2020 - F23

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

Virus makes hands-on training hard for techs-to-be

he National Automobile Dealers
Association says the industry expects around 39,000 newly trained service technicians in an average year.
But 2020 isn't an average year.
Many high schools, community colleges
and technical training schools have switched
to online classroom work because of coronavirus concerns, experts say. Therefore, in many cities and states it's difficult to offer handson training for would-be rookie technicians
while observing rules for social distancing,
according to interviews.
Jonathan Collegio, NADA vice president of
public affairs and lead for the NADA Foundation's Workforce Initiative, says the coming
school year is hard to predict. The Workforce
Initiative was launched in 2018 to promote
dealership jobs and help new service technicians find training.
"The challenge is, if you're new to automo-

tive technology, what does your program at
the community college look like in the fall?
What does that look like to onboard a student
in September of 2020?" Collegio says.
In the hard-hit New York City area, classes
switched in March to online-only at the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association's Center for Automotive Education &
Training, says Mark Schienberg, president of
the dealer association.
"On Zoom there are live instructors," he
says. "It's live for an hour and a half, two hours
- direct instruction from the instructors on
the curriculum for that day. Then they move
over to simulators. It's very robust."
Ami Bhandari, senior vice president of education for Lincoln Educational Services Corp.,
which provides instruction for the New York
center, says automotive students are still required to demonstrate a list of hands-on skills
to graduate.

For students who have an externship at a
dealership, Lincoln will give them credit if
they make a video of themselves at work properly performing the required skills.
Bhandari says it could take some students
longer than expected to graduate if there's no
other way for them to demonstrate hands-on
skills other than to return to a Lincoln center.
The company has reopened campuses in four
cities, with students donning masks and
gloves and practicing social distancing, according to press releases.
Lincoln Educational Services says in its
first-quarter report that "some students have
been placed on leave of absence as they currently cannot complete their externships, and
some students chose not to currently participate in online learning. Once our schools reopen, we expect these students to finish their
programs."
- Jim Henry

FIXED IN TIME

1937

Some of the swankier service department waiting rooms today feature wine and coffee bars, putting greens and other
extravagances. In 1937, service customers at Ernest Ingold Chevrolet in San Francisco had to share their lounge with a 1938
Chevrolet Master Deluxe sedan. The Art Deco building on Van Ness Avenue was one of the last dealerships constructed along
what was known as the city's Auto Row. It remained Ernest Ingold Chevrolet into the 1960s. More recently, the building was
used to sell Bentleys, Ferraris and Lotuses. It now houses a Tesla store.

 We encourage you to submit photos for Fixed In Time. Send images to foj@autonews.com.
JUNE 2020

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Fixed Ops Journal - June 2020

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