Several training sources offer a multitude of ways to get workers up to speed
Once you've hired the right people, training can be one key to keeping them. A well-trained employee is generally a more productive employee. For technicians paid on commission or flat rate, this added productivity should have an immediate impact on their income. For other employees, added productivity can mean less overtime and — if your compensation plan is set up to include some sort of bonuses or profit sharing — some added income as well.
No matter what department your employees are in, there is training available to help boost their skills, speed and accuracy.
I-CAR brings training to you
I-CAR is perhaps the best-known provider of collision repair technical training, but you may not be aware of all of the organization's offerings.
For example, it's no longer necessary to leave your shop to get I-CAR training, information or welding qualification testing. Although I-CAR's instructor-led classroom training is still its key offering, a number of other options exist.
Go online to the I-CAR Web site (www.i-car.com) and check out more than 30 online training programs. Most of the classes are 30 to 60 minutes in length and cost $45. While the first of these classes were vehicle-specific (such as, "Ford F-150 Frame Replacement"), more general classes have been added on such topics as "keyless entry" and "MIG brazing."
The online training catalog includes a free demo class, and successful completion of any of the classes' online post tests will earn one-quarter of a Gold Class point.
I-CAR offers its steel and aluminum welding qualification tests in about 100 sites nationwide, but also is equipped to bring the tests to you. Specially equipped trucks can bring the testing to any location where there are at least five participants, a couple of open stalls for the testing and a lunchroom or other quiet area for the classroom training.
"Even with 100 test sites, some businesses were still faced with sending staff several hours away, possibly overnight, for the tests," says Tom McGee, CEO of I-CAR. "With the trucks, we can bring the tests to their work environment and eliminate some of those costs for the shop."
That I-CAR training also can help you earn a college degree. I-CAR has developed a relationship with the University of Phoenix, which offers associate or bachelor's degrees online and through its nearly 200 campuses nationwide. A student with I-CAR training may receive up to 30 transfer units, which can knock as much as one year and $10,000 to $15,000 off the cost of a degree. Details and a course transfer guide can be obtained through a special joint Web site (www.uopx.com/icar), or by calling the university's Teresa Hutchinson at (800) 433-2490, ext. 71740.
Paint company training center schedules online
All five of the major paint companies operate training centers throughout the United States that regularly offer one- and multi-day classes for paint shop employees. Much of this training combines classroom and hands-on instruction.
Your paint jobber can help get you training schedules and locations, or check out the training sections of each of the paint company Web sites:
- For Akzo Nobel, visit the site for its Sikkens brand (www.sikkens.net). The company operates five training centers nationwide.
- BASF (www.basfrefinish.com, select "Resources"), like several of the other companies, publishes a quarterly schedule of classes offered at its six U.S. training centers for its Glasurit, R-M, Carizzma and new 90-line waterborne products.
- For a yearly schedule of DuPont, Standox or Spies Hecker training, visit the DuPont Performance Coatings Web site (www.performancecoatings.dupont.com, click on "Automotive Finishes"). DuPont training is offered at four training centers around the country, and Standox and Spies training at three others.
- For PPG training visit www.ppg.com, click on the "Automotive Refinish" link and go to "Training." Pull up the "Collision Center Matrix" for a suggested training path of classes for shop owners, managers and refinish technicians. You can read the class descriptions or go back to the training menu to check for locations and schedules for each of the classes.
- Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes (www.sherwin-automotive.com) has six regional training centers nationwide. Select any of the more than 30 courses offered, and get a complete description of the course as well as a schedule of when and where it is being offered.
Estimating system providers offer training
If that new estimator you've hired has years of experience but a different estimating system than the one your shop uses, the good news is the three major estimating system providers offer a wide variety of training options: classroom, onsite, online and computer-based. And the even better news is that many of these training options are included in the cost of your monthly subscription fee, and no longer require the costs of travel and time away from the shop to attend.
"I think the reason Mitchell offers so many varieties of training delivery methods is because people often think they don't have time for training," says Tracy Bracht, senior director of educational services for Mitchell International. "Our big thing has been to try to make it convenient for everyone. That's why we offer so many ways of getting training."
Tracy Peterson, director of education services for Audatex, said her company also recognizes that different people learn in different ways. That's why her company offers various types of training.
Audatex's training Web site (www.training.audatex.us), for example, includes a schedule of Audatex Estimating instructor-led classroom training sessions held in several locations in North America. The company also offers onsite training, although Peterson said there is generally a fee for such training based on the length of time the trainer is at the shop.
There are plenty of no-fee training options, Peterson said, and more than half the shops now choose to get their initial Audatex training and certification using the company's computer-based training system, which is available online or on disk.
"This is simulation-based training where you're interacting with the computer program, and it basically covers the same content you would get in an instructor-led class," Peterson says.
The company also offers 5 to 10 "virtual classes" online every week. These are live classes with an instructor that Audatex users can "attend" via computer without leaving the shop.
"We find we're getting a lot of repeat users who have a good experience with their first virtual class, and so every month take a class or two this way," Peterson says.
Many of these classes are recorded and available to be viewed 24/7 via the Web site.
The company's new Web-based estimating system makes training even more available by including it on virtually every Web page during the estimating process.
"When you're on a particular page in our estimating system, you click on a link that says, "Show Me" and you get a list of topics that are particular to that page," Peterson says. "So you may click on 'Creating a New Estimate' and you'll get a three-minute-or-less video that shows you how to go in and create the new estimate. That's integrated right into the product."
Not an Audatex user but want to know more about the Audatex estimates your shop receives? Peterson recommends first downloading the database reference manual available at the training Web site. It explains formulas and labor calculations, how to read an Audatex estimate, a glossary of abbreviations and terms, etc. She said the company on a case-by-case basis also allows guest access to training to non-users; such requests can be e-mailed to [email protected].
Want to find out about Audatex training or register for classes the "old-fashioned" way? Call Audatex customer service at (800) 546-5237.
CCC Information Services has worked to expand the availability of its classroom instructor-led estimating system training by holding its day-long classes at the more than 150 CompUSA training centers around the country.
Two courses are offered for Pathways estimating system users; one is designed for new users, the other for those with three or more months of experience using Pathways.
The basic course, for example, covers creating estimates and supplements, utilizing parts and labor time databases, digital imaging, connecting to CCC's EZNet communication network, and CCC Pathways maintenance. The "advanced user" course covers more estimating functions, understanding workfile and estimate statuses, parts tracking and reconciliation, EZNet communications, correspondence and reporting.
As with the other companies, CCC's Web site includes a schedule of these CCC Pathways classes (click on the "Training" tab at www.cccis.com). Fees vary, but typically are $299 per-person per day-long class. Training for new customers is generally included in the implementation and set-up fees.
The company also offers onsite training, and as with the other two companies, fees are based on the length of the training and necessary travel costs. For information, call CCC at (800) 523-8924.
Mitchell's Bracht said the company launched "Mitchell University" in 2000, and since then more than 28,000 students have logged in. Once there, she said, Mitchell estimating system users can see a schedule and register for classroom training, or find out about onsite training or training by telephone with a Mitchell instructor. While there are fees for these types of training, Bracht said there are a variety of training options available to Mitchell customers at no additional fee.
The first Wednesday of each month, for example, the company offers a Web seminar designed as an introduction to the UltraMate Premier Suite for new users. Students attend from their shop via the Internet, but are able to interact with the instructor.
Different Web seminars on other topics are held the third Wednesday of each month. Each of these sessions is about 45 minutes long and many have been recorded and can be viewed at the company's Web site, without the interaction available during the live sessions.
Bracht also encourages Mitchell estimating system users to sign up for the company's "ShopTalk" monthly e-mail newsletter. It includes information about new training courses, and includes information and tips often based on topics that come up frequently when shops are calling in for system support. Past newsletters are available online.
For more information or access to Mitchell's training offerings, visit the company's Web site (www.mitchell.com) and click on the "ShopTalk" online training tools box. Or call the company's customer service department at (800) 854-7030.
Return on investment
I-CAR's McGee is the first to acknowledge it can be a challenge for a shop to invest the needed time and money into employee training.
"Return-on-investment on training is not an easy thing for a lot of people or businesses to really get their arms around," he says. "But I think one thing a lot of businesses may not look at real closely is what it does for employee morale and retention. A business that is actually investing in training of its staff, I believe, has more success in retaining employees. It demonstrates a genuine concern for their professional development."
