NATEF Success Spans 22 Years

Leesburg, Va. October 1, 2005 – Since 1983, the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) has been quietly and successfully helping to address the growing need for entry-level technicians. That success was recently demonstrated once again as NATEF reported passing the 300,000 mark in the number of young men and women passing through NATEF programs nationwide.

More than 2000 ASE-certified training programs in secondary and post-secondary facilities last year graduated approximately 36,000 new technicians in mechanical, truck and collision repair and refinish areas. These students chose to either continue their technical education or enter the repair industry in 2005.

“A great deal of discussion has been going on in the industry about where we will find the entry-level technicians we need right now and in the immediate future,” said Ronald H. Weiner, ASE/NATEF president. “I think it’s important for the industry to recognize what we have that is working well, and NATEF certainly plays a key role in ensuring a qualified workforce for the entire automotive industry.”

The estimate of student participation in NATEF programs nationwide is based on the numbers of certified programs over the years, multiplied by the average class size.

Founded in 1983, NATEF is a non-profit foundation within the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) organization. The primary mission of NATEF is to improve the quality of automotive technician training programs through voluntary certification. NATEF is responsible for the program evaluation process, and makes recommendations for ASE program certification based on the evaluation. The State Departments of Education in all 50 states support ASE certification of automotive programs. For more information on NATEF, contact Shannon Vizzini-Cappert, Administrative Director, at 703-669-6650 or via e-mail at svizzini@natef.org.

Incorporated on June 12, 1972, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence was established as a non-profit organization to help improve the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians and parts specialists. Today, there are approximately 420,000 ASE-certified professionals who work in dealerships, independent shops, service stations, collision repair shops, auto parts stores, fleets, machine shops, schools and colleges throughout the country. For more information about ASE, visit the Web site at http://www.ase.com.

For more information:

Tony Molla (703) 669-6614
E-mail: Tony Molla