NASTF to discuss road to great technicians

“Building the Road to GREAT Technicians” is the featured topic of the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Spring 2016 General Meeting, 1-4:30 pm (Central), Wednesday, March 2, 2016 in Overland Park, Kansas. “The aftermarket has a lot of education available for kids to working techs,” notes Rob Morrell, Independent Co-Chair of the NASTF Education Committee, “but it’s time to plan how we expect to develop and keep really great technicians in the future.” A long and growing list of contributors to this important topic already include:

• Jill Saunders – Product Engineer, Technical Information & Diagnostics, Toyota Motor Sales
• Mark Saxonburg, Manager, Alt. Fuel Vehicles & Environment, Industry/Govt. Relations, Toyota Motor Sales
• Scott Brown, President, iATN
• Trish Serratore, President, NATEF/AYES
• Chris Chesney, Sr. Director of Customer Training, CARQUEST Technical Institute
• Kevin FitzPatrick, President, Autologic Diagnostics Inc
• Rob Morrell, Training Director, WORLDPAC

“The need for great technicians is shared by both dealers and independent shops,” says Jill Saunders, OEM Co-Chair of the NASTF Education Committee. “We can work together to improve our chances for a brighter future.” Major components of the “Building the Road to GREAT Technicians” session include:

1. Current automotive technician training and programs
2. OEM technician career path programs
3. Compare US technician training against other country training models
4. Contemporary aftermarket training programs
5. Professionalism and recognition of achievement
6. Building a structured plan for the industry’s future

The NASTF Spring 2016 General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the VISION2016 Hi-Tech Training & Expo at the Overland Park (KS) Convention Center. No registration is necessary for the NASTF Spring 2016 General Meeting but registration is necessary to attend VISION events. Visit www.visionkc.com to register for VISION2016.

The entire afternoon meeting will be webcast by iATN from www.nastf.org and will be recorded for future viewing from the NASTF YouTube page, www.youtube.com/NASTFdotORG.

More information and the agenda for the NASTF Spring 2016 General Meeting is available at www.nastf.org/GeneralMeetings.

NASTF was established in 2000 to identify, communicate and resolve gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools, and equipment for the benefit of automotive service professionals and their customers.  NASTF was incorporated in 2006 as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization. Additional details can be found at www.nastf.org.