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The pandemic has pushed automotive learning onto the Internet. Trainers say that is both good and bad.

of training By Allan Janssen

California-based technical trainer Mike Cleary was all set to come to Vancouver for a Powerstroke Diesel class in the last week of March.  e technical class had been scheduled for months, and a good turnout was expected. But around the middle of March, he started to wonder if it would happen.

People were starting to voice concerns about coronavirus. By the third week of March, there were some cancellations.  en his hosts started wondering if it was a good idea to proceed.

“I could see the handwriting on the wall,” he says. “ ere were still people saying, ‘Don’t worry about it. Everything will be  ne.’ But I decided to err on the side of caution.”

Shortly a er he cancelled the course, the Canada-U.S. border was shut down, and it’s still closed as of this writing.

Mark Lemay, owner of Auto Aide, a training operation based in Barrie, Ont., had a very similar experience.

“Around the second week of March I realized this coronavirus thing was going to be a big deal. We were keeping our eye on it,” he says. “In the third week of March, everyone starting cancelling. We usually run to the middle of June with training.  is year it all dried up in March.”  roughout North America, automotive trainers have had to adopt new strategies to keep their businesses running. As the pandemic lingers, they’re starting to wonder if these changes will be permanent ones.

“It’s not like we can just stop training,” says Mike Bailey, a partner at  e Auto Prof, an Ontario-based training company that specializes in new technology. “Training is so important to the health of the industry.”

He says the pandemic comes just as a lot of service shops are coming to terms with their need to master advanced vehicle diagnostics.

“Technicians are hungry for higher level training and hands-on learning,” he says. “ ose who are thinking about their futures in this industry have a vested interest in it.  ey want to do it.  ey like to do it. It's part of their personality to pursue it.”

To keep the classes  owing, many trainers have resorted to webinars. In fact, it may be fair to say that many

We’ve been talking about getting into online training for seven or eight years. Now there’s no question we're going to go forward with it. I wish we'd done it sooner.” – Mark Lemay

ago that he got the best results when students A scene from a train-the-trainer class at the North American Council of Automotive Teachers conference in Calgary last year. arrived with some of the fundamentals already in place. Rather than create DVDs that would quickly go out of date, he started recording technicians have never received so many invitations to study webinars that would serve as a primer for new students. Before complex subjects over live-streaming video. long, he had a comprehensive library of training that could be

“We’ve made the switch to webinars. We run one every delivered on-demand through the Internet. other week or so. Sometimes once a week,” says Lemay. “If “I had everything in place for Covid, and didn’t even know nothing else, it has shown us the way forward. As a company, it,” he says. we’ve been talking about getting into online training for When he had to put live training on hold in March, seven or eight years. We just never did anything about it. Now he launched daily webinars to keep his growing roster of there’s no question we're going to go forward with it. I wish students busy. we'd done it sooner.” “Life has to go on,” he says. “It’s all a matter of adapting to

He believes in the long run it could become the standard new types of training.” way to deliver training. Unfortunately, it doesn’t o er the same kind of dopamine

“It is certainly a better business model,” he says. “ e travel  x as live training. time and costs are gone.  ere are no accommodation or meal “Part of the satisfaction of teaching a hands-on class is costs.  ere’s greater convenience for busy people.  ere’s a lot being with people who are struggling with a concept, and to be said for it.” you’re guiding them through it, and suddenly they get it.

Unfortunately, there are also some downsides, including  e light bulbs start turning on.  ey grab their pens and reduced interaction with students. hurriedly start writing things down.  at’s a rush.  at doesn’t

“As an instructor, I don’t think it’s particularly e ective. happen on a webinar. You can’t read their faces.” Unfortunately, it’s our only alternative right now,” says Cleary. “In He says you have to have tremendous con dence that what a live session you can see if the students are catching on, you see you’re doing is making sense when you have no feedback. In when they’re confused, you work o their responses, you make his webinars, he uses the same strategy of opening the  oor to adjustments on the  y. You just don’t have that in a webinar.” questions throughout the class, rather than just at the end.  e other problem, of course, is the lack of hands-on training. “ e end is the wrong time to ask questions,” he says. “By then

“Technicians are tactile learners.  ey learn by doing,” confusion has set in. Or they don’t want to ask questions because says Bailey. “You can show them all the pictures you want and they’re tired, or they don’t want to prolong the class.” you can tell all kinds of anecdotes and stories, but you'll get In his webinars he regularly unmutes the participants and guys calling you a week or two weeks later asking for help on encourages a discussion. something that you thought you'd covered. But if you let them “Sometimes that becomes the class,” he says. do the job themselves, even once, you don't get those calls. No one can say when live training will be possible again. Once they've had the tool in their hand and they've actually And when it does resume, it may be in smaller classes to worked on the part, that drives the lesson home.” observe strict social distancing protocols.

For those who are not as committed to training, it is all too Nevertheless, trainers are counting down the days. easy to put o an Internet appointment. “I don't know when that'll happen but when it does, I

“I think coronavirus may be a convenient excuse for some anticipate people will have been cooped up for so long that the not to do training,” says Lemay. “If you get out of the habit of turnout for training will be pretty good,” says Cleary. seeking training, you stop developing as a technician. And as Van Batenburg says until then, he’s staying busy, technology advances, you’re actually going backward. We can’t developing new classes, writing articles, and completing an just stop training.” automotive textbook.

Web training is nothing new for Craig Van Batenburg, “When this is over, I think we’ll emerge as a better training owner of Massachusetts-based training company ACDC. company,” he says. “And I think the industry will be ready to Specializing in hybrid and electric vehicles, he realized years come back to class.”

A TIDAL WAVE IS COMING

Plug-in hybrids… battery electrics … fuel cell electrics… extended range hybrids… alt-fuel vehicles…

Are you ready for what will soon be pulling into your bays?

Automotive trainer Mike Bailey — also known as The Auto Prof – says technicians who are watching the trends are lining up for advanced training.

“They know a tidal wave of new technology is coming,” he says. “And if they’re not ready for it, they’re going to get washed away.”

Working with chief commercial o˜ cer, Rob Campbell, an entrepreneur with three decades of business processes experience, The Auto Prof will o™ er the most advanced technical training in Canada.

Since 1979, Mike has been turning wrenches on cars, and loving it. Not content to simply acquire skills and knowledge, he has always been eager to pass on what he’s learned.

In 1992, he made it o˜ cial, becoming an instructor for some of the country’s leading training providers while continuing to develop his own knowledge and skills on the shop fl oor.

Over the decades, he has developed an arsenal of unique and proven procedures that guarantee success on even the toughest diagnostic jobs.

To ensure the next generation of technicians is prepared to handle the next generation of cars, the Auto Prof has developed comprehensive training courses with exclusive tips, shortcuts and troubleshooting content.

Once Covid-19 restrictions lift, courses on diagnosing and repairing advanced-technology vehicles will be scheduled: • Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid & Extended Range Hybrid Vehicles • Electric Vehicles • Basic Air Conditioning • Advanced Air Conditioning & Diagnosis • Basic Lab Scope • Advanced Lab Scope & Diagnosis • Pressure Transducer Lab Scope Diagnostics • Communications Networks • Electric Steering • Electric & Electronic Suspension • ADAS • Flash Programming

“Technicians are tactile learners,” he says. “They learn by doing. Most training stops after an in-class portion where you learn how a system works. Our model takes the training to the next level with practical experience. When the “theory” lesson is over, we head out to the shop fl oor and apply the

theory in a practical and safe setting on an operating vehicle.”

Training is more important now than it has ever been. Professional development that maximizes your talent pool is especially critical in these uncertain and tumultuous times.

Support your sta™ , and your business by making investing in the right training for your sta™ .

For the best automotive training available contact The Auto Prof.