The annual ASA "How's Your Business?" survey, its 15th, provides survey results of business practices and some analysis of the independent mechanical and collision repair industries based on feedback from ASA members.

The 2007 survey reports that the majority of educational funding comes from business owners, mechanical and collision.  On the mechanical side, 84 percent of employers fund continuing education for technicians, 11 percent participate in a funding partnership, and only 5 percent supply no training.

Similarly, in the collision industry, 79 percent of collision businesses fund educational training of their staff, 17 percent are sharing the cost, 2 percent require sole funding by the employee, and 3 percent do not participate in training.

Training sources for the mechanical industry include jobbers/parts suppliers (85 percent), equipment manufacturers (51 percent), and independent training (51 percent).  The survey reports that trade magazines, association seminars, and trade show seminars are all in the 40-percentile range. 

 
Collision training sources include paint manufacturers (96 percent), I-CAR (87 percent), and jobber/parts suppliers (62 percent).  The survey reports that trade show seminars, trade magazines, equipment manufacturers, product manufacturers, and in-house programs all registered in the 40-percentile range.

Trade show season
The next two or three months is trade show season.  Today's trade shows offer more and better training than ever before. 

Drawing from all sources, the trade shows present the best opportunities for training and networking available. Combined with training opportunities is the availability of exhibitors providing access to the tools, equipment, information, and services required by modern mechanical and collision shops. 

 
If you have attended these trade shows before, you understand the value, tangible and intangible.  If you have not attended, seriously consider making the effort to register for training and walk the aisles of the trade show.  The benefits of attendance are greater, in whole, than the sum of the component parts, which are significant.

Web-based training
The ASA survey also showed that Web-based training has become an increasingly significant source.  The mechanical industry shows that 36 percent of shops use Web-based training, and 32 percent of collision shops do the same.

  
From a cost and convenience perspective, Web-based training provides a supplemental source of training to trade show and association seminars and classes.  Look for further development of training online as it begins to replace and become the in-house training venue of choice.

Parts & People recognizes the importance of all training sources.  The newest segment at www.partsandpeople.com/Training/ is a new training segment intended to provide a directory of all industry training and education opportunities.  Please check it out and offer your perspective or your educational/training opportunities.  We look forward to your involvement.