Modern automobile maintenance, like most skilled-trades jobs, is more than simple nuts and bolts. Today, skilled-trades jobs might mean hydraulics, computerized monitoring equipment, electronic blueprints, even lasers. As chief executive officer of Grainger, a business-to-business maintenance, repair, and operating supplies company that…

The National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence conducts the only industrywide, national certification program for automotive technicians. As other industries explore standards, this program serves as a model. (JOW)

The use of plastic and fiberglass materials in the manufacture of automobiles has caused a revolution in the field of collision work. Changes have occurred in tools, techniques, materials, and in the training for auto body repair. The skills necessary for employment in this field are now easier and faster to acquire. (CT)

Changing automobile technology means automobile mechanics classes must be kept up to date. Students need access to new diagnostic equipment and real-world repair situations; teachers need industry experience and opportunities for learning new techniques. The results can be worth the high costs. (PGD)

This report is one of seven that identify major new and emerging technological advances expected to influence major vocational education program areas and to describe the programmatic implications in terms of skill-knowledge requirements, occupations most directly affected, and the anticipated diffusion rate. Chapter 1 considers technology as…