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)

Includes "National Trouble Shooting Contest--Training Technicians, Not Mechanics" (Wagner); "Front Wheel Drive on a Small Scale" (Waggoner); "Air Bags in Hit and Run on Rack and Pinion Technicians" (Collard); and "Future Technology--A Blind Spot Detector for Highway Driving" (Zoghi, Bellubi). (JOW)

Discusses the use of microcomputers for technical skills training, particularly in auto mechanics. Indicates that the major reasons for implementing the method are time and money: The graduate technician is on the job sooner, thereby reducing the cost of the computer-based training. (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)

Rapid advances in automotive technology and the growth of the automotive service industry have created opportunities in car repair, parts supply, and body work. Certification is the best way for vocational educators to ensure that their programs prepare students for work in the automotive industry. (JOW)

Profiles four schools that are attempting to keep up with the demand for skilled technicians in computer-driven automotive technology: a high school in Tucson, Arizona; a vocational center in Moore, South Carolina; a secondary-postsecondary vocational-technical center in Denville, New Jersey; and a community college program in Littleton, Colorado.…

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)

Describes work conditions, education and training needs, and salaries of the following technician careers: auto/diesel technicians, auto body repairers, general maintenance mechanics, heating/air conditioning/refrigeration, paralegals, engineering technicians, science technicians, computer repairers, and drafters. (SK)

Komacek discusses the importance of teaching transportation/automotive technology. Anderson provides models, content, and teaching methods that will benefit students, schools, and industry. (JOW)

Includes "Planning Laboratory Design" (Storm); "Perkins Money for Automotive Programs" (Cash); "Stretching a Budget" (Warren); "Video Teleconferencing--Powerful Communication for Occupational Educators" (Major); "Danger: Hazardous Materials" (Brown); and "Keeping Facilities Safe--Electrical…

Consists of an interview with Pete Haralovich, owner of a repair shop for foreign cars, who has worked at a variety of occupations. Highlights the need for a vocational emphasis in education. (CH)

Vocational enrollment is declining because of an increase in academic requirements. Because job skills are changing so rapidly, employers are increasingly choosing to provide their own vocational training to students who have mastered standard academic requirements. However, the lack of hands-on methodology in academic curricula and the lack of…

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…

This is the second of five volumes of essays in the form of recommendations for the improvement of programs, services, and activities offered through vocational-technical education in North Carolina. The volume explains the rationale for, and comments on, 18 recommendations prepared by the State Advisory Council on Vocational Education for fiscal…