IntroductIon to AutomotIve technology
S �
UNIT 1: careers IN The aUTomoTIve fIeld
lessoN 1: The aUTomoTIve TechNology career
I. Opportunities in the automotive field
A. AccordingtostatisticsfromtheU.S.DepartmentofLabor,over800,000peopleintheUnitedStatesareemployedasautomotiveservicetechniciansandmechanics.
1. Mostareemployedinthefollowingbusinesses:
a. Automotiverepairandmaintenanceshops
b. Automobiledealers
c. Retailersandwholesalersofautomotiveparts,accessories,andsupplies
2. Othersworkinthefollowingbusinessesororganizations:
a. Gasstations
b. Homeandautomotivesupplystores
c. Automotiveequipmentrentalandleasingcompanies
d. Federal,state,andlocalgovernments
3. Over16%owntheirowntheirownbusiness.
B. Manyjobopportunitiesareavailablethatrelatedirectlyandindirectlyto the automotive technology field.
Automotive technology
S �
1. Opportunitiesdirectlyrelatedtoautomotivetechnology
a. Automotivetechnician
b. Automotivetechnician’sapprentice
c. Repairshopsupervisor
d. Exhaustandemissionstechnician
e. Tune-uptechnician
f. Servicewriter
g. Mechanicalunitrepairer
h. Technicianinautomotivemanufacturingplants i. Airconditioningtechnician
j. Enginetechnician
k. Teacherortrainer
NOTE: Manygraduatesofautomotivetechnologyprogramsqualifytopursueacareerasateacherortrainerwithlittleornoextratrainingrequiredforanentry-levelposition.
l. Dieseltechnician m. Businspector
n. Tractortechnician
o. Partssalvager
2. Opportunitiesindirectlyrelatedtoautomotivetechnology
a. Farmequipmenttechnician
b. Aircrafttechnician
c. Officeequipmentservicetechnician/servicerepresentative
d. Machinistapprentice
IntroductIon to AutomotIve technology
S �
e. Airconditioningandheatingserviceapprentice
f. Industrialmachinemaintenancetechnician
g. Smallenginetechnician
h. Marineequipmenttechnician
i. MotorcycletechnicianII. Training and certification
A. Repairingandmaintainingtoday’ssophisticatedvehiclesrequiresknowledgeinmanydiversesystemsandtechnologicallyadvancedareas.
1. Thedaysofgettingajobbasedonperformingautomotiverepairasahobbyortinkeringinthegaragearegone.
2. Mostjobopportunitiesrequireformaltraininginautomotivetechnologyinhighschoolorapostsecondaryschoolorcollege.
B. Certifyingorganizations
1. AsstatedontheirWebsite,theNationalInstituteforAutomotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a nonprofit organization thataimsto“improvethequalityofvehiclerepairandservicethrough the testing and certification of repair and service professionals.“
a. Automotive technicians can be certified in one or more of theeightareasbelow.
• Brakes
• Electrical/electrical systems
• Engineperformance
• Suspensionandsteering
• Automatictransmissionandtransaxle
• Enginerepair
• Heatingandairconditioning
AutomotIve technology
s �
• Manualdrivetrainandaxles
b. To be certified, technicians must have at least 2 years of experienceandpassanASEwrittenexamination.Theymustretaketheexamevery5yearstomaintaintheircertification.
2. TheNationalAutomotiveTechniciansEducationFoundation
(NATEF),anarmofASE,reviewstrainingprogramstoensuretheyaremeetingASEstandardsandstayingup-to-datewiththecontinuouslychangingautomotivetechnologyandrepairmethods.
a. Trainingprogramsrequestthereviewprocessonavoluntarybasis.Ifaprogrampassesthereview,NATEFrecommends it to ASE for certification. Programs must be reviewed again every 5 years to be recertified.
b. InASE’sautomobilespecialty,trainingprogramscanbecertified in the eight areas listed in 1a.
C. To stay current with changes and advancements in the field,
automotivetechnicianswillneedtoattendtrainingclassesthroughouttheircareers.Techniciansmayreceivetrainingattheirworkplaceormayneedtoattendclassesatatechnicalschoolorcollege.
IntroductIon to AutomotIve technology
S �
III. Job prospects in the automotive technology field
A. Prospectsareverygoodforindividualswithtrainingandskillsindiagnosis,problemsolving,electronics,andmathematics.Knowledgeinelectronicshasbecomecrucialbecausemostvehicleconcernsinvolveworkingwithoranalyzingtheelectricalsystem.AccordingtotheAllianceofAutomobileManufacturers,“electronicsnowcontrolmorethan86%ofallsystemsinatypicalvehicle.”
B. Manyemployersintheindustryhavereportedthatthereisashortageof automotive technicians and they have difficulty hiring individuals witheducationandexperienceintheareasdesired.
C. AccordingtotheOccupational Outlook Handbook,publishedbytheU.S.DepartmentofLabor,jobopportunitiesforautomotivetechniciansareexpectedtoincrease9%to17%throughtheyear2014.Thegrowthwillbeduetotheincreasednumberofvehiclesontheroadandthelossoftechniciansbecauseofretirementoradvancementtospecializedpositions.
D. Workforautomotivetechniciansisgenerallysteadythroughouttheyearandnotverysensitivetochangesineconomicconditions.Therefore,layoffsarenotabigconcern.
IV. Commonmethodsusedtopayautomotivetechnicians
A. Hourly–Thetechnicianispaidforthetimeheorsheputsin.
B. Salary–Asalaryisasetamountofmoney,usually40hoursperweek,regardlessofthevolumeofworkperformed.
C. Flatrate–Thetechnicianispaidhisorherhourlywagemultipliedby the time listed for a specific job in a factory flat-rate manual or anaftermarketlabortimeguide.Theseguidesaresometimescalledpartsandlaborestimatingguides.Techniciansrefertotheseas“bookhours.” The technician is paid this flat rate regardless of the time spentonajob.
D. HourlyplusapercentageoflaborandpartsV. Otherfactsaboutworkingasanautomotivetechnician
A. Automotivetechnician’susemanydifferenttoolsandequipment,includingthoseinthefollowinglist.Techniciansusuallypurchasetheirownhandtools,whereastheshopprovidesthemoreexpensivepowertoolsandequipment.
AutomotIve technology
s 10
1. Commonhandtools
2. Powertools
3. Machinetools
4. Weldingandoxyfuelcuttingequipment
5. Liftsandjacks
6. Computerstoperformadministrativetasksandaccessserviceinformation
7. Computerizeddiagnosticequipment
8. Measuringtools
9. Testinstruments
10. Otherspecialtytools,dependingontheautomotivetechnologyarea
B. Someshopsareunionized,whichmeansthattechniciansemployedtherearesubjecttounionrulesregardingpayandotherissues.Forexample,thetechnicianmayberequiredtoworkfor2yearsasanapprenticebeforeadvancingtothejourneylevel.Theunionalsofunctionstohelpemployeesnegotiatewiththeiremployersregardingsalariesandworkingconditions.
