Technician Certification
CertifiedAutomotive Service Excellence
Consumers had no method of knowing which mechanics were qualified until the early 1970s. The independent, nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) was founded in 1972 in response to this demand.
Through testing and certification of repair and service specialists, ASE aims to raise the caliber of automotive maintenance and repair.
Over 420,000 professionals now hold valid qualifications. They operate in all facets of the automotive service sector, including franchises, fleets, independent shops, car and truck dealerships, and more.
The process for earning an ASE certification is as follows: potential applicants sign up for and take one or more of the more than 40 ASE examinations. The exams are broken down into specializations for technicians who work on cars, medium/heavy trucks, truck equipment, school buses, and collision repairs as well as engine machinists, technicians who work with alternative fuels, parts experts, collision damage estimators, and consultants for the automotive industry.
The test taker becomes ASE certified after completing at least one exam and demonstrating that they have had two years of relevant work experience. However, certification is not permanent. Those with ASE qualifications must retest every five years in order to maintain their certification.
ACT, which is renowned for its academic and occupational testing programs, administers the examinations, which are given twice a year at more than 700 locations around the US. Exams emphasize having a working grasp of skills. They are not easy to pass; roughly one in three exam takers are unsuccessful.
The ASE certification program benefits consumers. It serves as a useful benchmark for assessing the technical expertise of individual technicians as well as the level of dedication to excellence displayed by the repair business that hires ASE-certified specialists.
Employers frequently post the credentials of their technicians in the client waiting area. ASE-certified experts typically wear blue and white ASE insignia and carry credentials detailing their precise area(s) of competence (brakes, engine repair, etc.).
Facilities that bear the ASE Blue Seal of Excellence logo should be sought out by customers.
