NASTF hits the road to great techs, announces featured topic for spring meeting

“The Road to GREAT Technicians: Let’s Get Started” is the featured topic of the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Spring 2017 General Meeting, 1:00-4:00 pm (Central), Monday, April 24, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Over the last year, the industry has elevated the discussion around the shortage of qualified technicians,” notes Chris Chesney, Sr. Director of Customer Training for the CARQUEST Technical Institute. “Currently, many separate and independent efforts are underway but are not part of an organized, well-structured plan that will effectively serve the industry moving forward. This NASTF discussion will begin our journey on the road to great technicians.” Mark Saxonberg, Chair of the NASTF Board of Directors, recently retired from Toyota and now President of Saxonberg Consulting Services, will moderate a panel discussion defining the opportunities for this project while providing focus on a NASTF effort resulting in:

• the creation of a defined curriculum framework
• support of multiple career paths
• creation of talent with relevant skills
• improved activation by industry in near and long term

Chesney is the first of several invited panelists to confirm participation. Others will be announced soon. “This session is not intended to be another panel where our industry partners share what they are doing. This session should actually get us going on the road to great techs,” Chesney added.

The NASTF Spring 2017 General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Equipment & Tool Institute’s Tool Tech 2017 presented later in that week at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel in New Orleans. No registration is necessary for the NASTF Spring 2017 General Meeting but registration is necessary to attend Tool Tech 2017 events. Visit http://etools.org/ToolTech-2017-Registration to register for ETI Tool Tech 2017.

The entire afternoon meeting will be webcast by iATN from www.nastf.org and will be recorded for future viewing from the NASTF YouTube page, www.youtube.com/NASTFdotORG.

More information and the agenda for the NASTF Spring 2017 General Meeting is available at www.nastf.org/GeneralMeetings.

NASTF was established in 2000 to identify, communicate and resolve gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools, and equipment for the benefit of automotive service professionals and their customers. NASTF was incorporated in 2006 as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization. Additional details can be found at www.nastf.org.