The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) was selected and NATEF was set up to administer the evaluation process. NATEF is a separate 501 (c) (3) foundation which is solely responsible for the program evaluation process. Based on the evaluation, NATEF will recommend automotive training programs for ASE program certification. The primary goal of certification is program improvement.
The evaluation process involves two major steps: an extensive self-evaluation followed by an onsite evaluation. Program instructors, administrators, and advisory committee members rate the program on ten standards encompassing: Purpose, Administration, Learning Resources, Finances, Student Services, Instruction, Equipment, Facilities, Instructional Staff, and Cooperative Work Agreements. The evaluation helps target areas that are outstanding and those that need improvement according to national standards that have been identified by representatives of the automotive industry.
Programs then submit their application and self-evaluation materials to the NATEF office. If it appears that a program has met the standards, an on-site evaluation is scheduled.
The on-site evaluation is conducted by an Evaluation Team Leader (ETL) and technicians in the program area. The ETL is an educator who has also earned ASE certified master technician designation, and has been trained by NATEF to lead the evaluation. The evaluation team submits their final report to NATEF and ASE grants certification if the program meets all the standards. Programs must recertify every five years.
As of September 1996, there are 704 Automobile programs in their initial certification phase and 326 recertified Automobile programs, for a total of 1,030 certified automobile programs. There are 166 Collision Repair & Refinish programs in initial certification and 8 recertified programs for a total of 174 certified Collision Repair & Refinish programs. Certification of Medium/Heavy Truck programs began in 1992 and there are 39 certified. The grand total of programs that have achieved ASE certification is 1,243. Program standards for Light/Medium Duty Compressed Natural Gas (COG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) were introduced in January of 1996. Several programs are currently completing the self-evaluation phase of certification.
There have been several studies on the effects of ASE program certification on student learning outcomes. The most recent and the most rigorous study was conducted by The Ohio State University in 1995.
OSU researchers concluded that ASE program certification has a significant, positive effect on the learning that takes place in automotive technician training programs.