Technicians have more access to training now than they have in the past five years, according to a recent survey from the ASE Training Managers Council (ATMC). Some topics, like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) training, are particularly popular.
ATMC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing training and professional development in the broader automotive industry, including the auto glass industry. It recently published its annual survey of technicians’ training preferences and needs, broken down into automotive, truck and collision repair categories. Approximately 2,685 technicians participated. ATMC vice president Matt Shepanek says the collision repair category includes auto glass technicians.
Can Techs Get Training?
According to the data, technicians feel more confident that they have access to the training they need in 2026 than in the past five years. About 69% of the technicians surveyed this year feel they have access to the training they need, versus an average of approximately 59% from 2022 through 2025.
Collision repair technicians listed ADAS training as one of their top training needs in ATMC’s recent survey. Image used with permission by ATMC.
Technicians who work for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) feel the most confident at 72%, while 44% of fleet technicians feel they can get the necessary training. About 55% of technicians for aftermarket and independent shops say they can get that training.
More than half of those who said they couldn’t access it said there wasn’t any training available on the topics they needed. About 38% said no quality training was available, 29% said they couldn’t take time off work for training, 22% said it would cost too much and 17% said they’d have to travel too far.
ADAS training is in high demand, with 44.4% of collision repair technicians listing ADAS as one of the training topics they need most. The same percentage of technicians need training on hybrid and electric vehicle systems, according to the survey.
Breaking Down Demographics
The demographics section of the survey offered insight into the age and experience of the collision repair technicians seeking training.
About 36% of the collision repair technicians surveyed were aged 55-64. About 54% of technicians in this category were distributed evenly among the 25 to 34, 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 age groups. Only 9% of collision repair technicians were over 65, and no technicians between 18 and 24 participated in the survey.
The 55 to 65 age group has the highest concentration of collision repair technicians, according to ATMC’s survey. Image used with permission from ATMC.
Technicians across all disciplines tend to have decades of experience, according to the data. About 39% reported 30 or more years in their respective industries, and about 21% reported 20 to 29 years of experience.
Many primarily Spanish-speaking technicians in the auto glass industry report that language barriers make it hard for them to find quality training. According to ATMC’s report, about 3.6% of all technicians surveyed prefer training in Spanish and 95% prefer English.
