The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, or ASE, introduced an initiative in partnership with WrenchWay to streamline collaboration between shops, dealerships and schools to help address the auto technician shortage. 

The ASE Connects program, which launches in January, is designed to build on the existing School Assist solution ASE and WrenchWay introduced last year. School Assist helps vehicle service employers and schools work together to find resources and create a workforce pipeline. More than 3,000 high schools and post-secondary programs participate in it, and ASE said it aims to bring every school in the country into the program.

“There are many groups out there doing great work to help with issues like the technician shortage. ASE Connects is meant to supplement, not replace those efforts. Certain aspects simply work better when all parties involved are on one platform rather than individual silos for automotive, diesel or dealer versus idependent,” said ASE President and CEO Dave Johnson.

“We are excited to take this next step with ASE,” said WrenchWay co-founder and CEO Mark Wilson. “WrenchWay’s mission has always been to promote and improve technician careers. By combining ASE’s industry leadership with our technology, we are able to focus even more on that mission and make a bigger impact together.”

The initiative will also introduce the Industry Data Exchange that builds on the Voice of Technician report, technician pay data and ASE’s school data. The exchange will provide data on workforce trends, including pay, benefits and labor rates. The anonymous data will allow shops to access national numbers, as well as filter by location, shop type and more.