Training teams across industries are facing rapid shifts in workforce needs, technology, and learner expectations. Few sectors feel this pressure more intensely than automotive service, where vehicle systems evolve faster than many organizations can train on them. In a recent episode of the Training Impact Podcast, Jeff Walter sat down with Matt Shepanek, Vice President of Credential Testing Programs at ASE, to explore how the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence keeps technicians prepared, employers supported, and industry standards strong.
This conversation carries valuable insights for learning and development professionals, especially those involved in extended enterprise training, dealer networks, customer education, and credentialing environments. Whether you support technicians, franchise owners, partners, or adult learners, Matt’s perspective brings clarity to what makes effective skills development work at scale.
Matt’s career tells the story of someone who has lived the full arc of technical learning. He began as a young automotive enthusiast working in a Michigan service station, eventually advancing into dealership roles and later into training content development for a major automotive supplier. His early exposure to manual creation, video production, and labor time studies shaped his understanding of how technicians learn and how real-world performance connects to training quality.
His roles at Volkswagen and Audi deepened that foundation. As a curriculum designer and later the head of technical training for Audi in the United States, he built programs, opened training centers, and supported the rapid expansion of a highly skilled technician workforce. These experiences gave him a deep appreciation for scalable learning systems, instructor quality, and learner pathways.
Before joining ASE, Matt also played a key role in developing innovative veteran-to-technician transition programs that connected military experience to high-demand civilian roles. That work sharpened his focus on helping learners move into meaningful careers, especially through structured, accessible training models.
Today, he brings all those perspectives to the credentialing world, helping ensure that certification remains relevant, rigorous, and aligned with real shop environments.
ASE’s influence reaches more than 220,000 technicians across automotive, truck, bus, and collision repair fields. Their certification exams cover more than 55 skill areas, and each credential requires both knowledge and verified work experience.
What stands out from Matt’s explanation is how multifaceted ASE’s work really is. The organization does more than certify individuals. It accredits training providers, evaluates school programs, and supports workforce pipelines through the ASE Education Foundation and the ASE Training Managers Council.
This makes ASE uniquely positioned as a model for extended enterprise training, where industries rely on distributed learning ecosystems to ensure consistent performance across thousands of learners, locations, and job roles.
Training technicians at scale is no small undertaking. Vehicles today contain more than 25,000 parts, increasingly digital systems, and evolving safety requirements. Maintaining competence requires both structured learning and credible assessment.
Matt notes that ASE’s approach balances knowledge testing with verification of on-the-job experience. This two-part structure acknowledges that technical skill development requires hands-on practice, not just theoretical understanding. It also reflects the realities of customer training and partner training, where performance cannot be separated from practical application.
One of the biggest challenges he highlights is scale. Credentialing hundreds of thousands of technicians means creating processes that remain fair, valid, and efficient across diverse locations and employers.
Another challenge is rapidly changing technology. Electric vehicle training, advanced driver assistance systems, and digital diagnostics require continuous updates to curriculum, testing, and standards. Matt shares how ASE stays ahead by working closely with OEMs, educators, and industry councils to capture evolving needs.
One of the most energizing parts of the conversation centers on new training technologies. Matt discusses how AR and VR have matured from expensive prototypes to practical instructional tools with real impact. He cites an experiment with high school students in Georgia using the NAPA Accelerator program, where learners practiced brake caliper work in a virtual environment. After only a few hours of practice, students achieved a 33 percent improvement between pre and post test scores.
The insight here is significant. These immersive tools activate tactile learning without safety risks and without requiring expensive physical equipment. For credentialing bodies, these technologies offer potential pathways to more scalable skills assessment in the future.
Matt shares a personal story about how hands-on learning shaped his own training journey. Reading manuals helped, but concepts clicked only when he could touch components, see how they moved, and understand their internal mechanisms. This anecdote reinforces something many L&D professionals know intuitively. Technical learners respond strongly to tactile experiences.
Virtual simulation will not replace hands-on practice, but it can accelerate readiness and build confidence more quickly. For industries with workforce shortages, as Matt explains, this could help smooth the entry point for new technicians and create a more inviting learning pathway.
This conversation illustrates how credentialing organizations can support large, distributed training environments that must remain responsive to both industry changes and learner needs. For L&D leaders in automotive, manufacturing, industrial equipment, transportation, or any complex technical field, Matt’s perspective offers several takeaways:
• Good credentialing requires both knowledge and demonstrated experience
• Training must evolve alongside technology
• Tactile and immersive learning environments boost retention
• Scalable assessment systems require creativity and collaboration
• Workforce development relies on strong industry partnerships
These lessons connect directly to best practices in the LatitudeLearning Training Program Roadmap and demonstrate how structured learning pathways can strengthen both learners and organizations.
To explore ASE’s approach in depth, download the companion case study:
ASE Training Case Study: Advancing Competence, Confidence, and Consistency in Automotive Service
It details the training structure, learner types, challenges, best practices, and how ASE aligns with the LatitudeLearning Training Program Roadmap.
🎧 To explore the full conversation, listen to the Training Impact Podcast episode featuring Matt Shepanek of ASE .
📄 Download the companion case study: ASE Training Case Study: Advancing Competence, Confidence, and Consistency in Automotive Service
🌐 Learn more about ASE on their website https://ase.com/
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