Chapter 11- A. History And Purpose

The purpose of the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) is to improve automotive technician education. NATEF evaluates automotive training programs at secondary and post-secondary schools for certification by the National Institute For Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

Development of the certification program began in 1978. The American Vocational Association conducted a study to determine improvements needed in automotive technician training programs. By 1982, the study had resulted in a program evaluation guide, a task list, and a tool and equipment list.

The responsibility for further development and implementation of the evaluation program was turned over to ASE. The Automotive Service Association then donated its National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) to ASE to fund the evaluation program.

In 1989, NATEF began evaluation of collision repair programs. By 1998, 203 collision repair training programs had been certified. About 297 others have begun the evaluation process and 14 programs were involved with the on-site evaluation process. Of the 203 certified programs, 41 have been through the recertification process. This means that they had been certified for longer than five years, requiring renewal by recertification.