The ASE Training Managers Council released results of its 2026 Training Benchmarks Survey, drawing on responses from technicians, instructors, and industry stakeholders across the automotive, truck, and collision repair sectors.
Among collision repair technicians who responded, ADAS ranked among the most-requested training topics.
Independent shops trail dealerships by 17 points on training access
Among all technicians surveyed across automotive, truck, and collision repair sectors, aftermarket and independent shop workers reported lower training access than their dealership counterparts. Fifty-five percent of aftermarket and independent shop respondents said they have access to the training they need, compared with 72% at OEM dealerships. That gap is relevant to collision repair shops specifically: 78% of collision technician respondents identified as working at aftermarket or independent facilities, according to the survey data.
Among all respondents who reported lacking access, the leading barrier was content availability, with 53% citing "right topics not available" as their primary obstacle, followed by quality concerns at 38%, and scheduling conflicts at 29%. Training cost was cited by 22% and travel distance by 17%.
ADAS ties paint and refinish, and hybrid/EV as collision technicians' most-requested topic
Among the small subset of collision repair technicians who responded, ADAS ranked as the most-requested training topic, cited by 44.4% of collision respondents, tied with paint and refinish and hybrid/EV systems, and collision structural repair. Electrical/electronic systems followed at 33.3% as well, with collision estimating cited by 22.2%.
The full survey population was 71% automotive technicians, 4% truck technicians, and 0.5% collision repair technicians. The collision respondent sample is small and results should be treated as directional rather than statistically representative of the broader collision workforce.
The ADAS training demand among collision technicians aligns with data from other industry sources. The share of repair estimates including an ADAS calibration line grew 31.4% year over year in 2025, reaching 34.7% of all estimates, according to Enlyte's 2026 annual trends report. The number of calibrations per repair rose nearly 10% over 2024 in the same dataset.
Technicians want more instructor-led and hands-on training than they currently receive
Across all sectors, instructor-led classroom training remained the most commonly used format at 15.5% of reported training activity, followed by self-paced e-learning at 13.5%, virtual classroom at 12%, and hands-on lab instruction at 10.4%. Technicians' preferred formats placed instructor-led classroom higher at 19.8% and hands-on lab instruction at 16%, suggesting demand for in-person, applied training exceeds what is currently available.
The full 2026 ATMC Training Benchmarks Survey results are available at atmc.org.
