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Minimum Requirements

The minimum program requirements are identical for initial certification and for recertification. You should be able to demonstrate through documentation or on-site inspection that your program fulfills each requirement. If your program does not meet the minimum requirements, make improvements in the program before applying for certification.

Requirements include:

Total Hours of Instruction:

A program providing instruction in all of the automobile areas must have a minimum total of 1,080 hours of combined laboratory/shop (co-op) and classroom instruction. Tasks related to the eight automobile areas may be taught at different times during the course of study. Therefore, the hours for an individual area are the sum total of all the hours of instruction related to the tasks. Individual areas must have the following minimum hours:

The first four areas are required of all programs. All eight areas are required for master certification designation.

Average Rating on Standards 6-9:

The average rating on each of Standards 6, 7, 8, and 9 must be a four on the five-point scale. The program will not be approved for an on-site evaluation if the average is less than 4 on any of those standards. The program should make improvements before submitting the application to NATEF for review. A program will be denied certification if the on-site evaluation team average on Standards 6, 7, 8, or 9 is less than four.

Average Rating on Standards 1-5 and 10:

A program may not be approved for an on-site evaluation if the average rating on Standards 1- 5 and 10 is less than a four on the five-point scale. A program may be denied certification if the on-site evaluation team average on Standards 1 - 5 and 10 is less than four. Approval for on-site evaluation or certification will be made by NATEF, based on the number of standards rated at 4 or 5, as well as the individual rating on any standard rated less than four.

Faculty Requirements:

Each instructor must: 1) hold current ASE certification in the automobile area(s) in which he/she teaches; and 2) attend a minimum of 20 hours per year of recognized industry update training relevant to the areas in which their program is certified.

The Advisory Committee:

The program Advisory Committee must conduct at least two working meetings a year and must have a minimum of 5 people (excluding school personnel) on the committee. Minutes of the meetings must be provided for review by the on-site evaluation team and must reflect relevant areas of the standards as having been considered by the Advisory Committee. This is REQUIRED.

Curriculum Requirements:

The NATEF Task List defines the entry level competencies required of program graduates. Each task is given a priority number. The priority number indicates the minimum percentage of those tasks, by area, a program must include in their program in order to be certified in that area. The Task List is divided into three priority areas. The following guidelines must be followed:

• 95% of all Priority 1 (P-1) items must be taught in the curriculum
• 80% of all Priority 2 (P-2) items must be taught in the curriculum
• 50% of all Priority 3 (P-3) items must be taught in the curriculum

A program that does not meet the minimum hour requirements may be eligible for certification if both of the following conditions are met for the program areas seeking certification:

1. show evidence that all graduates from the previous academic year have taken the ASE certification examination, and
2. show documentation that 75% of those graduates passed the ASE certification tests.

Safety:

The concern for safety is paramount to the learning environment. Each program area has the following safety requirement preceding all related tasks: Comply with personal and environmental safety practices associated with clothing; eye protection; hand tools; power equipment; proper ventilation; and the handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals/materials in accordance with local, state, and federal safety and environmental regulations.