ASE shares impetus behind open letter to industry, what’s coming up in 2026

An executive order and a new education strategy from the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education prompted ASE President and CEO Dave Johnson to write an open letter asking that the automotive industry be at the table.

President Donald Trump’s executive order, “High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” and the aforementioned departments’ “America’s Talent Strategy: Equipping American Workers for the Golden Age” aim to drive students toward valued credentials in the industry, Johnson said.

“For us, that’s kind of a big deal,” he said. “It seemed to be very focused on trades in general, but mostly on other trades.”

Due to the lack of mention of automotive trades, Johnson reached out to the Department of Labor.

“We’d like to be at the table, if you will, as you turn the strategy into a reality to make sure that it’s recognized that there are similarities and it’s all good, but there’s also some unique aspects to automotive we want to make sure don’t get left behind,” Johnson said. “Automotive was often an afterthought, and I’m not saying that was purposely. The automotive service industry is somewhat fractured in that everyone is often driving towards the same goals, but they’re doing it separately.”

While ASE accreditation and certification aren’t the “end all, be all,” Johnson said. However, he said ASE’s board represents the industry with a great cross-section of OEMs, the aftermarket, and independent repair shops, ensuring that what’s being taught aligns with skills needed by today’s workforce.

“ASE is a reflection of the industry, and it is a focal point because the industry created this many, many years ago, and it’s been serving its purpose quite well, I would say,” Johnson said. “But we’re not taking advantage of what it is and what it can do in terms of helping to drive policy legislation in positive directions that apply to the whole industry.”

In the letter, Johnson writes that the direction of the Trump Administration’s strategy “aligns powerfully with what ASE already provides.”

He wrote that includes:

• • “ASE Education Foundation’s Program Accreditation ensures measurable accountability and rigorous quality standards for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
  • “ASE service professional certifications are the recognized, industry-developed credentials that employers rely on, and workers strive to earn. They carry proven value for individuals and the businesses that hire them.”

When talking to RDN, he added, “We’re always striving to be better and serve the industry that we were created to serve. It [letter] resonated with people in a good way, and I’m excited to see what we can do with that… The intent was really to try to get some attention on this because there are organizations and companies that are out there really making a strong effort.”

He said ASE wants to be a resource to help make sure the industry’s voice is heard and considered as people think about policy and legislation.

“We can be more effective together than we can be individually on this front, on some of the basics,” Johnson said. “I think part of it is supporting the schools that are striving to do this, that are ASE-accredited. When I say ‘support,’ that we’re going to help them with our resources; sometimes it’s parts, maybe it’s vehicles. It can be tools, things like that, that will make a huge difference in a good program’s life.”

Johnson said one goal ASE has for 2026 is to continue driving public awareness about the importance of fully trained and credentialed professionals working on vehicles.

“What we’re trying to do is help consumers recognize this is important so that they’re asking for it, they’re demanding it,” he said. “We are working on vehicles that are, frankly, more complicated than a fighter jet, and we still don’t necessarily expect consumers to just assume that all these people are fully trained and credentialed professionals when the reality is they don’t have to be, and a lot of them aren’t.”

He said other 2026 goals include:

• • Continue working to make testing more accessible while preserving the integrity of the tests and accreditation.
  • New glass installation certifications specific to properly calibrating drive assistance systems
  • New vehicle security system certification

“We recognize that the automotive technology has just exploded,” Johnson said. “In the last five years, it’s exploded with the levels of autonomous capability of vehicles and the advanced driver assist systems that go with that, and so the complexity of these vehicles has just multiplied.”

Images

Featured image: Dave Johnson, ASE president and CEO. (Provided by ASE)