A Benchmark of Vehicle Maintenance Training Between the U.S. Air Force and a Civilian Industry Leader

This thesis compared vehicle maintenance training between the U.S. Air Force USAF and a leading civilian training organization, Cuyahoga Valley Joint Vocational School CVJVS, using benchmarking. First, the study identified the USAF and civilian automotive training industries conduct training. Next, the researchers identified common areas for comparison between training programs. Then, the industry leaders best practice was identified. The best practice at CVJVS as the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation NATEF certification process. In applying this practice at Chanute, the researchers identified three deficient areas, or negative gaps. The first gap was in the number of hours of instruction. The second gap was the lack of high priority tasks included in Chanutes curriculum. The third gap was in Chanutes infrequency of returning instructors to the automotive industry for update training. Finally, three further findings were revealed. Chanutes acquisition process of vehicle trainers has not provided the latest vehicle technology. Chanutes advisory committee, the Utilization and Training Workshop, does not convene often enough to address training needs in a timely manner. Finally, Chanute has applied computer-based instruction and distance-learning to an extent not observed at other civilian training organizations.