Following the recent merger of National Pronto Association and the Automotive Distribution Network to form The Pronto Network, The Group Training Academy (TGTA) has added the training offerings from The Network Academy to its popular web portal. The new and improved TheGroupTrainingAcademy.com now provides more online training courses and resources than any other training option in the aftermarket.
“During the service provider panel at our national meeting, the number one need cited by the service professionals was the need for more training,” said Larry Pavey, CEO, Automotive Parts Services Group (The Group). “By combining The Group Training Academy and The Network Academy and consistently adding new content, The Group continues to lead the way in providing quality training to shops and their professional service technicians.”
The Group has also made the development of educational content about alternative fuels a priority.
All banner shops under The Group umbrella, including Federated Car Care, Pronto Smart Choice, Parts Plus Car Care Centers and national account customers, will have free access to TGTA offerings. Shops may upgrade to access premium courses and other expanded training options.
Among the updated training resources now available are over 500 hours of content from Automotive Video Innovations (AVI), hundreds of hours of vendor training, customizable learning paths, virtual coaching and mentor programs, and live interactive training workshops. Additional resources include monthly premium courses, archived webinar recordings and access to the TGTA hybrid cutaway vehicle training tool.
The Group has also made the development of educational content about alternative fuels a priority. The “Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technician Training” course offering is designed to educate experienced automotive professionals on proper and safe procedures for diagnosing and repairing electric vehicles. It is also flexible enough to train those in secondary and post-secondary education programs.
To accompany the course, The Group has also introduced a classroom visual training tool that assists in the education of students. A modified Toyota Prius was developed to offer students a chance to interact with non-energized, high voltage components and learn the proper techniques and personal protective equipment needed for a safe environment.
The Group Training Academy is also offering access to monthly high definition (HD) broadcasts covering current and emerging topics and trends in the auto care industry. These pre-recorded productions are aired at a specific date and time to allow the audience to participate in live question and answer sessions with the instructor.
Other enhancements include new exclusive content, search capabilities, new supplier additions and multiple language capabilities. In addition, The Group Training Academy continues to provide full curriculum support capabilities and it remains ultra-affordable for the best customers. The Group Training Academy also includes a robust product benefit and feature section that serves as a single source of information for counter personnel and service writers so they can better understand and sell the premium products provided by The Group’s valued supplier partners.
“The Group Training Academy remains the one-stop shop for everything training,” said Pavey. “Whether you are a technician, service advisor, shop owner, manager or parts professional, there is something for you. We will continue to enhance The Group Training Academy offerings with vendor content, industry content, as well as our own videos and training modules, all specifically designed to meet the needs of shops and service techs.”
Available 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, the training is presented in a video format designed especially for automotive professionals. To learn more, visit www.TheGroupTrainingAcademy.com.
The Automotive Parts Services Group, also known as The Group, was created as a joint venture of the Federated Auto Parts and The Pronto Automotive Distribution Network, also known as The Pronto Network, on behalf of their respective members, creating one of the largest automotive parts supply networks in North America. For more information, visit www.thegroupapsg.com.
