CCAR (The Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair) recently announced the release of COVID-19 best practice guidelines and online training for automotive technology educators. Two COVID-19 online learning modules are available now as part of the E-Safety suite authored by CCAR and hosted by Electude.

Mastery of the complex skills required for success in automotive-based careers requires rigorous in-shop and in-person tasks. This makes social distancing and disinfecting protocols challenging for teachers and students. Our belief is that educators must plan to emphasize the hands-on lab part of the course for their in-person instruction and strive to move other aspects of courses online, as outlined in our guidelines.
 
Recognizing the need for comprehensive resource materials to support automotive educators, CCAR is pleased to offer:

• Automotive Service Technology Pandemic Guidance, with strategies to create a blended learning environment that helps to keep students and staff safe, reserves in-person school time for hands-on training and provides guidance for conducting classrooms and lectures online
• Best practices for shops and labs, including a COVID-19 Lab & Shop Process Acknowledgement that focuses on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and social distancing
• COVID-19 Recommended Supplies for Schools 
• COVID-19 Participant Questionnaire, to be used at the beginning of each in-person day
• A COVID-19 Touch Point Cleaning Checklist
• Innovative, interactive COVID-19 online learning modules specifically written for professionals in the automotive field(s)
• Ongoing guidance as the impact of COVID-19 evolves

CCAR received valuable assistance in developing this program from its partner Electude, with whom it built E-Safety, a comprehensive automotive online safety program and credential.

Thomas Snyder, chief commercial officer of Electude, said, “We are excited that CCAR has taken on developing these standards. We have not before found guidelines focused specifically on how automotive educators are to manage during the pandemic.”

Added Charlie Ayers, president of CCAR, “We are sincere in our hope that our guidelines and supporting materials are of value to automotive educators and the challenges they face in delivering instruction during the pandemic. And we are delighted that Electude is such a willing and enthusiastic partner. They worked with us in development of the guidelines as well as taking our existing automotive-based safety resources and expand them to include COVID-19 learning modules within the E-Safety platform.”