The Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) has officially launched its Automotive Service Associate Program (ASAP), an initiative designed to give service professionals access to “the big picture,” including trends in vehicle technology, research on shop performance benchmarks and training packages.

“Our objective is to build a community which can feed concerns to a national level and take advantage of national-level research, lobbying and infrastructure,” Senior Director of Industry Programs Andrew Shepherd said. “The ultimate benefit of the program will be a national ASAP community.”

About 20 shops have signed on thus far, according to Shepherd. The organization expects around 1,000 shops to sign up in the first year.

The program costs $179 a year and benefits include …
• A national shop-finder service.
• Pricing discounts on AIA Canada research products, including a focus on the service advisor role and an update of service shop activity and profit benchmarks.
• Access to AutoConnex, a database of industry jobs, compensation information, career profiles and educational resources.
• E-communications and other news on suppliers, equipment and training.
• Access to Cars OnDemand training, skills assessment and the Technical Assistance Center.
• Coming soon, customer credit plans through Desjardins.