The AADA Dealer Academy is designed to train dealership staff in the specific requirements of the automotive industry, delivered with the convenience of online training and with an affordable cost structure subsidised by the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA).Opened this week, the academy is designed to provide dealership staff with accessible and cost-effective training solutions designed to support every role within the business. 

The courses are delivered by Blue Flag and are tailored to enhance skills and ensure compliance across the whole dealership operation.

Courses available at launch cover key areas such as Introduction to Automotive, Australian Consumer Law, Service Advisor 101, and Parts Manager 101. 

AADA CEO James Voortman told GoAutoNews Premium that one of the key differences with the industry-specific training was its mode of delivery.

James Voortman

“The majority of courses require staff to be off site, taking them away from the dealership and customers, effectively not making them contribute to the business,” he said.

“This can be sometimes for days. It’s worse for regional dealerships that mean staff are away from the business for the course duration, for travel and requiring accommodation. 

“This is all a major disruptor to the efficiency of the dealership.”Mr Voortman said that the academy is online only “meaning it can suit many staff members over different time periods all while still on the business premises.”

He said that “it saves time and saves a lot of expense.”

“The content of the courses also suits different levels of staff expertise and different areas. 

“The prime example is that there is a course within the modules for service advisors — a very important department in the modern dealership in recent years.“It’s great for people new to the industry because it teaches the most effective methods.” 

The concept of the academy started when dealers asked the AADA if there was specific training available that would help overcome the shortage in skilled workers.

Mr Voortman said that AADA saw the “gap in the market” for a curriculum centred specifically around the automotive industry, including sales, service and parts.

“Dealers already work with OEMs on product training but we saw that it could be complemented by additional training in areas not often touched on, such as service advisors and Australian consumer law,” Mr Voortman said.“In the case of the ACL, we saw the opportunity to educate dealership staff from the dealer perspective.”

Mr Voortman said the structure of the academy was geared around growing it in course subjects as the number of participants increased.

“This is a fast moving industry in a fast moving world,” he said.

“I would envisage that it may not be too long before dealers will be asking about courses to educate staff on issues including AI and cybersecurity, for example.“Demand from dealers and their staff will drive the academy.”

The full range of training options available and coming soon are on the AADA dealer academy website (aadadealeracademy.com.au).

By Neil Dowling