I believe you should be paid for your time in training. It benefits the tech which in turn benefits the company. An untrained tech who struggles through a repair only for the company to discount the labor because the guy took too long is negative equity.

it,s also good to sit round a table with other engineers passing round tips and info that they have picked up on different new products. sometimes the training guy learns a lot that way too

we have regular training in works paid time.also we have been going back to basic training just to refresh the old boys at bit and keep your certificates current. pyroban fire and explosion refresher is a must every 2 years cause the legislation is always moving and changing.i have been in this trade for 16 years and you learn something every day when your out in the field.the whole grounds for these forums is that if you don,t know some info somebody else will have learned or been trained for the job and will help you out of a hole

We can do any training we feel we need,this is always done in works time and any overtime paid at the going rate,i don't think i would or my fellow engineers would do product training in our own time.
Surely it is a asset to the company to have well trained up to speed engineers.
The training courses differ in length depending on content,and no test is given at the end but we are expected to listen and come out of the course with a good knowledge of the truck we have done the course on.

We have an online corse that you get a gift card of some sort,got me a dvd burner.Some in class training thats mostly a guy goes to get trained and then trains you. Mostly you see a bunch of stuff youll never use.Ie we used some pda software in training but none of the techs have a pda.Also the train a trainer you lose a lot in translation. I will personaly take all the training I can get
this is a want to be the best thing. After all why are you doing this if you dont want to be the best you can be at it?

I agree that the training could well be optional, and so done at the convenience of the tech, and done to better the techs own knowledge, how ever I think the line is; "when it MUST be done, and when it MUST be done at a certain time", then it is no longer an option, and no longer at the convenience of the tech, so it must be paid for according to federal wage and hour rules, which only allow a 40 hour week at regular pay, and require 1.5x pay after 40 hours in a week. When the tech has the option of not doing the training, and no harm or foul become from it, (just possibly not as much a raise or some other "atta-boy") then there is no reason to expect the company to pay for that time.
A lot of the better companies do have a tuition reimbursement to pay for your college level courses, especially if they are related to your job, and I know a few that even do provide a stipend (not hourly pay though) for students of certain courses.

Ed T, isn't training going to help your career? Does your company pay tuition if you attend college and pay you while you are attending? Training is suppossed to help the tech, which means the tech can use that training later to get a better job. I really don't see the reason a company has to pay for the training and pay the tech to take the training.

Someone tell me if I'm wrong. I'm open to all possibilities.

I agree batman, We at our company enjoy many benefits that at other places
are unheard of, so a few hours now and then in the comfort of a recliner with a Laptop taking online stuff "Un Paid" is a small price to pay.

I understand where edward t is coming from, there are certain Training issues that are required for certification before you can be allowed to do any Warranty related repairs, classes are held "in-house" as group after everyone has completed their "Online" prerequesits, after the class, then a test will be taken, some are directly after the class or a special "online" test will be given. The classes are held during regular working hours, usually split up into groups who take the classes on different days so customers can be tended to.

We have different cetification levels that will require a TECH to travel to the factory or a central branch location, all class hours are paid as if you were working, expenses for the stay are covered, as well as transportation.

We can axcess all online modules at any time and receive credit for it , the Trainer monitors all online activities and assists with it.

The more knowledge you can gather, the more informed you can be making you A better TECH and your customers will be the first to notice.

I think this really boils down to what the training is, and if it is "mandatory" such as operator training, then the tech MUST be paid for his time. if it is optional, then this is a gray area... so if the tech is required by EPA and the Factory to take a test online to prove he knows how to repair a computer controlled system, he MUST be paid for that time. I think you skate on thin ice to pay a tech for his time at a rate other than his agreed to rate for 40 hours, and time and half for more than fourty hours, if it is not at his "convenience".

My company offers training after hours which the techs are paid a flat rate, not hourly. It's not a whole lot but it will buy you something to eat on the way home. Training therefore is not really mandatory. I have seen it done many different ways. I know Toyota offers techs online training that they can do from home, unpaid, and they are monitored throughout the training sessions. This way a company can check to see how the techs are progressing through training and also make sure they are completing the training.

I like that approach. In today's electronic world training should be online, at least the theory part of it. Tech's should not be paid to do that. I think then the dealership should follow up with hands on training. You could spark a huge debate on whether the tech should be paid for training or not. My personal opinion is that the company normally offers many benefits to the tech. Training is a benefit that costs the company money so I am for NOT paying the tech to receive training.