Program Guide
Manufacturer Training Programs for Mechanics
Manufacturer training programs pair an accredited college program with a carmaker's or equipment maker's curriculum and, in most, a sponsoring dealership. This guide covers what T-TEN, GM ASEP, Ford ASSET, Mopar CAP and Honda PACT are, how many ranked schools carry each, and how the programs count toward ASE certification.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group
At a Glance
- 120 ranked programs carry a manufacturer program, 117 of the 415 automotive programs and 3 diesel programs.
- Mopar CAP is the most common (67 ranked programs), then GM ASEP (44), Honda PACT (36), and Ford ASSET and Toyota T-TEN (29 each).
- 55 programs carry more than one manufacturer program, so the counts overlap.
- An accredited manufacturer co-op counts as 2 years toward the 2 years of work experience the A1 to A9 ASE tests ask for; an accredited school program alone counts as 1.
- 120 programs make the manufacturer-sponsored list. The ranking orders them by score.
What a Manufacturer Training Program Is
Manufacturer training programs are partnerships between a maker and a school. The school keeps its own accreditation and runs the classroom; the maker adds its curriculum, its tools or its dealer network. Toyota says each T-TEN school starts with accreditation from the ASE Education Foundation and then goes through its own two-year certification process, and the GM ASEP site says all of its programs hold that accreditation. The schools stay independently run: GM ASEP says each school is operated independently.
Most manufacturer training programs also bring in a dealer. Students are sponsored by a dealership and split their time between school and paid work there, which is why the mechanic apprenticeship guide treats them as the overlap between school and an apprenticeship.
Manufacturer Training Programs Among Ranked Schools
A ranked program carries a manufacturer program when its unexpired ASE Education Foundation listing names the program or the manufacturer's own list of partner schools names the school. 120 ranked programs carry at least one. A program can carry several, so the counts below add up to more than 120.
| Program | Manufacturer | Ranked programs | States | Awarding an associate degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mopar CAP | Stellantis | 67 | 38 | 57 |
| GM ASEP | General Motors | 44 | 30 | 41 |
| Honda PACT | American Honda (Honda and Acura) | 36 | 24 | 34 |
| Ford ASSET | Ford and Lincoln | 29 | 27 | 27 |
| Toyota T-TEN | Toyota and Lexus | 29 | 19 | 25 |
| John Deere TECH | John Deere | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Cat ThinkBIG | Caterpillar | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Nissan PROCAP | Nissan and Infiniti | 1 | 1 | 1 |
The last column counts programs whose school awarded at least one associate degree in the trade in 2024-25 (IPEDS). A program is on the manufacturer-sponsored ranking when it is a ranked program with a manufacturer training program on its ASE Education Foundation listing or on the manufacturer’s own list of partner schools.
The Five Largest Manufacturer Training Programs
Mopar CAP
Stellantis calls the Mopar Career Automotive Program a certified technical training program at participating community colleges, technical colleges and vocational schools, with instructors certified by the company. Depending on the school's curriculum, a student could finish with a certificate or an associate degree within 12 to 24 months. Mopar says it is partnered with 100 colleges and technical schools; 67 ranked programs in 38 states carry it.
GM ASEP
GM's Automotive Service Educational Program is a joint effort between GM, GM dealers and selected colleges. Students alternate between work and school on a schedule the institution sets with its dealer advisory council. 44 ranked programs in 30 states carry it.
Honda PACT
Honda and Acura's Professional Automotive Career Training prepares students to become Honda and Acura certified technicians, and Honda says every student has the opportunity for paid on-the-job training at a dealership during the program. It ends in an associate degree in automotive technology. 36 ranked programs in 24 states carry it.
Ford ASSET
Ford's Automotive Student Service Educational Training is a partnership at select community colleges and technical schools. Every student is sponsored by a dealership, alternates six to eight weeks in the classroom with six to eight weeks at the dealer over two years in a paid co-op, and earns an associate degree. 29 ranked programs in 27 states carry it. Ford also runs a nine-to-twelve-month Maintenance and Light Repair program and a 15-week Accelerated Credential Training program offered at nine UTI campuses.
Toyota T-TEN
Toyota's Technician Training and Education Network is a two-year associate degree program for Toyota and Lexus. Toyota says it focuses on prospective students who are ready to commit early to a local sponsoring dealership. 29 ranked programs in 19 states carry it.
Diesel and Equipment Programs
Two equipment makers appear among the ranked programs. John Deere describes a two-year program with a paid, six-month internship at the sponsoring dealership, and its first step is to secure that dealer sponsorship; 3 ranked diesel programs carry it. Caterpillar describes eight-week rotations between school and a paid dealer internship, ending in an associate degree backed by the equivalent of 2,000 hours of experience, and says students pay in-state tuition wherever they enroll; 1 ranked program carries it. The diesel mechanic school ranking lists the diesel programs.
Programs That Follow School
Some manufacturer programs start after the classroom. BMW says STEP is designed to train graduates of a postsecondary automotive technology program for open positions at more than 400 BMW and MINI dealers, and that students are hired as temporary employees of BMW. Audi's program runs 18 months, with eight weeks of training at an Audi facility alongside an apprenticeship at a local Audi dealership.
How a Manufacturer Program Counts Toward ASE Certification
ASE gives an accredited OEM-sponsored co-op program the most credit of any kind of training: 2 years toward the 2 years of work experience the A1 to A9 tests ask for, where an accredited school program counts as 1 year. The student has to take part in the co-op hands-on work portion, and the program has to be ASE-accredited when the student completes it. The ASE certification guide has the full table of credits.
Where the Ranked Programs Are
Manufacturer training programs cluster where there are many ranked programs. The states with the most:
| State | With a manufacturer program | Ranked programs |
|---|---|---|
| California | 14 | 63 |
| Texas | 12 | 45 |
| Michigan | 6 | 19 |
| Florida | 5 | 61 |
| Illinois | 5 | 30 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 25 |
| Kansas | 4 | 15 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 7 |
Questions About Manufacturer Training Programs
What is a manufacturer training program?
A program in which a carmaker or equipment maker works with a college or technical school to train technicians for its dealerships. ASE calls the accredited versions OEM-sponsored co-op programs and lists GM ASEP, Ford ASSET, Toyota T-TEN, Honda PACT, Chrysler CAP, Mercedes-Benz DRIVE and BMW ADP as examples. Most pair classroom study with paid time at a sponsoring dealer.
What is Toyota T-TEN?
Toyota says T-TEN, the Technician Training and Education Network, is a two-year associate degree program, and that each T-TEN school starts with ASE Education Foundation accreditation and then goes through a two-year certification process under Toyota's leadership. 29 ranked programs in 19 states carry it.
How does the Ford ASSET program work?
Ford says ASSET is a partnership at select community colleges and technical schools. Every student is sponsored by a dealership and alternates six to eight weeks in the classroom with six to eight weeks at the dealer over two years, in a paid co-op, ending in an associate degree. 29 ranked programs carry it.
How long is the Ford ASSET program?
Two years. Ford describes the alternating classroom and dealer schedule as running over a two-year period, ending in an associate degree. Ford's separate Maintenance and Light Repair program is nine to twelve months.
What is GM ASEP?
The GM Automotive Service Educational Program. The program's own site says all of its programs hold ASE Education Foundation accreditation, that each school is operated independently, and that students alternate between work and school on a schedule set by the institution and its dealer advisory council. 44 ranked programs carry it.
Which manufacturer program is most common at ranked schools?
Mopar CAP, with 67 ranked programs in 38 states, ahead of GM ASEP with 44, Honda PACT with 36, and Ford ASSET and Toyota T-TEN with 29 each. The post on the most common manufacturer programs adds the state counts.
Do manufacturer programs count toward ASE certification?
Yes, and for more than a school program alone. ASE counts an accredited OEM-sponsored co-op program as 2 years toward the 2 years of work experience for the A1 to A9 tests, where an accredited school program counts as 1 year. The student has to take part in the co-op hands-on work portion. The ASE certification guide has the full table.
Sources for Manufacturer Training Programs for Mechanics
Manufacturer and ASE pages were read on October 23, 2026.
- Toyota, T-TEN The program and its dealer sponsorship.
- GM ASEP, Find a School The program and its school list.
- Ford, ASSET Overview The program, its schedule and its degree.
- Mopar, Career Automotive Program The program and its partner schools.
- Honda and Acura, PACT for Students The program and its dealership training.
- Caterpillar, Cat ThinkBIG The program, its rotations and its degree.
- John Deere, First-Year Mechanics The program and its dealer sponsorship.
- BMW, STEP Automotive Program The program and its prerequisite.
- Audi, Education Partnership The program and its apprenticeship.
- ASE, Work Experience Form Instructions Years by test and the training that substitutes for experience.
- ASE, Work Experience Requirements Experience needed to certify, and testing before experience.
This site earns money from sponsored school listings served by the education ad network Esyoh, which are marked as ads wherever they appear. Schools pay to appear in those listings, not in the rankings: a listing is not scored, and no listing can change a ranking. Rankings come from published records, and program details from each school’s own published pages.