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Training Guide

Mechanic Apprenticeship: How It Compares With School

A technician standing at a workbench beside a yellow truck with its hood raised.

A mechanic apprenticeship trades classroom time for paid shop time, and several manufacturers run their training that way. This guide sets out what BLS, ASE, the FAA and the manufacturers say about apprenticeships, dealer co-ops and on-the-job training, and how they compare with a school program.

Portrait of Trevor Rupe

By , Contributor at Savo Media Group Updated

At a Glance

  • BLS describes an apprenticeship as a program that usually combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction, and says some automotive technicians complete one.
  • Several dealer co-ops run about two years and alternate school with paid dealer work: Ford ASSET and John Deere TECH both describe two-year programs.
  • The sponsoring dealer comes first. Ford says every ASSET student is sponsored by a dealership, and John Deere's first step is to secure a dealer sponsorship.
  • ASE counts shop work as experience, and an accredited manufacturer co-op program counts as the full 2 years the A1 to A9 tests ask for.
  • 120 ranked programs carry a manufacturer program. The manufacturer-sponsored ranking lists them.

What a Mechanic Apprenticeship Is

BLS says some automotive service technicians complete an apprenticeship program, which usually combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction. That is the plain definition, and it covers a range: a formal apprenticeship, a dealer-sponsored co-op that alternates school with dealership work, and on-the-job training that a new hire gets without any program at all.

A mechanic apprenticeship is not the opposite of school. The manufacturer programs ranked on this site sit in between: a student enrolls in an accredited college program and spends part of the schedule in a sponsoring dealership. The sections below take the routes one at a time.

What BLS Says About Training by Trade

The Occupational Outlook Handbook gives each trade's typical entry education and describes how training works. A mechanic apprenticeship is one route inside these descriptions, and learning on the job is another.

Entry education and training by trade, BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
TradeTypical entry educationWhat BLS says about training
Auto mechanic Postsecondary nondegree award Graduates of automotive service technology programs may need a relatively short period of on-the-job training. Some workers complete an apprenticeship program that usually combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction.
Diesel mechanic High school diploma or equivalent Diesel technicians who begin without any postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job.
Heavy equipment mechanic High school diploma or equivalent Trainees advance to more complex work as they show competence and usually become fully qualified after 3 to 4 years of work.
Collision repair technician High school diploma or equivalent Some body repairers may become trained in as little as 1 year, but they generally need 2 or 3 years of hands-on training to become fully independent.
Aircraft mechanic Postsecondary nondegree award Completing a program at an FAA-approved school can substitute for the experience requirement and speed up eligibility for the FAA exams.

Dealer-Sponsored Programs That Work Like an Apprenticeship

Most manufacturer programs pair an accredited school with a sponsoring dealer. The descriptions below are each manufacturer's own, and the last column counts the ranked programs that carry the program on their ASE Education Foundation listing or the maker's own school list.

What each manufacturer says about how its program works
ProgramHow the manufacturer describes itRanked programs
Ford ASSET Students alternate six to eight weeks in the classroom with six to eight weeks at their sponsoring dealer over two years, in a paid co-op, and finish with an associate degree. Every student is sponsored by a dealership. 29
GM ASEP Students alternate between work and school on a schedule the institution sets with its dealer advisory council, blending classroom learning with real-world apprenticeships. 44
Honda PACT Every student has the opportunity for paid on-the-job training at a Honda or Acura dealership during the program. 36
Toyota T-TEN An associate degree program that focuses on students ready to commit early to a local sponsoring dealership. 29
Mopar CAP A certified technical training program at participating colleges that could end in a certificate or associate degree within 12 to 24 months, depending on the school's curriculum. 67
Cat ThinkBIG Eight-week rotations, eight weeks at school and eight weeks in a paid dealer internship, ending in an associate degree backed by the equivalent of 2,000 hours of on-the-job experience. 1
John Deere TECH A two-year program with a paid, six-month internship at the sponsoring dealership. The first step is to secure the dealer sponsorship. 3

The manufacturer training programs guide explains what each program is and where the ranked schools that carry them are.

Apprenticeships That Follow School

A few manufacturers run their apprenticeship after the school program instead of during it. BMW says its STEP program is for graduates of a postsecondary automotive technology program, who are hired as temporary BMW employees and trained at one of three training centers. Audi describes an 18-month program with eight weeks of training at an Audi facility alongside an apprenticeship at a local Audi dealership. Kia describes a one-year competency-based apprenticeship for eligible veterans, delivered with its retailers.

Mechanic Apprenticeship and ASE Experience

ASE certification asks for full-time hands-on work experience, so time in a shop counts. ASE also credits training toward that experience: an accredited school program counts as 1 year of the 2 years the A1 to A9 tests ask for, and an accredited OEM-sponsored co-op program counts as 2 years, provided the student takes part in the co-op work portion. Repairs done in a home garage are not accepted. The ASE certification guide has the full table.

The Aircraft Mechanic Route

Aircraft maintenance has its own rule. Under 14 CFR 65.77 an applicant for an FAA mechanic certificate presents either an authenticated document from a certificated aviation maintenance technician school or documentary evidence of practical experience: at least 18 months for one rating, or at least 30 months concurrently performing the duties of both airframe and powerplant. The FAA says school is one way to meet the experience requirement, not the only one. The aircraft mechanic career page covers the certificate, and the aviation mechanic school ranking covers the schools.

How the Routes Compare

Each row below repeats what its source says about the route, in the source's own terms.

The routes into the trade and what the sources say about each
RouteWhat the sources say
School certificate or associate degree Where schools print a length, certificates run a median 12 months and associate degrees 24 months. Public colleges that price by the year have a median of $4,613 a year across 474 ranked programs.
Dealer-sponsored co-op Ford and John Deere describe two-year programs that alternate school with paid dealer work, and Cat describes eight-week rotations between school and a paid dealer internship.
Apprenticeship program BLS says an apprenticeship usually combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction.
Learning on the job BLS says diesel technicians without postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job, and that heavy vehicle technicians usually become fully qualified after 3 to 4 years of work.
FAA experience route 18 months of practical experience for one rating, or 30 months for airframe and powerplant together, instead of graduating from a certificated school.

For many students the dealer co-op is the overlap: it is a school program with the paid shop time of an apprenticeship, and it is the one route that counts as 2 years toward ASE certification.

Questions About a Mechanic Apprenticeship

What is a mechanic apprenticeship?

BLS describes an apprenticeship program as one that usually combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction, and says some automotive service technicians complete one. Dealer-sponsored programs such as Ford ASSET and John Deere TECH work the same way, alternating school with paid time at the dealership.

How do you get into a mechanic apprenticeship?

For the manufacturer programs, a dealer comes first. Ford says every ASSET student is sponsored by a dealership, John Deere's first step is to secure a dealer sponsorship, and Toyota says T-TEN focuses on students ready to commit early to a local sponsoring dealership. The manufacturer training programs guide covers the main ones.

How long is a mechanic apprenticeship?

The sources give different lengths. Ford ASSET and the John Deere program run two years, Audi's program is 18 months, and Kia's veterans apprenticeship is one year. BLS says heavy vehicle technicians usually become fully qualified after 3 to 4 years of work, and body repairers generally need 2 or 3 years of hands-on training to become fully independent.

Do you get paid in a mechanic apprenticeship?

BLS describes paid on-the-job training, and the manufacturers describe paid co-ops: Ford says ASSET students take part in a paid co-op, Caterpillar describes a paid dealer internship, and John Deere describes a paid six-month internship. Honda says every PACT student has the opportunity for paid on-the-job training at a dealership.

Do you need school to be a mechanic?

No. BLS says some automotive service technicians enter with a high school diploma and learn on the job, and that diesel technicians who start without postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job. A program shortens that stretch: BLS says graduates of automotive programs may need only a relatively short period of on-the-job training afterward.

Does a mechanic apprenticeship count toward ASE certification?

ASE asks for full-time hands-on work experience, and time spent working in a shop counts. A manufacturer co-op program that is accredited by the ASE Education Foundation counts as 2 years toward the 2 years the A1 to A9 tests ask for, and an accredited school program counts as 1. The ASE certification guide has the table.

Can you become an aircraft mechanic without school?

Yes. The FAA says graduating from a certificated school is one way to meet the experience requirement, not the only way. An applicant can instead show 18 months of practical experience for one rating or 30 months for airframe and powerplant together.

Sources for Mechanic Apprenticeship: How It Compares With School

BLS, ASE, FAA and manufacturer pages were read on October 23, 2026.

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.