What is everyday working life like in automotive jobs as a workshop coordinator with a federal certificate?

An automotive workshop coordinator is the central point of contact for repairs to cars or commercial vehicles. These automotive jobs involve supervising the team, ensuring budgets and deadlines are met and carrying out final inspections. In addition to carrying a lot of responsibility, the focus is also on advising customers and negotiating with suppliers and insurance experts as an automotive workshop coordinator. In this role, coordinators also act as a link between staff and management. Automotive jobs in workshop management are possible in garages and body shops. After further training, automotive jobs can also be accepted at material or vehicle suppliers, insurance companies or a cantonal road traffic office.

The following areas of work are typical in automotive jobs as a workshop coordinator:

• In the areas of organization, management and communication:
  • Advice and maintenance of customer relationships
  • Planning and coordination of work in the workshop
  • Ensuring compliance with deadlines and budgets
  • Preparation of cost estimates and quotations, preparation of invoices and business correspondence
  • Negotiations with insurance companies and suppliers
  • Recruitment of workshop personnel and supervision of trainees
  • Guidance and supervision of employees in the technical area
  • Ensuring smooth collaboration within the teams
  • Improvement and further development of workshop processes
  • Ensure compliance with occupational health and safety regulations
• In the field of technology:
  • Analyze and understand documents on the technical data of the vehicles
  • Carrying out technical analyses, e.g. in the areas of electrics, electronics, safety or comfort, but also driver assistance and infotainment (enables central control of radio, navigation, multimedia and internet applications)
  • Search for malfunctions in the electrical vehicle systems
  • Delegation of maintenance and repair work
  • Ensure compliance with the technical regulations

Target group and skills: Who is the automotive workshop coordinator training course with professional examination suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The automotive workshop coordinator training course is aimed at professionals from the automotive industry who wish to expand their personal knowledge and take on a management role in a garage business. These are those with a certificate of competence (EFZ) as:

• Automotive mechatronics technician
• Car mechanic
• Vehicle electrician/electronics technician
• Agricultural/construction machinery mechanic
• Motorcycle mechanic
• Automotive specialist
• Car mechanic
• or an equivalent certificate

To be successful in automotive jobs as a workshop coordinator, the following skills and qualities are required:

• Solution-oriented and analytical thinking
• Leadership qualities
• Interest in vehicles, interest in planning work
• Organizational talent
• Customer-oriented behavior and perseverance
• Precise working method
• Sociability, communication skills, assertiveness
• Risk awareness
• Efficient way of working
• Sense of responsibility

Requirements for admission to the professional examination in automotive workshop coordination:

For admission to the final examination "Federal Professional Examination for Automotive Workshop Coordinator", the following prerequisites are required at the start of the examination:

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) from a 4-year basic training course in the automotive sector or equivalent qualification
• and at least 5 years of professional experience in automotive engineering after basic training

or

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) from a 3-year basic training course in the automotive sector or equivalent qualification
• and at least 6 years of professional experience in automotive engineering after basic training

or

• Federal diploma (BP) as an automotive diagnostician
• and at least 5 years of professional experience in automotive engineering after basic training

In addition to the above-mentioned conditions, the following is required for the professional examination Automotive Workshop Coordinator:

• Necessary qualifications in the relevant areas of competence or confirmation of equivalence
• Vocational trainer certificate
• Specialist license for handling refrigerants

The following module qualifications must be demonstrated for admission to the examination and the award of the specialist certificate as an automotive workshop coordinator:

• Marketing + Acquisition 1
• Calculation 1
• Materials Technology & Process Engineering 1
• Building physics 1
• Construct 1
• Personnel management 1
• Project management 1
• Management 1

The individual modules are completed as compulsory modules in the preparatory courses for the professional examination. The module certificates are valid for five years. You will be informed in writing at least three months before the start of the examination whether you meet the requirements for the professional examination for Automotive Workshop Coordinator - in the event of rejection, including reasons and information on legal remedies.

Learning material and contents of the workshop coordinator training:

The subject matter of the preparatory courses for the professional examination for the specialist certificate as an automotive workshop coordinator is based on the specifications of the sponsor of the federal examination, the AGVS (Swiss Automobile Industry Association).

The learning content of the automotive workshop coordinator training is divided into the following topics and areas of competence:

• Deepening and expanding basic knowledge
• Diagnosis of systems and components
• Theory - getting to know new technologies in subject areas:
  • Competence area Z1: Vehicle electrics/electronics
  • Competence area Z2: Comfort and safety electronics
  • Competence area Z3: Driving assistance and infotainment system
  • Competence area Z4: Alternative drive systems
• Practice - Acquiring the skills of a management function in a garage business:
  • Competence area W1: Workshop processes
  • Competence area W2: Personnel management
  • Competence area W3: Legal responsibilities
  • Competence area W4: Customer contacts and administration

Automotive diagnosticians with a federal certificate are exempt from providing proof of the Z1 - Z4 competence area qualifications. The examinations for the Z modules are carried out under the supervision of the Quality Assurance Commission and AGVS in written, oral and practical form. The examinations for the W modules take place at the respective training centers.

Automotive workshop coordinator training - costs and financing:

Depending on the provider and duration, the costs for the automotive workshop coordinator training vary. On average, the following amounts are to be expected for the training costs:

• Course fees:about CHF 13'860.- to CHF 21'450.-
  After taking the exam, you will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government on application (regardless of the result)*.
• Examination fees:CHF 800.- and CHF 100.- organizational services (as of 2023, additional costs for module examinations totalling CHF 2,880.- and approx. CHF 600.- for vocational training course)
  The examination fee is set by the body responsible for the professional examination. It is paid by the candidate after confirmation of admission to the examination for Automotive Workshop Coordinator Training.
• Extra costs:At some schools, the costs for enrolment fees, teaching materials, training documents, books, intensive exam training, simulation exams, school diplomas and interim qualifications, for example, are not included in the course fees. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect for the course.

*Since January 1, 2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations such as the Automotive Workshop Coordinator course have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination. In cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also pre-financed in exceptional cases.

Duration of study, teaching times and learning effort for the vocational examination for automotive workshop coordinators:

• The automotive workshop coordinator training and further education course is modular in structure (i.e. some of the skills are assessed in module examinations prior to the professional examination and are only tested across modules in the final examination) and takes two years to complete while working. The training for the professional examination Automotive Workshop Coordinator comprises around 680 lessons.
• The teaching times vary depending on the provider of the Automotive Workshop Coordinator course. Classroom teaching usually takes place one day a week and during additional block weeks.
• Thanks to the part-time concept of the Automotive Workshop Coordinator course, you can apply and consolidate the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, sufficient time should be allowed for lesson preparation and follow-up as well as for self-study. Depending on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed, we recommend that you allow the same amount of time for the additional workload as the regular course duration.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons", which provide an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. A suitable learning environment is important on the way to successful completion of the Automotive Workshop Coordinator course.

Degree, diploma and title:

The professional examination "Automotive Workshop Coordinator with Federal Certificate of Competence" is held annually in German, French and Italian, provided that the minimum number of 12 candidates meet the admission requirements.

Candidates for the professional examination Automotive Workshop Coordinator will be notified at least 3 weeks before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (with details of the place and time of the examination as well as permitted aids) and the list of experts.

The professional examination for automotive workshop coordinators comprises the following three parts:

• Practical work as project work (12 to 15 hours, double weighting) to complete a project in writing on a competence area. The following aspects are assessed:
  • Recognize and solve problems in a networked way
  • Ability to justify and argue
  • Expertise and creativity
  • Methodological, social and personal skills
• Technique based on a case study (oral, approx. 2 hours, 1x weighting) on the topic:
  • Organize workshop
• Market / People / Company based on role plays (oral, approx. 1 hour, 1-fold weighting) on the topics:
  • Managing staff
  • Maintaining customer relationships

Diploma and title

Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Automotive Workshop Coordinator with Federal Certificate" or "Automotive Workshop Coordinator with Federal Certificate".

• In French: "Coordinatrice / Coordinateur d'atelier automobile avec brevet fédéral"
• In Italian: "Coordinatrice / Coordinatore d'officina nel ramo dell'automobile con attestato professionale federale"
• In English: "Automotive Workshop Coordinator, Federal Diploma of Higher Education" (Attention: This is only a recommendation/translation and not a protected title)