RockED, the premier people development platform for the automotive industry, today announced a strategic partnership with WrenchWay, the industry’s most trusted platform for connecting technicians, shops, and schools. This partnership will make technician-focused training—including onboarding, leadership, and soft skills—accessible to more than 3,100 automotive schools across the U.S., building a stronger and more prepared workforce for the future of the automotive service industry.
The partnership kicks off with a focus on essential onboarding training for technicians, with plans to expand into leadership development and soft skills such as communication, documentation, customer interaction, and professionalism. RockED and WrenchWay are aligning to meet one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: equipping technicians not only with technical knowledge but also with the behavioral and attitudinal skills needed to build customer trust and long-term career success.
“The data is clear—technicians at all levels need more than just technical training. They need coaching on time management, communication, and professionalism to thrive in today’s shops and dealerships,” said Chris Craig, Fixed Ops Content Owner at RockED. “Our survey of over 800 technicians uncovered a striking demand for these soft skills—particularly at the onboarding level where retention starts. This partnership is about giving technicians the development tools they need from day one to become confident, trusted professionals.”
Craig’s influence and research inspired RockED’s new technician curriculum, which emphasizes “attitude, behavior, and knowledge” as the three core competencies critical to technician success.
WrenchWay’s vast network of high schools and post-secondary schools, shops, and auto professionals offers a powerful platform to scale this training effort nationwide. By leveraging its reach, the collaboration aims to address both technician shortages and performance gaps by introducing easy-to-implement learning into the earliest stages of career development.
“At WrenchWay, we’re committed to raising the bar for technician careers,” said Mark Wilson, CEO of WrenchWay. “Partnering with RockED allows us to provide powerful learning resources to students and emerging techs—helping them not just get jobs, but build meaningful careers. Together, we’re removing barriers to entry and giving techs the tools they need to thrive in today’s evolving service industry.”
RockED’s proven microlearning platform has already demonstrated measurable outcomes across the automotive industry, such as improving tire sales and technician performance through engaging, gamified content delivery. This first training collection and certification, Technician Onboarding, will launch for free to tech schools—reinforcing the partnerships between RockED and WrenchWay and establishing a foundational step toward building a more skilled, reliable, and customer-ready workforce.
According to RockED’s industry analysis and its recent pitch to government and industry stakeholders, the technician shortage in the U.S. is not only a talent supply issue but a skills readiness issue. By supplementing tech school curriculums with practical, industry-aligned learning, the partnership creates an on-ramp for students into well-paying, high-demand jobs—and enables employers to build bench strength across their service teams.
