The City of Columbus, Ohio, has become the first public agency in the United States to proctor testing on site for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), said Kelly Reagan, fleet administrator for Columbus. The city is already an official testing site for EVT (emergency vehicle technician) certifications and CNG (compressed natural gas) tank certifications.

Reagan's team has been working on this project for eight months. With the number of technicians driving 40 minutes away to take tests, expenses for testing rose. On-site testing allows technicians to take tests as needed with minimal time away from work. Reagan said he anticipated the annualized savings to be around $30,000 per year in wages.

City staff members will be trained to proctor exams. 

Technicians from other public entities will also be able to take ASE exams at the City of Columbus test site. The city will work with MEMA Ohio members to determine how many exams to do monthly. Reagan estimates this may be as often as twice per month.

“We look forward to having the City of Columbus Fleet Management become a Prometric test center to deliver ASE certification tests,” said Tim Zilke, ASE president.

Columbus is among the largest acquirers of ASE certifications in the country, with 63 fleet technicians holding 650 certifications, Reagan added. The city fleet has been an ASE Blue Seal certified facility since 2008