Blending Vendor-Supplied Training with Third Party Training

When choosing auto shop training, it can feel like you need to pick one type of training over another. Do you invest time in vendor-supplied training? Or do you focus on third-party automotive training?

The answer does not always have to be one or the other. Both types of training can support your shop in different ways, and understanding where each one fits can help you make better use of your team’s time and training resources.

In this blog, we will look at the difference between vendor-supplied training and third-party automotive training, how each can support your team, and how to build a training mix that makes sense for your shop.

Table of Contents

• What Is Vendor-Supplied Training?
• What Is Third-Party Automotive Training?
• Why Shops Need More Than One Type of Training
• How Teams Can Structure a Blended Training Approach
• Identify What Is Wrong
• Focus on the Main Problems First
• Use the Other Training as Support
• Final Takeaway: You Don’t Have to Choose

What Is Vendor-Supplied Training?

Vendor-supplied training is training provided by the company behind a specific tool, platform, product, piece of equipment, or shop process.

The focus is usually on correct use and adoption. If a shop invests in a diagnostic tool, inspection platform, supplier program, equipment line, or software system, the vendor may provide training to help technicians understand how that resource is designed to work.

That training may cover:

• Setup and basic use
• Required steps or procedures
• Key features technicians should understand
• Workflow changes or product updates
• Best practices tied to the vendor’s system

This gives technicians a clearer understanding of how to use that resource within the shop’s existing process.

What Is Third-Party Automotive Training?

Third-party automotive training is training created by an outside training provider rather than a specific product vendor, supplier, or equipment company.

This type of training is not usually built around one tool, platform, or product line. Instead, it is designed to help technicians, service advisors, managers, and other team members build knowledge they can use across the shop.

That can include training around:

• Diagnostic processes
• Vehicle systems
• Testing procedures
• Repair fundamentals
• Problem-solving habits

A good third party training program gives shops a consistent way to keep learning active, support employees beyond one-time training events, and build a stronger team over time.

Why Shops Need More Than One Type of Training

Relying too much on any one type of training can create knowledge gaps for technicians.

If training is mostly focused on broad repair knowledge, technicians may still struggle to use the specific tools, platforms, equipment your shop depends on every day. But if training is mostly tied to those tools and processes, technicians may not get enough support with the deeper skills they need to keep growing in their career.

That is why choosing auto shop training should not come down to one option replacing the other. A stronger training plan helps technicians understand the tools and equipment in front of them while also building the knowledge they carry from one repair to the next.

How Teams Can Structure a Blended Training Approach

A blended training approach works best when it is guided by your team’s actual needs. Before deciding how much to lean on vendor training or third-party automotive training, look at where your team needs the most support.

Identify What Is Wrong

Start by looking at where your team may be missing information, training, or consistency.

Have you noticed more comebacks, slower inspections, missed steps, unclear notes, diagnostic delays, or repeated questions around the same tools or processes? Those patterns can help you see where training needs to begin.

The goal is to look beyond the surface issue and understand what is actually causing the slowdown or mistake. A repeated problem may point to a lack of confidence, unclear expectations, inconsistent habits, or a process that has not been fully understood.

This gives the shop a clearer starting point. Instead of adding training just to add training, you can focus on the areas that are creating the most friction for your team and your customers.

Read More: How to Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis

Focus on the Main Problems First

Once you know where the biggest issues are, prioritize training around those areas first.

If the main problem is tied to a vendor-specific tool, platform, product, or process, start there. Give the team the information they need to use that resource with more confidence and consistency.

If the main problem is tied to a broader skill, focus training around that skill first. That may mean helping technicians strengthen their diagnostic process, better understand vehicle systems, improve inspection habits, or build more consistent repair knowledge.

The goal is not to use every type of training at once. The goal is to focus on the areas that are creating the most friction in the shop.

Use the Other Training as Support

Once you know the main problem, use the other type of training to fill in what is still missing.

If the team understands the tool but still struggles with the work behind it, they may need more general skill training. A technician may know how to use an inspection platform but still need help writing better notes, spotting what matters, or explaining findings clearly.

The reverse can also be true. If the team understands the repair process but struggles with a specific software or equipment, vendor training can help. A technician may understand diagnostics but need more direction on how to use a specific scan tool, equipment feature, or product-specific procedure correctly.

That is the purpose of a blended approach. Both types of training should be used to support and supplement the other so your team gets the well-rounded training they need to succeed.

Final Takeaway: You Don't Have to Choose

Choosing auto shop training is not always about finding one answer for every training need. Your team may need support with the tools and resources they use in the shop, but they also need the knowledge and habits that help them complete the work well.

That is where a blended approach can make training more useful. It gives your team more complete support by connecting vendor-specific training with the broader skills technicians rely on from job to job.

If you are looking for third-party training support, Today’s Class can help technicians keep building those everyday skills through short, online lessons that fit into the workweek. Reach out to our team to learn how Today’s Class can support your shop’s training plan.