Paying Techs For Taking Training Classes?

[5 Star Auto Spa]

For all you shop owners who send your technicians to training, do you pay only for the class itself or do you pay the technicians his hourly rate for the hours he attends the class? I want to encourage my technicians to continually improve their skills and it seems like they would be losing hours if I did not pay them out for the hours they would have been here instead of in a training class. How do other shop owners handle this situation?

[CAZM]

I pay them their hourly wage. Plus the area we are in you have to travel to get to most of the training so I also pay 48 cents a mile.

[Marksas]

If it's during the day we pay their regular hourly rate. If the training is at night we pay a flat $50. We also pay for all the training. Never thought about paying mileage but I will now. My reasoning for the $50 for the night class is that they are voluntary and I want them to be vested somewhat in the class. There is not that many of those classes sin the evening so it's never been an issue. I am one of the very few that actually pay them.

[kslade]

All the classes I send them to are at nights. I pay for the class and food but the agreement is they volunteer their time because we both benefit equally and they should cover at least their time. This way at least they seem committed to further their knowledge and career.

[CARMandP]

I pay the hourly rate to the guys. Don't pay travel expenses because I am driving normally.

[5 Star Auto Spa]

Thanks for all the comments! We've decided to pay our technicians for the hours that they would miss at work traveling to the site for training.

[GeeZ]

All the classes I send them to are at nights. I pay for the class and food but the agreement is they volunteer their time because we both benefit equally and they should cover at least their time. This way at least they seem committed to further their knowledge and career.

 

I agree.

[Handson]

I do not pay them mainly because I was never paid so I never thought about it. At my last shop working for someone the training was voluntary but I'm pretty sure techs that did not go did not last long. I do pay for the training. I may consider giving them gas money

 

How many of you that used to be techs got paid to go to a training class? Was it a dealer chain or independent?

Edited August 1, 2015 by Handson