ALLDATA Announces Future Technician Partnership Program Implementation

31 October 2000
ALLDATA Announces Future Technician Partnership Program Implementation
    ELK GROVE, Calif., Oct. 31 ALLDATA(R), the worldwide
market leader in computer-based auto repair information for professional
service providers, is pleased to announce the first phase of implementation of
our Future Technician Partnership (FTP) Program.  Launched last year at
Industry Week in Las Vegas, ALLDATA designed this education support program to
augment the academic development of students and help prepare them for
productive careers in automotive related fields.
    "Limited funding and resources often prohibit schools like us from
providing our students experience accessing the latest electronic automotive
information," said Chuck Rockwood, Instructor of Automotive Mechanics at
Ventura College in Ventura, Calif.  "ALLDATA's FTP program ensures we provide
our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to diagnose and repair
today's high-tech vehicles."
    ALLDATA's Future Technician Partnership program provides participating
schools the ALLDATA database of automotive diagnostic and repair information
and a special training curriculum for instructors to follow to ensure their
students are information-proficient at graduation.
    To qualify for the FTP program, an institution must meet specific
guidelines and submit an application for review.  The guidelines are as
follows:

    * Colleges and trade schools must be National Automotive Technician
      Education Foundation (NATEF)-certified in at least five areas.
    * High School and Regional Occupational Programs must meet one or more of
      the following guidelines:

      * NATEF Certified in two areas; or:
      * Formal articulation agreement with a community college or trade school
        that is certified in all eight areas of NATEF; or:
      * The program is certified for the second level by California Auto
        Training Standards (CATS).

    Upon approval by the ALLDATA Future Technician Partnership Board in Elk
Grove, Calif., the ALLDATA FTP Program provides the following to qualifying
institutions:

    * Access to the ALLDATA automotive diagnostic, repair, and estimating
      computer database (subject to pricing and the normal terms and
      conditions of the product)
    * Training curriculums to ensure the students are well versed in
      information access, interpretation and use
    * Coursework completion testing and certification awards

    To date, ALLDATA has received over 400 inquiries requesting participation
in the program, and over 50 institutions have been selected.  ALLDATA
anticipates enrolling an additional 150 schools this school year, and 200
next.  Our goal is to have well over 500 qualified schools participating by
the end of the 2001/2002 school year.
    Assuming ALLDATA can reach its goal of 200 participating schools this
year, some 15,000 students will graduate in May/June, 2001 as Certified
ALLDATA Information Specialist technicians, ready for a rewarding career in
automotive repair.
    A list of the schools that have been approved so far for the Future
Technician Partnership program is available on ALLDATA's web site at
http://www.alldata.com/news.  For more information on this program, contact Anna Chan
Kuhn at 800-829-8727 ext. 3294 or e-mail at achan@alldata.com.

    About ALLDATA
    ALLDATA is the leading provider of automotive business solutions to the
Professional Automotive Service Industry.  ALLDATA's flagship product, the
ALLDATA(R) database, includes computer-based diagnostic and repair articles,
factory technical service bulletins and illustrations including original
equipment wiring diagrams delivered on CD, DVD and over the Internet.
    ALLDATA is building strategic alliances to bring additional value-added
products and services to our customer base.  Visit the ALLDATA web site at
http://www.alldata.com for more information.
    In 1988, ALLDATA delivered its first product, and in 1996 AutoZone
purchased the automotive information leader.  More than 30,000
professional automotive repair shops across the United States and Canada
depend on ALLDATA for their automotive repair information needs.

    http://www.alldata.com

    TRADEMARKS: ALLDATA is a registered trademark of ALLDATA LLC.
    (C) ALLDATA LLC