What Does It Take to Become a Certified Porsche Tech?

By Daud Gonzalez - August 19, 2019

With 12 students accepted per session and only 72 graduates annually, the Porsche Technology Apprenticeship Program is very selective.

When you bring your car to the Porsche dealership, whether its a Macan or a GT3, you expect exceptional service that’s both well done and finished as quickly as possible. Nobody wants to be away from their Porsche for that long of a time. After you have purchased a car, the only people you’ll really be interacting with at the dealership will be your service advisor and the technicians servicing your car.

How much do you actually know about those folks that you are trusting with your beautiful Porsche? Well, Porsche recently gave us a little bit more insight as to what it takes to be a Porsche technician.

According to the press release, there are over 1,100 Porsche techs in 191 dealerships across the country. The main source of these techs is from Porsche’s PTAP or Porsche Technology Apprenticeship Program. What does this program entitle exactly? Well, to start this program is entering its 20th year of existence and it is a lengthy process to get into the program at all.

Most of the students come from UTI or Universal Technical Institute, one of the largest technical schools. There they must complete Automotive Technology courses before they are able to enroll in PTAP. If they are accepted, the selection process is equally as a stringent. This includes a psychological test, a mechanical knowledge test, and a personal interview. Then, only the top 12 applicants are accepted into the actual 23-week course. These courses range from hands-on skills to extremely specialized service, like electrical repair.

As you might understand, cars are becoming increasingly complex every day. Take a front bumper for example. 20 years ago front bumpers were just an aesthetic piece of the car. Now, they are filled various electronic devices, such as distance sensors and cameras. To adjust for these changes, training programs must adapt to the pace of evolving technology.

During the courses, students are mandated to have an extracurricular automotive job to continue to build experience. There are three different locations where students can take the PTAP: Easton, PA, Eastvale, CA, and Atlanta, GA. Once the students graduate from the program, they begin working at Porsche dealerships where they can advance their certifications.