Austin, Texas – October 3, 2024 – CDK, the leading automotive retail software provider, announced the launch of its new software certifications and courseware. These are designed to equip dealership employees with the skills and credentials needed to excel in today’s rapidly evolving consumer vehicle purchase and service journey.
The comprehensive certification program is a first for the automotive retail industry. It offers U.S. and Canadian dealership employees extensive training in the CDK product portfolio to build and strengthen their professional career paths specific to their role and the CDK products they use. CDK University currently offers 10 certifications, including Dealership Operations accounting solutions and Fixed Operations parts and service solutions. CDK plans to deliver over 100 certifications spanning every department and employee role within the Automotive and Heavy Truck dealership. CDK certifications are achieved upon completing an assigned learning plan and associated assessments. The program is curated from a library of over 900 micro-credentialed courses and caters to various skills, roles, and CDK product combinations.
“We are thrilled to offer the CDK University certification program as part of our commitment to helping dealership employees develop as skilled automotive retail professionals through rigorous testing and validation of their skillsets,” said KAM McManus, chief customer officer at CDK. “Our certification courses are designed to meet the demands of the industry and help combat attrition while identifying qualified talent for increased retention and employee satisfaction in a world of constrained resources.”
According to the new 2024 CDK Dealership Workplace Study, dealership staff ranked the ability to acquire new skills among the top three key factors to job satisfaction, along with benefits and compensation. The research showed that nearly a third of automotive retail employees could be on the move if career opportunities were limited.
Key features of the new CDK University certification program include:
- Expert-Led Training: Courses are taught by industry-leading CDK professionals with extensive real-world experience to stay updated with the latest trends and developments in CDK applications.
- Flexible Learning Options: Classes are available live online and on-demand, allowing participants to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. Applicants can grow and expand their expertise by adding certifications in topics outside or adjacent to their core areas of knowledge.
- Complimentary Accreditation: Included as part of their current CDK experience, dealer employees can begin their certification journey without any additional cost to themselves or their employer.
- Recognized Certification: Successful candidates will receive a digitally verifiable certificate recognized by industry associations and employers as a mark of excellence.
- Renewable: Dealer employees can reconfirm their expertise in role and product each year by completing any new training course content and passing the certification assessment.
Individuals will receive advanced notifications of any certifications up for renewal.
In addition, CDK University certifications are socially sharable, with employees receiving a digital badge to include in their online professional social channels. The web-enabled certification identifier remains with the individual and is a demonstration of dealership employee industry knowledge and skills to provide elevated customer service during the vehicle shopping and buying journey.
For more information about the CDK dealership certification program and enrollment, please visit CDK Certification (cdkglobal.com).
