Ford’s new training platform, Ford University, aims to leverage artificial intelligence and modernized education practices to boost dealership employee knowledge and prepare the retail automotive sector for the future of transportation.
Ford is rolling out the program at 3,000 dealerships starting today, marking the first major overhaul to the automaker’s education strategy in years.
Artificial intelligence plays a central role in the new platform, providing features such as trainee performance evaluation and practice recommendations. Compared to the text-focused training regimen employed by the automaker in the past, Ford University relies heavily on video to teach concepts. It also incorporates “gamification,” an educational approach characterized by game-like mechanics.
The program is currently targeted toward sales staff and front-of-house roles but will eventually expand to cover other departments, including service. Among the various goals set for Ford University, the automaker is targeting higher levels of employee engagement and customer service quality, especially among younger dealership team members.
The platform is also intended to address the electric vehicle knowledge gap among dealership sales teams. “EV is definitely a part of our focus for the training that will be available,” commented Abby Vietor, global director of dealer training and productivity at Ford. “It’s an area where the customer conversation is evolving and changing. We want to make sure all the employees are prepared to speak to it.”
