Saab was founded in 1945 in Sweden. It wouldn’t be until 1949 that their first vehicle was finally launched but the manufacturer would find success for the next 60 years. Their Saab 900 proved to be a popular model for two solid decades. Unfortunately, the company eventually ran into trouble in 2011. A rocky road would follow that involved a few failed buyouts and other problems. Since 2014, no new models have been produced despite the fact that Saab is the only company to hold a royal warrant for producing automobiles from the King of Sweden. Still, countless people still own Saabs and there is a very passionate culture of drivers who refuse to drive anything else. Therefore, if you’re looking for an automotive technician job, this may be a manufacturer worth focusing on.
Becoming Saab dealership certified
The problem is that no one is currently able to offer to certify you in Saab dealership mechanic skills. That doesn’t mean you can’t land work doing this, though, just that there isn’t an organization that would provide you with such a certificate. At the time you’re reading this, that might change if another company purchases Saab and begins manufacturing vehicles again.
However, all is not lost. There was once a certification program, but it was discarded when GM bought the company. As Saab vehicles were still being manufactured at the time, there was also still a high demand for mechanics, so GM simply integrated Saab-specific skills into their GM World Class Program. UTI has a GM course you could take as well.
Therefore, one approach would be to pick one of these two courses. Both will teach you to work on a number of different vehicles including:
- GMC
- Chevrolet
- Buick
- Cadillac
You may even pick up some Saab-specific training as well, though the above would clearly be enough to land coveted auto technician jobs anywhere in the country with plenty of security too.
Finding a Saab Master Technician
Another approach is to learn from someone with experience doing what you want to do some day and, if the certification program ever comes back, you’ll be in that much better of a position to be accepted and complete the course.
Unfortunately, finding someone to train you will be a bit of a challenge. If you have a dealership in your area that still sells Saabs, start there and see if they have any interest in training you. It will definitely help if you’ve already been to auto mechanic school and, better still, if you have experience working in a shop already.
Another option would be to contact any shops in your area that work on exotic and/or foreign cars. See if they have any interest in bringing you on, though, again, you’ll be much likelier to land the position with a certificate from an auto mechanic school and some degree of experience.
Ideally, you want to learn from a Saab Master Technician. Those are becoming harder and harder to find these days, but if you really love working on Saabs – and don’t mind moving to do so – then you should be able to track one down. Of course, you’ll still need to convince them to take you under their wing.
The big problem here is that Saabs are basically discontinued at the moment with little sign of that changing. Until it does, demand for Saab technicians will remain low. For proof, see if you can find any automotive mechanic jobs that specifically mention experience with these Swedish cars. Depending on where you live, you may find one or maybe two. Most of you won’t find any, though.
As we mentioned earlier, these cars are still popular amongst a committed group of people who can’t imagine driving anything else, so if you really want to focus on Saabs, it’s far from impossible to learn how to do so. Just know that, for the time being, you can’t receive a certificate from the company.
If you’re already a certified mechanic and you’re interested in working with YourMechanic, submit an online application for an opportunity to become a mobile mechanic.
