Iowa School Board Approves IGNITE Auto Repair Classes Through SWCC

Written by Ethan Hewett, KMA Land News
Published Aug. 16, 2023

Shenandoah Community School District officials in Iowa have thrown their support behind a career technology education program for IGNITE students.

Meeting in regular session Aug. 14, the Shenandoah School Board approved an educational services contract with Southwestern Community College in Creston, IA, for auto repair technology coursework for the 2023-24 school year. Speaking on KMA's "Morning Line" program Aug. 15, Shenandoah School Superintendent Dr. Kerri Nelson said the agreement is primarily to serve their online students who don't have as easy of access

Area 31 Career Center Prepares Indiana High Schoolers for Variety of Careers

Written by Jade Thomas, Chalkbeat Indiana
Published Aug. 14, 2023

The halls of Area 31 Career Center in Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, IN, are quiet. It’s a Friday afternoon in the second week of school, and behind each door, a new career path awaits. 

Patrick Biggerstaff, director of career and technical education, opens the door to the automotive collision repair course and the empty hallway is suddenly engulfed in sound. Tools line the walls and cars of all makes and models fill the space. Students wearing safety goggles hose and mop the floor. 

Behind another door is an ambulance

CREF Facilitates More Than $130K in Awards to Nearly 90 Collision Students

PublishedAug. 14, 2023

The Collision Repair Education Foundation(CREF) is proud to announce the recipients of its 2023 Scholarships and Tool Grants, funded through the generosity of a multitude of industry partners, both small and large. 

With the industry’s support, CREF funded more than $130,000 in 2023 scholarships and tool grants, benefitting nearly 90 individual collision students, as part of its ongoing efforts to support future collision repair industry professionals as they obtain their educations.

“CREF is honored to recognize these outstanding students through the 2023 scholarships and tool grants,” said

Wake Tech Announces Recipients of Advance Auto Parts Foundation Scholarships

PublishedAug. 8, 2023

Five 2023 Wake County, NC, high school graduates will train to become skilled automotive technicians, thanks to scholarships from the Advance Auto Parts Foundation. 

Wake Tech Community College has announced the recipients of the Advance Auto Parts Foundation Future Technicians Scholarships, which aim to increase diversity in the college's automotive degree programs and address the nationwide shortage of technicians. The students will enroll in either automotive systems technology or collision repair and refinishing, both offered at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence.

This year’s

Collision Engineering Program Expands to Nebraska School

PublishedJuly 19, 2023

Enterprise Holdings, through the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, on July 19 announced Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Omaha, NE, will offer the industry-leading Collision Engineering Program (CEP) curriculum as part of its existing auto collision technology program.

CEP, now active at seven schools across the U.S., is helping catalyze a new era of collision repair built upon a foundation of motivated, skillful and passionate workers committed to advancing alongside today’s rapid pace of vehicle technology. Founded by the Enterprise Holdings Foundation and Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, the program aims to help fill

I-CAR Launches Online Resource for Collision Repair Careers

PublishedJuly 18, 2023

I-CAR on July 18 marked the official launch of CollisionCareers.com, a seminal online experience dedicated to connecting individuals to rewarding opportunities in collision repair. 

CollisionCareers.com achieves the first objective of the Talent Attraction marketing strategy by providing a neutral brand and platform under which industry partners can collaborate on strategic programming and marketing efforts to reposition the

Audi, Volkswagen Donate Damaged Vehicles to Collision Repair Educational Programs

PublishedJuly 7, 2023

Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Audi of America and Volkswagen of America are proud to announce they have partnered to donate 78 Audi and Volkswagen vehicles to collision repair programs throughout the U.S.

These donations will enhance the education of thousands of collision repair students and support the next generation of the automotive workforce. In a rapidly changing industry, it is critical students have access to the latest vehicles and technology.

The donated Audi and Volkswagen vehicles were damaged during shipping to the point that they could no longer be

Collision Repair Technician Experience Survey Open Through July 31

PublishedJuly 6, 2023

SCRSand I-CAR developed a survey designed to better understand the experience of collision repair technicians, available at www.collisiontechniciansurvey.com through July 31.

This survey is being facilitated by Ducker Carlisle, which has been working on sourcing technician feedback through surveys with automotive OEMs for many years.

The severity of the technician shortage has a tremendous impact on the industry. Carlisle is working to help I-CAR and SCRS understand and frame the

Toby Chess recalls planning a collision repair training day for about 80 high school students in Hawthorne, CA, 25 years ago. Since then, he’s had a passion for training young people and bringing them into the collision industry.

About two years ago, he was visiting a body shop and a newer employee was asked by his supervisor to sweep floors and do menial tasks.

“I asked his supervisor why he didn’t buy him some tools so he could feel part of the team,” said Chess, who ultimately bought tools for the budding technician. “The expression on his face was unbelievable.”

Fast forward to the present and Chess said shops are in the same predicament as they were when it comes to hiring and retaining staff.

“We all need technicians,” said Chess. “We've

Hunter Engineering Partners with Lincoln Tech on New Denver Training Center

PublishedJune 29, 2023

Hunter Engineering is pleased to announce Lincoln Tech’s Denver campus will be the latest site to house a Hunter Training Center. Local students and repair shop technicians will be offered the opportunity to train directly on Hunter equipment through a wide range of available Hunter courses.

The new training center, Hunter’s 47th across the nation, will open Aug. 1.

Lincoln Educational Services Corp. is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education, offering recent high school graduates and working adults programs in automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades,

Trade School Programs in Hot Demand in Tennessee

Written by Olivia Sanchez and Danielle Smith, The Hechinger Report-Public News Service Collaboration
Published June 27, 2023

Most of the guys come straight to the shop each afternoon. After long shifts at supermarkets and home improvement stores, they make their way to southwest Nashville just before 4 p.m., sometimes still in uniform, and pull into a massive parking lot shared by the local community college and the Nashville branch of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, or TCAT.

Some might rev their engines and do a few laps around the mostly clear lot first, but they all eventually take a right toward the garage.

There, as the sun begins to set

VW Gifts Damaged Vehicles to TN Collision Repair Programs

Written by Heather Mullinix, Crossville Chronicle
Published June 13, 2023

Students at Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Crossville, TN, and across the state will have the chance to apply their skills in collision repair on new model vehicles thanks to a donation from Volkswagen Group of America.

“We’re glad to make something good out of something that was initially not so good,” said Ian Leavy, Volkswagen assistant general council. “Anything we can do to help improve the general talent pool of the people who are going to be working on our vehicles is a positive.”

The vehicles were damaged in transit. They are all

2023 Techs Rock Awards Announces Category Winners, Opens Voting for Grand Prize

PublishedJune 12, 2023

TechForce Foundation® announced the category winners in the 2023 Techs Rock Awards and opened the grand prize public vote. TechForce created these prestigious awards to honor professional technicians who are full of passion and grit, exhibit true excellence in their work and inspire the next generation of techs. Meet the category winners and vote for the grand prize winner at TechForce.org/Vote. Voting is open through 11:59 p.m. PT June 16.

The five category winners were selected from

Skilled Labor Shortage Impacts Southwest Minnesota

Written by Sawyer Drent, for The Globe
Published June 9, 2023

The U.S. is seeing a continued shortage of trade and skilled workers nationwide, and this is happening at the state and local level, in Worthington, MN.

Many businesses are looking for workers, many of which don’t require a college degree.

According to Minnesota State’s Careerwisewebsite, among 50 of the high demand jobs projected to grow in the state between now and 2026 are landscaping, maintenance, carpentry, freight, mechanics and construction workers. Some of these will require some schooling, while others use skills that can be learned right on the job site.

A look at

CAWA Announces 2023 Scholarship Winners

PublishedJune 9, 2023

CAWA, Representing the Automotive Parts Industry, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023 scholarship awards. 

CAWA provided more than $13,250 in scholarships this year to 13 individuals. Furthermore, each student will receive a $300 tool gift certificate compliments of CAWA member All Trade Tools. “Once again, CAWA is proud to assist these young people in pursuing their education and careers in the auto care industry”, said Rodney Pierini, president and CEO, in announcing the awards.

Recipients of this year’s scholarships are:

Auto Body Shop Owners Decide Where to Focus Attention, Resources in Near Future

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published June 6, 2023

An article posted to Autobody News in May asked a half dozen shop owners to reflect on a recent change they had made in their business and how it worked out.

Now, some of those same shop owners---and others---look ahead rather than

College Grad Found Car Repair Passion After Overcoming Homelessness

Written by Natay Holmes, ABC 10News
Published June 5, 2023

The auto industry is in need of more technicians, and Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, CA, is helping steer students in that direction through its auto technology program. The program works with partners, like GMand Ford, to get students into auto body shops and gain real-world experience outside of the classroom.

Of course, the college also has shops on campus where students can get hands-on experience.

ABC 10News spoke to a non-traditional college student who took advantage of this program; he's older and a father of four, but he used the knowledge

Mitchell Hosts High School Students to Show Career Opportunities in the Collision Repair Industry

Written by Abby Andrews, Autobody News
Published June 1, 2023

San Diego, CA-based Mitchellrecently teamed up with the owner of a regional MSO and a local high school to show students in both the automotive repair and robotics programs career possibilities they might not have considered before.

Over two consecutive days, about 50 students from Santana High School in Santee, CA, first stopped by Mitchell’s Technical Research Center in San Diego, and then visited Fix

Crash Champions Sponsoring Collision Engineering Program Students at IL School

PublishedMay 31, 2023

The industry-leading Collision Engineering Program (CEP) on May 31 announced a new partnership with Crash Champions, one of the country’s largest collision repair multi-shop operators (MSO), to sponsor eight CEP students from College of Lake County (CLC) in Grayslake, IL. 

Using the apprenticeship model founded by Enterprise Holdings Foundation and Ranken Technical College, CEP students will apprentice at local Crash Champions repair centers throughout their two-year program, working alongside and learning from professional mentors in the industry.

As part of CEP’s emphasis on

Software Subscription Donations Advance Collision Schools’ Capabilities

PublishedMay 30, 2023

Today’s vehicles are basically supercomputers on wheels, so students considering a future career in collision repair need access to the latest technology to better understand what life will look like in the shops where they will be employed.

Fortunately, each year, thousands of collision repair students across the country receive the opportunity to learn on the same software widely used by the collision repair facilities and insurance carriers---at no cost to the school or students---thanks to the generosity of Audatex, a Soleracompany; CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc.; and Mitchell, an

OSU & Wilberforce University Team Claims Top Spot in First Year of EcoCAR EV Challenge

PublishedMay 30, 2023

The Ohio State (OSU) & Wilberforce University Team was named the winner of Year One of the EcoCAR Electric Vehicle (EV) Challenge, taking the lead in the four-year collegiate engineering competition. West Virginia University took second place and University of Alabama finished third in the judged competition, held May 21–26 in Orlando, FL.

Managed by Argonne National Laboratory and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), General Motors and MathWorks, the EcoCAR EV Challenge is a cross-disciplinary competition among 15 North American universities designed to build an EV

PA Students’ Efforts Become a Transportation ‘Gift’

PublishedMay 30, 2023

Twenty-one students from Pottsgrove, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen high schools, all learning auto body repair skills at the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center in Limerick, PA, gave a gift of transportation freedom May 20 to an area family.

Students taught by collision repair instructor Charles “Chuck” Smith worked during a period of two academic years to complete the occasionally monumental task of bringing a damaged automobile back to usable life.

They weren’t alone in the job. Many underwriters, including local collision and body shops, parts suppliers, other retailers and those who believe in the

Central Oregon Community College to Get Federal Funding for EV Tech Training Program

PublishedMay 26, 2023

Central Oregon Community College (COCC) was awarded nearly $3 million to help expand the electric vehicle (EV) technician workforce, Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced May 16. The funding comes from the National Science Foundation and will support COCC’s Northwest Engineering and Vehicle Technology Exchange (NEVTEX).

“The transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. So it is imperative that we transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles, which are fanning the flames of the crisis,” said Merkley. “Ensuring we have

TSTC Program Immerses Students in Art of Auto Refinishing

PublishedMay 23, 2023

The color of a vehicle can make a statement, but getting the perfect shade can be a challenge.

Texas State Technical College’s auto collision and management technology program offers a refinishing component for students who have an interest in auto body work and painting. The program is taught in a hybrid format, with students watching lectures online and doing hands-on labs on campus.

“Most students come in and never have held a paint gun or worked in a shop,” said William Graham, a program instructor.

The Program

All students wear personal protective equipment when working

ATMC Annual Conference Highlighted by Release of Training Benchmarks Survey Results

PublishedMay 16, 2023

The annual conference of the ASE Training Managers Council(ATMC) was recently held in Grapevine, TX. Featuring several presentations and roundtable discussions focused on training and manager development, conference attendees were also updated with the latest findings of the ATMC training benchmarks survey.

“We had a terrific turnout at this year’s ATMC conference with representatives from the OE, aftermarket, trucking, fleet and collision segments of the industry,” said Matt Shepanek, president of ATMC. “The feedback received was very positive and attendees said that the presentations and

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Calculating the ROI in ‘Growing’ Your Own New Body Techs

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published May 9, 2023

More collision repair shops are recognizing they’ll never be able to find all the experienced body technicians they will need, and they instead will need to develop one---or more---themselves. So they are hiring an apprentice, and either training them in-house or sending them to training while they work part-time in the shop.

It’s that model of schooling coupled with work experience that makes me a huge supporter of the ...

Shifting Customer Preferences, Technology, Staffing Issues Inspire Changes in Collision Repair Shops

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published May 9, 2023

A Greek philosopher once said the only constant in life is change, and that certainly applies to the life of a collision repair business owner. Six shop owners shared what changes they’ve recently made within their business.

Tom Ricci, owner of Body & Paint Center in Hudson, MA, pointed to two such changes at his 21-employee business.

“I have had multiple problems with our last

Collision Engineering Program Announces 7th School

PublishedMay 2, 2023

The Enterprise Holdings Foundation and Ford Motor Company Fund announced the Parkland College Automotive Collision Repair Program in Champaign, IL, has been selected as the seventh school to offer the industry-leading Collision Engineering Program (CEP).

The program expansion is made possible through the cross-industry partnership between the two automotive leaders ...

Length of Rental in Q1 Showing ‘Glimmers of Normalization’

PublishedApril 28, 2023

Length of Rental (LOR) in Q1 2023 was 18.7 days, an increase of one-half day from Q1 2022, Enterprisereported April 28. The results, while still at high levels, did offer some glimmers of normalization as opposed to continued increases.

Of note were the results for non-drivable claims, which continue to be exacerbated by supply chain disruptions, parts delays, collision repair backlogs and technician shortages.

Alaska had the highest LOR at 22.7 days, followed by Colorado and Louisiana---both at 21.6. Oklahoma and Oregon were next highest at 21.4 days. Four additional states---West Virginia, Montana, Georgia and Rhode

TechForce Receives $1M Donation from Ford Fund, Dealers 

PublishedMarch 30, 2023

Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, is joining Ford dealers across four U.S. regions---Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix---to provide a million dollars in scholarship funding to help students pursue careers as automotive technicians.

The auto industry has long faced a shortage of technicians due to fewer students entering and graduating from post-secondary programs, according to TechForce Foundation. Despite annual demand for 258,000 new technicians, there are only 48,000 graduates from technician programs each year nationwide. 

The gap is likely to widen over the next decade