Leaders from the various schools emphasized the importance of their students having the opportunity to work on newer vehicles with current technology. Having this access will put their students in a position to become higher skilled entry-level technicians when they graduate.
“The donations will have a major impact on providing engaging, hands-on instruction for 480 students across four CTE [Career and Technical Education] campuses throughout Oakland County,” said Christopher Vraniak, campus dean for OSTC Southwest. “The donated vehicles that are assembled and equipped with the newest technology provide our students with the opportunity to train on the cutting edge of the industry. Moreover, the EVs will put our students well ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest industry trends. This is greatly important; our advisory committee has shared that the industry is rapidly moving towards EVs, so the donation of four EVs to our campuses was a very significant donation for which we are very, very grateful. This is one of the largest donations we have ever received and will be a foundation for our students moving forward.”
“It is important to always be ahead and prepared for what is coming in the industry as our graduates are employed by companies throughout Tennessee and the nation,” said Cris Perkins, associate vice chancellor for strategic advancement and executive director of the Foundation for the College System of Tennessee, which supports the public Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology and the state’s community colleges. “This partnership and donation helps further the mission of the Foundation for the College System of Tennessee to continually look for ways to bring in equipment and funding to help train our students as they learn at our colleges and make great employees.”
“All of these programs are often underfunded, so finding parts and cars is the hardest aspect these instructors face when reviewing their budgets. They operate on a shoestring of funds, making it incumbent on the instructor’s ability to trade, buy and sell cars or have fundraising events to fund their program,” said Tim Pfeifle of Tysons Corner Collision Center in Vienna, VA. “This donation will help many local programs, and I am so proud my supporting manufacturer is making this very generous donation, which will pay dividends to our industry for years to come.”
Audi and Volkswagen also recognize the need for students to receive the proper training on these modern vehicles, especially at a time when the nation is experiencing a major shortage of collision repair specialists. These donations further the goals of Audi and Volkswagen to attract and educate technicians on state-of-the-art vehicles.
“We have paired these learning institutions with local Audi Authorized Collision Center or VW Certified Collision Centers as well Audi and VW dealers. These relationships will provide opportunities for mentoring and opportunities for future employment,” Russo said. “The schools will use the vehicles for both technical and collision classes until the vehicles can no longer provide any additional training value.”
Once the vehicles can no longer provide value to classrooms, learning institutions will contact their local first responders who will use the vehicles for further training. First responders look for the latest equipment to use during training, allowing them to learn the cut points and other hazards when conducting extrication drills. The remains will then be sent off for recycling.
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist secondary and post-secondary collision repair training programs can contact us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online.
Source: CREF
Abby Andrews