Villarreal said the apprenticeship program at On the Road Garage takes about three years to complete, so the first cohort of six apprentices is still in it. He said the garage envisions having room to hire everyone in at least the first two cohorts and give recommendations to anyone who wants to venture elsewhere.
“The overarching mission is to give people an opportunity in life,” Villarreal said. “We bring somebody in, teach them a skill, and they can make a good living for themselves. We can also replenish the technicians in the industry.
“We use I-CAR’s solutions to leverage the theory behind it,” Villarreal said. “We want them to know why they’re doing what they’re doing. That’s one of the ways we use I-CAR.”
I-CAR’s training subscription provides unlimited training for all technicians and shop employees and is available to Gold Class shops. I-CAR says its program lets shops manage and plan their training more effectively while helping reduce training costs due to technician turnover. It also enables shops to build their bench strength and increase employee retention.
The training subscription includes live, virtual and online courses, which covers the majority of the Gold Class required courses, and offers flexible payment options.
Villarreal said I-CAR’s training allows them to accept into the program apprentices with zero industry experience, as well as those who have already taken relevant courses in high school or college.
Every single apprentice and employee of On the Road Garage takes ADAS courses through I-CAR, Villarreal said, as both locations work on more technologically advanced vehicles. The Irving location is now a certified Rivian repair shop.
“Even five years ago, we were [repairing vehicles] differently,” Villarreal said. By achieving Gold Class recognition, On the Road Garage is committing to training that helps its technicians keep up with the latest advancements with each Gold Class renewal cycle. For that reason, continuing training is just as important for technicians with years of experience, he said.
Villarreal also appreciates the I-CAR training subscription plan’s ease of use. “You have the entire catalog in front of you. You can be assigning classes even outside of a learning path, so people can explore other subjects or specialty areas.”
For On the Road Garage, I-CAR training is a key partner in its mission.
“It’s important to us to train the next generation, to give someone a great opportunity,” Villarreal said.
I-CAR
800-I-CAR-USA
www.I-CAR.com/GTGC
Facebook: @icareducation
Twitter: @I_CAR_Education
Instagram: @icareducation
LinkedIn: @company/i-car
YouTube: @user/icartraining
To read more auto body shop profiles from the June 2023 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
Abby Andrews