The Collision Repair Education Foundation announced a new technician competition for entry-level collision technicians and their mentors. The goal of the competition is to recognize the performance of the next generation of collision repair technicians and their mentors and to help develop more mentoring programs within the industry.
The one-day event will take place September 28 at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Mo.
“Each year, the collision industry faces a critical shortage in the number of new technicians entering the industry. Worse, many repair facilities have been challenged delivering effective mentoring programs for these new technicians to grow their abilities and prosper in the industry. As a result, too many new technicians leave the industry after just a few years, exacerbating the shortage,” said Christen Battaglia, director of strategic partnerships for the Collision Repair Education Foundation. “This new competition is designed to recognize the accomplishments of successful mentors and technicians, and also highlight how it is a strategy for employee retention.”
Industry individuals interested in participating in the competition as a mentor/mentee team, or who would like to participating in the committees organizing the event can contact Battaglia via email at Christen.Battaglia@ed-foundation.org for more information.