Crash car repair gets the high tech treatment at FTCC
By Gregory Phillips, The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"It's no longer Jimbo and Billy Bob's bait shop and collision repair," said
Gage, an industry veteran, is leading a new associate degree program in advanced collision repair at
The collision industry faces a critical shortage, with too few qualified graduates filling jobs left open by an aging technician population, according to the nonprofit
"All of our technicians are starting to age out," Gage said. "It's truly getting to a crisis point. They've had no place to go for talent. They have stolen from each other, and there's nobody left to steal from."
The inaugural class, which started about three weeks ago, already has well-paying jobs waiting upon graduation, Gage said.
Gage said the industry has an image problem.
"It's a real career," he said. "It's not just a job."
"We looked at what we were doing and decided we were going to align it with what was needed for the 21st century," he said. "It gave an avenue to an industry sector that has a future, rather than one that's a dead end."
Guaranteed jobs
FTCC has kept its existing one-year diploma program, which Gage said is geared toward car restoration hobbyists.
The degree program is career-oriented and includes nine certifications from the
Industry pay is based on qualifications. Gage said a graduate can expect to make a starting salary of about
"They can take these skills anywhere in the U.S. and get a job," Gage said.
The first class is four weeks into the program. FTCC will add a class of as many as 20 students every eight weeks until the program reaches its 160 capacity.
Starting in January, the students will have a custom-fitted, 21,000-square-foot building to work in, complete with prep stations and a paint booth, in a layout that can be easily reconfigured as the industry trends evolve.
"It's been set up so it will never go out of date," Gage said.
A changing industry
The program's first group -- Gage calls it
Gage said the course is not about rote memorization but how to source and research information about repairing various models.
"The minute you think you've committed it to memory, in a year the car has changed and the information will be out of date," he said.
Gage was 9 years old when he painted his first car with his dad. At 46, he has been in the industry for 25 years, working in paint sales and technical support, as an insurance adjuster, a collision repair production manager and a training consultant.
He is an animated and engaging teacher.
"The beauty of this industry," he said toward the end of a class on industry trends, "there's not a computer that can ever replace you."
The 17 students are a mix of new high school graduates, laid-off workers looking to retrain and veterans. Several are from the
The motivations and interests are varied, too.
"There's a lot of career opportunities out there for us," said
She is interested in the insurance adjustment side or owning her own shop.
"That's where I'm trying to go," she said.
Gerber Collision and Glass, a national auto body company with more than 200 locations, has pledged to hire the program's first batch of graduates.
"We've had a shortage of technicians for years," he said. "A lot of younger people don't seem to have the interest to come into the automotive field. The pool of people is small, and it's still shrinking."
"You're guaranteed a job when you get out," said
Staff writer
INFORMATION
To find out more or to register for an upcoming class, go to faytechcc.edu/admissions or call 678-8473.
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