Are you looking for a fun and rewarding career? If you like to work with your hands, have a skill for paying close attention to detail, and enjoy being creative, perhaps a career as an automotive collision repair technician is in your future. Below are five of many reasons why you should consider Rosedale Technical College as the place for you to begin your future as a collision repair technician.
1. Our Curriculum Offers a Fun and Engaging Education Experience
Collision repair technicians, also known as auto body repair and refinishers, analyze, assess and fix damaged vehicles, both internally and externally. A specific set of skills and experience are needed to be successful as a collision repair technician.
Rosedale Technical College’s Collision Repair program can provide you with the foundation to obtain a broad range of entry-level technician positions in the automotive collision repair industry. An Associate in Specialized Technology Degree is awarded upon graduation.
Throughout Rosedale Tech’s 16-month program, students will learn a range of skills that cover the various phases of the automotive collision repair industry, including:
- Auto Body & Components Repair
- Collision Repair
- Mechanical & Electrical Systems
- Auto Refinishing
- Panel Repair & Alignment
- Estimating
- Glass Replacement
- Welding
Throughout lab time, students have the opportunity to find their creative flair throughout several hands-on projects.
Like many of our technical programs, the collision repair industry is constantly evolving with new materials and technologies. Understanding the importance of staying on top of current trends and technologies, we continue to improve our curriculum to meet industry standards by staying on top of the changing trends as well as working with a dynamic group of employers and professionals through the college’s advisory board.
2. We’re Serious About Certifications
I-CAR Certification
As an I-CAR (the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) certified program, Rosedale Tech’s collision repair program is geared towards preparing students to obtain meaningful careers in the automotive refinishing industry.
One way we achieve this is by incorporating I-CAR Pro Level Series certification training into the program. Students in Rosedale Tech’s collision repair program have the opportunity to earn the I-CAR Pro Level Series certifications by completing 35 I-CAR certification tests.
To put that into perspective, many automotive refinishing shops are recognized as I-CAR Gold Class facilities. To receive that recognition, technicians working within the shop must reach certain points of certification training to reach the pro level. If completed independently, the pro-level courses could cost a technician around $3,000.
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certification
In addition, technicians must complete four collision repair tests to become ASE-certified technicians. Before completing the ASE tests, a technician must complete two years of experience. Students who complete Rosedale Tech’s collision repair program have an opportunity to use their 16-month education as the required two years of experience.
3. Safety Is a Priority
Not only do we provide a fun environment to learn, but we also are proud to provide a safe learning environment for our students, per industry standards. Our lab space, particularly areas used for paint stripping, surface coating, and painting, is 6H certified.
What does that mean?
Under the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart HHHHHH (6H) was published in January 2009 and applies to any area source that engages in paint stripping using paint stripper containing methylene chloride (MeCl) and/or spray application of coatings to metal or plastic substrates with coatings containing compounds of chromium, lead, manganese, nickel or cadmium.
To maintain 6H certification we must:
Train/certify all equipment, spray techniques, and maintenance are all in compliance
Perform spray coating in a paint booth or prep station with proper filtering
Use HVLP (high-volume, low-pressure) or equivalent technology
Maintain compliance with 6H requirements
4. Have You Met Our Instructors?
Students in our collision repair program have the opportunity to learn from some of the top technical instructors in the business. With a combined total of over 45 years of experience and a gamut of ASE, I-CAR, and PPG certifications, our instructors are well-equipped to train students for careers in the automotive collision repair industry. Instructors Brian Pierce and Greg Lassinger both started their careers at technical schools like Rosedale Technical College.
Take the opportunity to meet our instructors and learn first-hand from them about our program by attending one of Rosedale Tech’s upcoming Open Houses or scheduling a shadow day, which allows you to spend a day in one of our technical programs.
5. Training For a Lifelong Career
Rosedale Tech’s collision repair program develops a foundation for students to build upon and develop a lifelong career in the industry. Graduates of this program can have entry-level career paths as automotive collision technicians, automotive body technicians, frame technician painters, estimators, and auto glass installers.
These positions are available in automotive new-vehicle dealerships, independent body/repair shops, fleet service centers, and car rental organizations. Additionally, students will be prepared to sit for the I-CAR certifications.
As long as there are vehicles on the road, there will be a need for skilled automotive collision repair technicians. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there will be a need for automotive body and glass repairers in the next decade to meet industry demand. Most employers prefer to hire repair technicians who have completed a formal training program in automotive body repair or refinishing.
We work with over 1,800 regional employers who are competing to hire Rosedale Tech graduates to fill vacant positions in the mechanical, transportation, manufacturing and construction industries.
What’s Next?
Are you ready to start your future in Rosedale Tech’s Collision Repair program? Contact us today to speak with a representative about the admissions process as well as any questions about financial aid*, student housing, job placement, and more. Also make sure to ask about our new grant programs, which provide eligible applicants with funding that does not have to be paid back.
Our Collision Repair Technology program is 16 months long and offered during the day Monday-Friday, 8 am to 2 pm. In August 2021, this will change to Monday-Thursday, 7:30 am to 3 pm.
*Financial Aid is available to those who qualify. Rosedale Tech is a nonprofit Equal Opportunity Educational Institution and Employer, ACCSC Accredited Institution, and ASEEF Certified.