All segments of the collision industry gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to put on the SkillsUSA national competition. More than 150 students participated in the two industry competitions: CRT (Collision Repair Technology) and ART (Automotive Refinish Technology). I am personally involved in CRT so the focus of this article will be on that competition. As in the past, the competition was tough and I was impressed by the final work product that the students created. Year after year, we continue to see the students improving their skill sets. These improvements are a major component of our goal as committee members. Those improvements come from better instruction from the schools which affects all students, not just the competitors.
The industry is evolving rapidly due to changes in vehicle design, construction, repair methods and the use of technology. As a result, the competition needs to follow industry changes. The committees continuously review their respective segments to look for ways to keep up with the industry changes, keeping in mind that these are students who will be entry level techs once they reach the workplace. It’s a delicate balance. In some areas we need to focus on an “awareness of” and the “ability to comprehend” than actually test a hands-on skill set.
Two segments, Welding and Structural Analysis, held demonstrations of new tests to be rolled out for the 2017 competition.
Welding will be changing the name of their segment to “Attachment Methods” at the 2017 competition. In the past, the test in this segment has been the basic I-CAR welding test. Segment leader Jason Bartanen and his committee determined the students need to have an understanding of all methods of attachment that are currently in use today. The committee has made changes to the welding test to allow time for testing on rivet types, adhesive applications and welding alternatives such as squeeze type resistance spot welding, MIG braze and aluminum wire welding. Students must be able to identify correct products and processes using supplied OEM information to answer the questions. An additional outcome of these additional tests is getting the schools and instructors to prepare the students for the need to research all repairs prior to proceeding with those repairs.
Ken Soupene and his committee also have been working diligently to upgrade the Structural Analysis segment. We will now test the student’s ability to review, read and correctly decipher OEM information. Mark Woirol and his team at Tech Cor donated several front structural rails and the accompanying information for our test next year. We will mark a non-repairable damage point on one of the rails and the students will need to determine if the part can be sectioned or not by using provided information. If the rail can be sectioned, they will need to identify the correct point of sectioning and the method(s) of attachment.
Mark Algie, chairman of the Plastic Repairs segment, and his committee are also reviewing their competition for future changes that may include plastic welding. With any addition of plastic welding to the competition equipment, donations will be needed to move forward.
The Metal Repair segment committee led by Jerry Goodson is also reviewing the need to add aluminum repair to their competition in the next two to three years. This addition will also need support from the industry for tool and part donations.
Making a change to the competition is about a two-year process. Standards have to be written to distribute to the schools. The test is then demonstrated at the national event before being added the following year. This gives the schools time to introduce the test into their curriculum and coaching. This process also allows time for the state and local competitions to add the new tests to their contests.
The schools that want to engage in the National SkillsUSA competitions will be the “best in class” as they adjust their instruction to meet the changing demands of the industry. These schools are our best resource for entry level technicians. We need to make sure that we also support their efforts to compete. All of the states need help from volunteers and material donations to make sure that the state Skills competitions prepare the students.
Obviously, SkillsUSA is about much more than the collision industry. More than 6,000 students participated in 100 trade, technical and leadership competitions. CRT and ART are just two of those competitions. With family, coaches and various industry volunteers, there were more than 15,000 people in attendance. The week includes show stopping opening and closing ceremonies and TECHSPO. TECHSPO is a trade show where companies show their products and talk with students, parents and instructors many who are prospective employees. On the last day of the event, the students can present their resumes to various businesses during a casual recruiting session. The SkillsUSA program serves more than 300,000 students and instructors nationwide, and more than 1,200 companies and organizations actively support the program.
Check out the SkillsUSA website www.skillsusa.org for information on how you can participate at a state and local level. There are links to all of the state directors and even a program to introduce middle school students and their parents to the great careers in the trades. The “get involved” tab has resources for those that want to work with SkillsUSA in their communities.
There is a huge shortage of people in all of the trades today. Our industry is not only one suffering greatly. We need to support those programs that will help us bring the best entry level technicians to our doors, and we need to onboard them in a thoughtful way. If they become bored, they not only will leave our stores, but leave the industry. In a highly competitive market, we can’t afford to lose these people to other trades. Let’s make sure that as an industry we continue to support programs like SkillsUSA so that we get the best candidates to grow in our stores.
Don’t just sit back and wring your hands and cry that you can’t find good staff. Be a part of the solution and get involved in your local schools and programs like SkillsUSA. Help to influence the students and their parents that the trades are a great way to earn a living. There is the potential for a huge return on your investment of time and or money. Be a proud proponent of our industry and the fine men and women that work in it every day.
