Chapter 15- A. Sources Of Information

Students completing a Collision Repair Technology program must meet certain standards to be employable within the Collision Industry. These standards:

• may vary somewhat by region or market area.
• change as technology and the Industry changes.

In order for a training program to successfully serve its students and the Industry, the program must understand what skills the Industry requires "quality entry-level" technicians to have.

An entry-level technician generally is defined as one who has not earned wages in the Industry on a full-time basis. Those who have worked in the Industry part-time, such as students involved in co-op programs, generally are still considered as entry-level.

An entry-level technician, however, has been exposed to collision repair or refinishing training. Information on what skills the Industry expects an entry-level technician to possess following this training is available in a number of ways:

• A number of national surveys, sponsored by the I-CAR Education Foundation, Texas State Technical College-Waco and the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), have focused on entry-level requirements. The surveys first created a list of skills required, then asked those surveyed to prioritize the skills. Both technical and employability (SCANS) skills were covered in the surveys. A copy of the survey results is available to download in the PDF listing below or on the How-To-Handbook Sample Forms & Exhibits page.
• Many training programs conduct formal or informal surveys of employers in their area. These surveys ask employers to list the skills required of entry-level technicians, or to rank in order of importance a provided list of skills.

Not all training programs can provide students with adequate exposure to all skills required by the Industry. These programs should focus on the skills given the highest priority by employers.