CCI and I-CAR Partner to Strengthen Shop Readiness and Apprenticeship Success

The Collision Career Institute and I-CAR are partnering to help collision repair businesses accelerate workforce development and improve apprenticeship outcomes. Through this collaboration, CCI will provide critical information for a successful program. 

This “first step” implementation service complements the I-CAR Academy and supports shops participating in the I-CAR Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). 

As part of the program, CCI delivers an Assessment & Evaluation Package to align shop culture, mentor strengths, and apprentice candidate fit before training ramps up. The package includes a short, shop-wide culture survey, which takes three to five minutes per person, and deeper work style assessments that take about 45 minutes each for mentors and candidates, a consolidated insights report, and a virtual review with recommendations tailored to each location. 

“This partnership meets shops where they are and sets apprentices up for success from day one,” said Erick Bickett, chief executive officer at Collision Career Institute. “By matching mentor strengths to candidate learning styles and confirming cultural readiness, we help the whole team gain traction faster — so training sticks and careers grow.” 

After I-CAR approves a participating shop, CCI manages all downstream activity —contacting the shop, guiding them through the steps, coordinating reminders, analyzing results, and presenting findings with clear next actions — so shops can move confidently from onboarding to on-the-job development. 

“I-CAR is committed to practical solutions that advance talent pipelines for the industry,” said Dara Goroff, vice president of planning and industry talent programming at I-CAR. “Working with CCI to streamline assessment and readiness helps shops translate training into performance — benefitting employees, employers, and customers alike.” 

The joint effort reinforces both organizations’ focus on quality, safety, and sustainable career pathways — combining I-CAR’s training ecosystem with CCI’s structured readiness and fit analysis to support stronger shop outcomes and long-term retention. 

The package is available as an incentive to a limited number of participating shops once they have applied for and are approved for I-CAR's RAP.