The U.S. Department of Labor’s 2007 employment study indicates that the employment of automotive body repairers is expected to increase 12 percent nationally over the next eight years. In addition, more than 11 percent of the employed collision repair workforce is leaving our industry each year. Insurance appraiser employment, another prominent career opportunity requiring a similar educational background, is projected to grow by 13 percent over the next eight years.
“The scholarship gives CCC an opportunity to help contribute in a way that benefits everyone involved,” says CCC Automotive Services Group General Manager Jim Dickens. “Statistics from the I-CAR Education Foundation continue to show a need to recruit, educate and retain technicians in the collision repair and insurance industries. We’re pleased to continue supporting the program and its successes.”
The CCC Michael Salvatore Memorial Student Repair Technician Scholarship Program will award scholarships to students currently enrolled at five schools, and has a combined value of $25,000. Schools participating in the CCC Michael Salvatore Memorial Student Repair Technician Scholarship Program were selected based on criteria that include ASE-certification, curriculum and geographic location.
Participating schools include: Bridgerland Applied Technology College, Logan, Utah; Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wis.; Nashville Auto-Diesel College, Nashville, Tenn.; Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pa.; Universal Technical Institute, Houston, Texas.
Russell Thrall III, Interim Executive Director of the I-CAR Education Foundation states: “It is a pleasure to work with CCC Information Services to administer this scholarship program and reward these talented, future collision industry employees. CCC’s scholarship program will provide funding to help students receive valuable training before entering the collision workforce.”
In addition to the scholarship program, CCC supports the I-CAR Education Foundation through a donation presented annually at NACE.
To learn more about the CCC Michael Salvatore Memorial Student Repair Technician Scholarship Program, contact John Harris at (312) 229-2693. All five eligible schools receive a letter and student application for this scholarship. Scholarship recipients will be announced at the end of 2008. Applications are now being accepted.
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