SCRS, March Taylor Education Foundation support collision repair instruction

To help provide maximum exposure to the event, SCRS and the March Taylor Education foundation have teamed up to make it economically feasible for 55 students and teachers from across the states of Kansas and Missouri to attend.

The Education Night of Achievement is a celebration of collision repair technical education. The evening's highlight is the presentation of the Jerry Frese Award to the top three collision repair technical students in the MO-KAN area. The award recognizes excellence in all aspects of scholastic life, including technical prowess and community involvement. Each finalist receives a trophy, in addition to tool credits for $500, $350, and $250, in line with whether they finished first, second, or third.

"This is the culmination of a yearly process that begins when we solicit nominations from local schools with a collision repair curriculum," explained SCRS Mo-Kan Chairman Colette Bruce. "The instructors submit forms with a detailed description and evaluation of the student. Our educational committee goes through those submissions to determine which three nominees have especially gone above and beyond what is required."

SCRS MO-KAN's goal is to give soon-to-be-professionals maximum exposure to the positive career options provided by the collision repair industry. For that reason, the association encourages and facilitates the attendance of as many students and teachers as possible. Vendors and area shop owners likewise attend, providing students an opportunity to mingle with potential business and employment contacts in an informal setting.

"We're connecting students with the life opening up before them to help make the transition a smooth one," added Bruce. "For example, we feature former students as guest speakers, to talk about their experiences starting a career. We also encourage students in attendance to speak a little bit about themselves. It's a heartwarming experience to see these young people become aware of their own career potential."

As important as the Education Night of Achievement may be, making it happen can be a challenge. Putting on an evening-long program with dinner requires resources, transportation, and in some cases, lodging for traveling students and teachers must be underwritten along with a number of other expenses. As funding for technical education continues to shrink, SCRS MO-KAN has turned to the collision repair industry, including local vendors, to step in and pick up the slack.

Fortunately, the industry continues to respond, and there is no better example than the sponsorships SCRS National and the March Taylor Education Foundation-which provides educational grants to help collision repair technicians further their training-are providing this year. Between the two of them they are ensuring that 55 students (SCRS 30; the March Taylor Education Foundation 25) will be able to enjoy the Education Night of Achievement.

"March was an avid supporter of education, specifically that which goes into the making of the future technicians of our industry," stated Dale Matsumoto, the Foundation's administrator. "The decision to sponsor the students was not difficult . . . it is something we know March would certainly support."

SCRS congratulates the MO-KAN Chapter for its support of a viable future industry workforce, and salute the winners, as well as the rest of students in attendance.

"It's no secret that young technicians are the future of the industry, and it is heartening to see the MOKAN Chapter step up and consistently do what it can to ensure quality prospects join the workforce," said SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. "The Education Night of Achievement places one of our most vital resources in a well-deserved spotlight. We are only too glad to provide the support needed to facilitate this important mission."

About SCRS MO-KAN: The Missouri/Kansas Chapter of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists consists of professionals from all segments of the collision industry working together to expand and improve the industry and open lines of communication through training opportunities, open forums and involved cooperation.

About the March Taylor Education Foundation: The March Taylor Education Foundation has been established to benefit collision repair technicians. The criteria for applying for educational grants is that qualifying individuals must have been employed within the collision industry for a minimum of two years, must be currently employed within the industry, and their employer must be a member of a local, state or national collision industry organization.

About SCRS: Through its direct members and 39 affiliate associations, SCRS is comprised of 6,000 collision repair businesses and 58,500 specialized professionals who work with consumers and insurance companies to repair collision-damaged vehicles. Additional information about SCRS including other news releases is available at the SCRS Web site: www.scrs.com