June 15, 2017—To help combat the technician shortage and bring more qualified workers into the industry, FenderBender has donated $30,000 worth of support to the Collision Repair Education Foundation—an increase of approximately $10,000 from 2016.
“We want to do everything we can to help solve the technician shortage, whether that’s in the pages of our magazine, online, or through helping organizations like this one,” says FenderBender publisher Chris Messer. “The Collision Repair Education Foundation continues to be a leader in this area through their programs and events for students.”
FenderBender’s $30,000 in-kind donation will largely come in the form of ad space in its magazine. The director of development for the Education Foundation, Brandon Eckenrode, notes how important that is.
“It allows us the opportunity to showcase the work we are doing,” Eckenrode says. “Through these ads, the industry can learn more about how they can partner with [us] and help local collision school programs.”
The Education Foundation has several initiatives and events set to take place this year including the third annual Cars, Careers & Celebrities Expo in Chicago and a fall career fair with ASE. They’re currently looking for companies in the industry to sponsor uniforms for local programs.
“The industry has shared that one of their top concerns is the need for properly trained, productive, and efficient entry-level staff,” Eckenrode says. “By investing in these school programs, we can all work toward solving that issue.”
