Northern Neck Technical Center

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Collision repair professionals often bemoan the scarcity of young people interested in pursuing a career in this industry, but Matt Ingram, auto body instructor for Northern Neck Technical Center (Warsaw, VA), believes this field continues to hold the same appeal it always has, as evidenced by his program’s complete enrollment year after year.

“We run a two-year, ASE-accredited program at a regional technical center serving six school districts, so students get bussed in from up to 40 minutes away,” he says, noting that first-year students attend the morning session, while the afternoon session is reserved for second-year students. “We spark interest in our program by doing a lot of promotion and recruitment directed toward 10th graders in our region. Each school is allotted a day to bring their students, who attend 50-minute sessions in their first and second choice programs. We set up workstations where current students give these prospective students a glimpse of what the class actually entails.

“Each year, we have to turn students away,” Ingram adds, explaining that due to Virginia’s student-to-teacher ratio requirements, each class is capped at 20 students. “We typically have 15 students return the following year and graduate from the auto body program.”

The school also participates in the state’s co-op opportunities, helping students find jobs in various shops, and that has been the most rewarding part of the job for Ingram over the past 18 years. “Seeing my students get hired in the field they studied means we’re doing something right. I can walk into collision shops in Fredericksburg, MD to Richmond, VA and plenty of places in between and find one of our graduates. Many students who graduated from Northern Neck’s auto body program are now doing great for themselves in this industry, and that’s awesome to see.”

So, why has the industry suffered such a technician shortage if young people remain interested in collision repair? According to Ingram, the issue relates more to retention than attraction. “While we’ve had a lot of success in getting students placed – we’ve established some great partnerships with local MSOs as well as some mom-and-pop shops – a lot of shops that struggle to find new talent just don’t understand how to work with young people. 

Recent graduates require guidance, so it’s vital that shops are willing to partner with them and really grow that person into a true technician by helping them develop their skills. Too often, young people get pigeonholed into certain roles, so they become aggravated and end up leaving not just the shop but the entire industry.”

Ingram blames the old-school “caveman mentality” for how many shops treat young workers, and he notes that it’s even worse for a certain demographic. “A lot of young ladies do really well in the auto body program, but in some areas, it’s a challenge to convince shop owners to view them as technicians instead of ‘just a girl.’ I refuse to deal with shops that are so close-minded, but it’s very upsetting to see young collision professionals with so much potential being rejected simply because of their gender.”

Pay is another factor. “A lot of shops want to pay $12-$13 an hour for an entry-level technician, but Walmart and fast food establishments are offering over $17 for unskilled labor jobs. Shop owners and managers need to recognize that these young technicians are valuable and can be grown into highly skilled technicians if you’re willing to exert the effort. The industry needs to treat them well and pay them properly. Because if you don’t, they are going to accept that job at Walmart.”

Of course, Ingram fully understands how expensive it is to run a collision repair shop; funding the auto body program at Northern Neck presents its own challenges. “We have a high amount of consumables needed to train these students, so we have to beg, borrow and do customer-based work to make up the difference,” he acknowledges. “If our budgetary needs aren’t met, it’s difficult to do the job of training students effectively, but I’ve been very lucky to partner with the local industry – paint companies, jobbers and body shops donate products and materials for students to learn on, plus the Collision Repair Education Foundation does a great job of providing collision programs with funds and resources to stay afloat. WMABA has also donated funds raised at their annual golf outing to support our program. We’re always looking for new ways to overcome our budgetary constraints and finance the program.”

Ingram is grateful that he has a supportive administration that encourages creativity. Last spring, the school hosted a car show as a fundraiser to subsidize costs for Northern Neck students who won their local SkillsUSA competition and went on to compete at the national level. In fact, Ingram’s students have advanced to the national stage in 17 of the 18 years he’s been teaching. “I’m very proud of that achievement,” he boasts. “That’s quite an accomplishment for a small rural school.”

The program’s success would not be possible without the support of the industry professionals who encourage students in their pursuit of a collision career by participating in the school’s annual career fair, hosting tours of their shops and visiting the program as guest speakers. “We’ve had a lot of WMABA members come in to help connect the dots. We love it when collision repairers come in and talk to the students about the different aspects of this industry. You don’t have to turn wrenches in this field; there are career opportunities in management, parts and on the adjuster side. It’s not always the dirty job it once was, especially with the ADAS on modern vehicles. Tech-savvy students can show up to work in a polo shirt and slacks to run scans and perform calibrations. It’s still a labor-intensive field, but there’s so many different aspects and opportunities for young people to pursue.”

Industry professionals can make an even bigger difference for the Northern Neck auto body program by participating on its advisory board. “It’s a lot of work to maintain our ASE accreditation, and our advisory board helps a lot with that. They participate in curriculum reviews to ensure we stay up-to-date on industry trends and expectations because they are our boots on the ground, so to speak. They also help with placing students, but joining an advisory board to cherry-pick students is not the right reason to get involved; our committee members understand that the goal is to help the program grow and get stronger. The stronger our advisory board is, the stronger our program will be.” Northern Neck will be seeking new advisory board members beginning in October. 

For more information on the program, visit northernnecktech.org/programs/auto_body. Industry professionals interested in joining the advisory board, presenting to the students or hosting shop tours, contact Ingram via email at mingram@northernnecktech.org.

Want more? Check out the October 2024 issue of Hammer & Dolly!