An Exciting Year In Progress At BCC Collision Repair

The first week of school went by fast, but what an awesome week.  It is always hard to get back in the routine of things.  However, once in motion, things start coming together and I get pumped.  

Many changes in the collision repair program this year.  I tell the students, the only certainty in life is change.  If you can learn to adapt quickly, your success will be much easier.  

We’re Currently In A Transition Stage In Our Program 

I-CAR Live Curriculum

This year we eliminated the textbook and are only using the I-CAR Live curriculum.  The students purchase cd’s in place of the textbook.  Now they will receive the same training as a technician will in the industry.  Therefore, I-CAR has us cover with the best training available for the technical portion of this class.

Industry Support

We also started working with the Collision Hub to provide the students with support from the industry.  This allows the students to connect with different leaders in the industry and vice versa.  Many leaders have already expressed an interest to help mentor the students and to help provide a smooth transition from college to the work place.  The Collision Hub asked our students what they wanted to know and learn about.  From there the Collision Hub clumped the comments into categories and will move forward.  I know mentoring programs and custom paint were topics that surfaced to the top.  While some of these topics are not what we focus on here at Butler, as they are not a part of our core curriculum, this is the type of activity that will help the students explore and discover what career pathway best fits their interests, abilities and desires.  This will enable the student to capitalize on their individual strengths and create their niche in the industry. Some of the activities will require the student to go above and beyond what we do at school.  It may require additional time spent outside of the class.  However, after spending a week with them, I can guarantee you that they are definitely up for the challenge.  They showed up Monday morning motivated, on time and I believe the motivation is increasing each day as we go.  

New Bloggers

Several students have already accepted the challenge to become the new BCRN student bloggers.  Again, this is not a graded activity and it is not part of our curriculum.  However, some students realize that the biggest returns in life often come from what we give.  You know the sayings like, “what goes around comes around” or “give and you shall receive.”  I’m certain that their efforts will benefit them beyond what they can imagine.  For example, blogging will improve their writing and communication skills, help them to become known in the industry, network with potential employers, which may result in a job in the future.  Several students were even recognized by the Butler Community College Board for their efforts last year.  

We may have more volunteers later, but we currently have two bloggers for the new school year:

Jon Abrahamsen 

Jon is a returning second year student.  He actually started blogging for us last year.  Jon plans to continue keeping us updated with the program and other things happening in the automotive world.

Samuel Smith

Samuel is a first year student that has volunteered his time to blog for us.  He decided to follow his passion of collision repair and enroll in our program after spending several years in the Army.  Samuel is very motivated and energetic.  I believe you’re in for a treat to read his upcoming posts.  

I commend both of these students for taking the challenge and offering their time and assistance to help me post to this blog.  I encourage you all to welcome them as well.

Business Leaders

I encourage all business leaders involved with the collision repair industry to join our new ASA Collision Repair Chapter in Wichita, Kansas.  We have had a representative from the Kansas Insurance Commissioner’s Office, Vice President from ASE and many other guests to speak to our group.  Getting involved and attending these meetings is a way to stay updated with what is going on in the industry and a step towards making more money for your technicians and your business.  ASA fights in congress for topics like paint capping and blend within a panel.  The more numbers we have, the stronger our message will be.  Make a difference by joining our Wichita group.  You can check out what is going on with ASA MOKAN by visiting their newsletter called “Driving Force.”

BCRN Newsletter

We will start our BCRN newsletter again with the new school year.  I normally add a collision repair tip, fact, quote, and question section to the newsletter.  If you have a collision tip, fact, or quote send it to me.  I will use it in this section and credit you for the comment. 

Check back often as we are going to have a lot of really cool things happening this year at Butler Community College.