Advisory Meeting – A Few Notes To Share With Students

NATEF Review
The Automotive and Collision Repair held their advisory meeting last night 1/22/10. At this meeting the program had to conduct a NATEF review for the program. This is a review that may be requested by NATEF at a 2 1/2 year’s during the accreditation period. Every five years the automotive and collision repair programs are required to have a full on-site evaluation to keep the NATEF accreditation.

Water Borne
We also discussed water borne paint. A few of the members expressed their opinion about water borne and gave it a very good rating. They said that they would hate to go back to solvent now that they have been using water borne. They mentioned how the paint lays down better, the metallic lays even, blends are easier to perform, and the color matches seems to be better. From this discussion, I believe the the transition from solvent based paint to water borne paint is going to be a smooth.

Industry Trends
We discussed how shops were performing certain tasks to determine if they way they are doing it aligns with the way we are teaching the students in the collision repair program. Most of it aligned, but there were a few suggestions that we may try at the school. The way we prepare a panel for blend was a little different, as we used a finer grit sand paper. They also described a new way of masking jambs that is working better for them. I excited to try this method on our next job. This is what helps programs like ours excel. It will also better prepare the students with the current trends in the industry. We really appreciate the help of our advisory board, as they are a vital part of a successful program.

Student Motivation
The subject of student motivation, or the lack of it was addressed. Shops are having more problems with unmotivated employees that show up late to work. This is a big problem. Employees must get to work on time and stay off their cell phones texting. Leave the phones in the car before you enter the work place. This was a few of the comments addressing work ethics. We put a lot of effort in the automotive and collision repair programs to instill the importance of good work ethics to the students. However, some students get it and some do not. Therefore, I challenge every student to be at school on time every single day at Butler. Do not settle for meritocracy. Be the champion of the industry that you are going into. And remember to keep your cell phones put away. Good work ethics is what will put you at the top at your work place. As we might say at Butler…If You’re Going To Be A Bear, Be A Grizzly Bear! In other words, if you’re going to do something, do your absolute best.