Estimating software and parts donations benefit collision repair programs

Recent and continuing industry donations have helped fuel collision repair education, with success stories from students and instructors across the country.

In Alexandria, Virginia, Rivian donated six pallets of body repair parts to the collision repair program at Edison High School/Edison Academy.

Rivian absorbed the costs to pack, box, and ship 10 R1T Bodyside Outer Front LH Panels, 12 R1T Bodyside Outer Front RH Panels, 17 R1S Bodyside Outer Front LH Panels, 13 R1S Bodyside Outer Front RH Panels, and five R1S RH Rear Doors.

“Parts are always a challenge for collision training programs,” said Kelly Logan, Rivian’s collision repair programs director. “I was glad that Rivian stepped up and was able to donate these parts to support bringing more skilled technicians into our industry.”

Kris Burton, owner/operator of Rosslyn Auto Body in Alexandria, added, “It was a really cool thing for them to do. The program needs all the support it can get, and it meant a lot to the instructor.”

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) also shared two recent stories of students who benefited from donated repair planning and estimating software.

Jannifer Stimmel-Watkins told CREF that when she was a student, she was fortunate to have access to repair planning software, which led her to place first in Damage Analysis during the 2019 Texas State SkillsUSA Competition. Stimmel-Watkins had access to software subscriptions that were donated through a partnership between CREF, Audatex, CCC, and Mitchell.

“Successful collision repair professionals need to know a lot to keep pace in today’s rapidly advancing industry, and just as the various components of a vehicle are often interrelated, so are the skill sets that students are encouraged to develop,” a CREF press release states. “Repair planning, in particular, offers repairers insights into other aspects of the collision world, and mastering this skill can open the doors to unforeseen opportunities.”

After graduation, Stimmel-Watkins worked as a diagnostic technician, focused on ADAS.

“Using repair planning software was a vital part of my job,” she said in the release. “When a vehicle first came into the shop, I would use the software to review details about the vehicle, including which ADAS systems may have been impacted by the accident, and analyzing that data allowed me to determine what needed to be done to properly repair the vehicle,” she explains. “I wouldn’t have been able to excel at those tasks if I hadn’t gained experience with that software during school.

“A lot of technicians can read a repair order, but they are unfamiliar with navigating the repair planning software. That can be limiting in a collision career. I cannot imagine what my career path would have been like if I hadn’t had access to that software as a student; it would have kept so many doors closed for me.”

Stimmel-Watkins later went on to become a college collision instructor.

“I always stressed the importance of learning the software to my students,” she said in the release. “Even if they didn’t want to become an estimator, I helped them understand that knowledge is the biggest advantage they can have — the more you know, the more you’re worth and the more you can get paid. A lot of software includes the repair procedures, and technicians need to understand the repair process. Because it was so valuable to me as a technician, I filled out the application to ensure my students had access as well, and we were so grateful to receive a donation of an entire shop flow system, which allowed our program to operate like a real-life shop.”

Other instructors who have received software donations for their programs shared feedback with CREF similar to Stimmel-Watkins’.

“As instructors, we try our best to replicate as many real-life collision repairs as possible, and access to repair planning software helps us better prepare students for joining the collision repair industry’s workforce,” said Chad Crum, instructor at Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Knoxville, Tennessee. “Using this software has become essential and helps ease the transition from class to industry since the students are training with the same software they will encounter in their future employment. Once they leave school, they are more comfortable working in the industry because they understand the software.”

Crum credits access to the software for helping one of his students place second in Damage Analysis at the 2024 SkillsUSA National Competition.

“Without this donation, it would have been very difficult to achieve such a victory,” he said in the release. “This student’s success proves how these donations are helping to transform the lives of our students!”

In 2024, over 10,000 future collision repair professionals had the opportunity to learn on current estimating software because of donations distributed to 543 schools in 47 states.

Ryan Byrne, instructor at Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Virginia, agrees.

“Access to this software provides students with valuable hands-on experience with industry-standard tools, which creates more accuracy and efficiency in estimating, as well as increasing familiarity with the insurance and claims process,” he said in the release. “Once they graduate, that experience allows for a more streamlined transition into the workplace.”

Graduates from Dennis Technical Center in Boise, Idaho, have also experienced the benefits of learning estimating software in the classroom, according to collision repair instructor Scott Moore.

“One of last year’s graduates works as an estimator in a local shop,” he said in the release. “I placed him there for a job shadowing exercise, and although the shop was hesitant to allow a student to do estimates at first, he excelled at the task. They were very impressed with how much he knew coming in from the high school level, but he has a talent for damage analysis; in fact, he placed first in our state SkillsUSA competition. Another former student worked as a painter for a couple years, but when an estimating job opened up in his shop, he demonstrated his knowledge and moved into that position with ease.”

Moore added that it’s important for students to get exposure to as many different roles in the collision industry as possible.

“They don’t always have to be a bodyman or painter; I want them to understand there are other career paths available to them in this field,” he said.

Moore’s students begin by learning to write estimates manually to ensure they understand the process and know how to write a blueprint if the software isn’t available. Then, he introduces them to the software.

“Most students take to it very fast because it’s like a video game, and this generation tends to be proficient with anything electronic,” he said. “After they graduate, it’s helpful for them to understand how to navigate that software intelligently, even if they don’t become estimators.”

Images

Featured image: File photo of students learning refinish techniques at Collin College in Texas. (Provided by Collin College)

Rivian donation pictures/Facebook