dent who completes the Ranken program is not going to immediately be a journeyman A-tech. But Ranken graduates will be really strong B-techs. At many programs, students learn just a little about a lot. At Ranken, they come away with the specific training and hands-on experience to be productive at the basic skills needed in a shop right away to continue to progress in their career. They also start that career with a basic set of tools, and a bunch of I-CAR training credits.
The facility for Ranken Technical College’s Collision Engineering program rivals that of the best shops in the industry
As I said, I’m not easy to impress. But the quality of the welds I saw students at Ranken doing was phenomenal. One of the times I visited, an instructor was working with students on a quarter panel replace-
ment. Everything was being done exactly how the OEM procedures— which the students had access to— call for it to be done. For more information about the Ranken program, contact Shelly Jones at sajones@ranken.edu. Now you might be thinking: That’s great, Mike, but my shop is nowhere near St. Louis. So here are a few more things you should know. I have been so impressed with the Ranken facility, I moved the hands-on ADAS training we do for Nissan/Infiniti from Florida to Ranken. So come take that training and see Ranken for yourself. The school has a dorm and cafeteria for students who don’t live in the area. I know a shop owner in Colorado who, like me, was so impressed with Ranken, he’s having his own son attend the program there. If I still had my shops and I found good prospective apprentices, I would definitely have them attend the Ranken program. I’d tell them they would need to line up the grants, scholarships or loans needed initially to pay for the program
themselves. But I’d also have an agreement with them that as long as they were working for my company and doing a good job, I would make their student loan payments. They’d have some skin in the game up front, but also a strong incentive to stay at my company. And here’s the really good news for the industry: I want to give a big shout-out to the Enterprise Rent-ACar Foundation, because they have gotten behind the Ranken program. What’s more, the foundation is helping fund a pilot project to bring the Ranken model, including that awesome eight-week rotation system, to other schools around the country, including Contra Costa College in San Pablo, CA; Texas State Technical College in Waco, TX; and College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL. As the pilot project continues, participating schools, shops and students are perfecting an awesome model for what entry-level collision repair training should look like. Get involved if you can. I truly believe it will be a key part of improving the development of the entry-level technicians this industry so badly needs.
Cox Hires VP of Inclusion and Diversity Cox Enterprises has hired Erin Mitchell Richeson as the vice president of inclusion and diversity (I&D), effective Oct. 29. In this role, Richeson will lead the implementation of the company’s inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) strategy and will report directly to EVP and Chief People and Operations Officer Jill Campbell. She will consult on and support Cox’s efforts around diversity recruitment, employee engagement, diversity learning, talent development and supplier diversity across our divisions. Prior to joining Cox, Richeson was vice president of global inclusion and diversity at the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. She designed and managed the execution of sustainable I&D workforce plans globally and in key markets. Her work in this area helped improve business results through inclusion-based strategies that enabled workforce diversity growth. Source: Cox Enterprises
Your Trusted Source for All Your Genuine GM Collision Parts
833-691-1440
Direct: 210-341-2217
24 Hr. Fax: 210-308-8683
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am - 6pm Sat 7am-4pm
• Extensive 3 Million+ Inventory of OEM GM Parts • Fleet of 13 Delivery Vehicles Covering the Greater San Antonio Area and South Texas • Certified GM Wholesale Parts Specialists Dedicated Exclusively to WS Clients with 150+years combined experience • We offer Progressive Competitive Pricing and Discounts
9400 San Pedro Ave. l San Antonio, TX 78216-4497
www.mynschevy.com
emartin@mynschevy.com autobodynews.com / DECEMBER 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 29
