Southeast Tech's Collision Program Draws National Interest
from pigeon605.com
Restoring vehicles is nothing like it used to be – and this state-of-the-art place to learn reflects that.
“The career itself is much more technical,” said Dana Davis, a collision instructor at Southeast Technical College.
“There was a time you might have thought of dirty body shops in the back of dealerships as a necessary evil. And now, there’s really good opportunity and money to be made, and there are businesses realizing you can create an entire revenue stream based on doing collision work correctly.”
Davis has seen the industry evolve to a place where his courses today often begin with him creating a technical scenario within a vehicle that students must solve.
“We have to do the right training with students because cars have become much more technologically advanced,” he said. “When they take a vehicle apart, they’re disrupting technical systems, and they have to know how to work with them.”
Davis and his colleagues work in a modern repair and refinishing lab at Southeast Tech that he says rivals any major auto dealership in Sioux Falls.
“We’re nearly as large physically, and we have the same type of calibration equipment,” he said. “Technology and manufacturing are driving this industry to a point where you need knowledge beyond body repair itself. It’s precise work, and we’re making sure these students have as much hands-on experience with it as possible.”
That shows by how much in demand these students become for employers – and it’s not just locally.
“The word is out that in our program students are learning what the industry demands,” Davis said. “I’ve heard from New Jersey, California, Texas, North Dakota, Minnesota, Chicago, and one shop from Georgia wanted to come set up a career fair here.”
This two-year program is split between repair and refinishing education. Students leave ready to work as top repair technicians, able to repair damaged vehicles, write estimates, refinish vehicles and understand how to calibrate vehicle systems. Other skills include:
- Fitting and welding parts.
- Reviewing damage reports and planning work.
- Sanding and priming work surfaces.
- Applying new paint and finish.
- Assessing structural damage.
“There’s a lot you can do with this education,” admissions representative Scott Dorman said. “This industry is evolving fast, and the content is always modernizing.”
Students who tend to thrive in the program are those with a natural love for the automotive industry, he said.
“Those kids that like to work with their hands and be in a shop environment and see what it takes to put something together with a mechanical inclination tend to really find a fit here,” Dorman said.
“But along with auto body repair and painting, they also can get involved in welding, even sales and marketing. Kids love the cool new cars and what they offer, and they also love the cool new equipment that fixes them and makes them run.”
The industry itself is in the midst of a wave of retirements, he added.
“So they need a youth infusion, and with all the technology, the timing is outstanding for students to enter this field.”
For Davis, an O’Gorman High School alum and 1995 Southeast Tech grad himself, it’s an ongoing education in an industry he continues to love.
“It’s night-and-day different from when I was a student. When I do tours, though, I always talk about how I wanted to work with my hands and work on cars and how this was a natural fit.”
He worked in the industry until 2018 when he joined Southeast Tech, serving in a variety of repair and painting roles before moving into management and ultimately overseeing facilities for Billion Auto and Sioux Falls Ford/ ABRA dealerships.
“I’d done a lot of mentoring with other employees and consider this a similar experience,” he said. “I can relate to the students because I started young with no experience, so I spend every day making sure we teach at their pace and look for learning opportunities.”
The program is set up to accommodate 24 students, and it’s growing.
“Right now, we have about 16, but once I hit 24, which sounds very achievable soon, we plan to switch students so they can go through refinishing first, and then ultimately we’d like more than 20 in each at the same time,” Davis said. “We can do that with the space we have. But at the same time, we’re mindful of making sure we can work with every student one-on-one during lab time.”
As you might expect, there is plenty of demand for students even before they leave Southeast Tech.
“This year, most of our students took jobs locally. We even have students from out of state, as far as Alaska, and once they see what Sioux Falls is like, they’re talking about a place to live before they even graduate,” Davis said.
“I have all but four first-year students already spoken for with jobs when they graduate, and those four students could have jobs too but just haven’t fully explored their options yet. We have 100 percent job placement. We don’t have students to meet all the demand.”
And once students enter the workplace, they advance quickly.
"Within three to five years, it’s not uncommon to have technicians making six figures. They really have a great opportunity. If they’re motivated, their abilities will start to help them gain in the workplace very quickly."
“Within three to five years, it’s not uncommon to have technicians making six figures,” Davis said. “They really have a great opportunity. If they’re motivated, their abilities will start to help them gain in the workplace very quickly.”
Dorman encourages interested students to reach out and learn more.
“Take the initiative and come see things – even when classes aren’t in session, there’s a lot to see,” he said. “We have an amazing shop for our collision program, and we’d love to introduce you to the program.”
Southeast Tech’s automotive technology, collision repair technology and diesel technology programs are certified as Automotive Service Excellence programs by the ASE Education Foundation.
learn more about the collision repair and refinish technology program
June 20, 2024