There’s a big discrepancy with how the auto body industry is regulated and how all other industries are regulated. Sure, like other places of business, we are required to acquire any related business permits and business licensing–that’s a given. However, when it comes to the professionals working at a body shop, you won’t see a licensed technician. In fact, the term doesn’t even exist in our industry nation-wide, and what’s saddening is that the average age of body and paint technicians is getting higher and higher while good technicians are becoming scarce. The collision repair industry needs to focus a lot more on education.

To put things into perspective, a hairdresser in Nevada has to complete a written and practical examination as well as have worked under a licensed hairdresser for a certain number of hours before he or she can become licensed. A body or paint technician can walk into a licensed body shop and perform any type of work without the supervision of a licensed auto body technician (once again, there’s no such thing), and be compensated at rates exceeding a $100,000 salary…not a small salary in any industry; this technician might be performing a complex procedure on a multiple types of metals, and not even realize that he or she is working on high strength steel with the wrong tools. Unqualified, untrained technicians are a common occurrence in the auto body industry.

To shed even further light on the aforementioned inter-industry discrepancy in licensure requirements, let’s look at a dentist. I hope I don’t sound like I’m trying to diminish the dental industry by giving this example, because I know that it’s quite literally a human life that’s at stake at times when a dentist is making decisions, prescribing medications, and performing procedures. A dentist in Nevada goes through rigorous testing, testing that I’ve witnessed myself, to become licensed. In fact, the testing is so difficult that a high failure rate is expected…not because the varying state boards don’t want more dentists, but because they only want good ones entering the industry. With the collision industry, consider the safety of drivers and the rapidly changing technologies in the auto industry–a properly repaired vehicle becomes more important than a properly repaired tooth. A person with an improperly repaired tooth isn’t nearly as dangerous as a car with an improperly installed frame rail or b-pillar; many lives are at stake when a car is repaired.

The collision repair program at our local college, CSN, is unofficially being shut down (all employees received a termination contract recently) because I’m guessing there’s just not enough demand for this type of education. Want to make the CSN body shop program relevant? Pass a law that requires body shops to employ licensed technicians and you’ll get an overwhelming response. Next, shore up the education requirements (no freebie classes any more) through proctored testing. I took a welding class at CSN and was impressed with the education I received; it will be a sad day when the body shop program is discontinued.

Can we expect body shops to develop technicians from within and create the rising generation of technicians? For the time being, body shops should be nurturing their technicians through existing continuing education programs like I-CAR, ASE, and programs provided by OEMs. I think that these continuing education programs should have to attain accreditation with a Nevada Collision Repair Board (does not exist), which will push I-CAR, ASE, and other educational institutions to provide more practical training and technical knowledge for our industry.

The changes to our industry that I’ve proposed in this article are not without shortcomings.  There are ethical issues, moral dilemmas, and stakeholders that could be shorted if it’s not done properly: How many shops would be put out of business with a law change requiring education? – If there were to be a collision board, paired with laws that empower them, there would be a lot of shops put out of business. Who does this really cater to? – With a large percentage of uneducated employees (after all, aren’t they in this industry because they’re good with their hands?) we’re definitely singling them out, if unintentionally. Even in the face of all these potential issues, the reality is that cars are becoming more and more complex. The technologies of today won’t even exist in tomorrow’s world so we’re going to have to embrace educational changes which can be done by requiring, and promoting professional and practical education.

~Jim

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