Hoffman Estates, Ill. (February 3, 2025) –
Collision repair is a fast-paced industry that offers a fascinating career path for young people, especially as advancing technology like ADAS and AI piques their interest, but as any industry professional can attest, investing in these innovations is expensive, creating a significant barrier for instructors who already struggle to maintain their programs at current capability levels – never mind being able to advance those programs. Although constantly advancing technology necessitates that programs keep up with the ongoing changes in the industry to ensure the industry’s future workforce is prepared to enter shops with the skills necessary to make them a valuable part of the team, tremendous budgetary pressures often prove prohibitive, and as a result, collision schools frequently struggle to attract and retain interested students due to this lack of updated tools, equipment and supplies which is often caused by underfunded programs.
Thanks to the support of its many generous industry supporters, the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) seeks to alleviate some of those financial burdens through its 2025 Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark Grants, which offer vital funding for those schools to equip their programs with the materials and support necessary for elevating students’ educational experience in accordance with industry standards. Since the program’s inception, CREF’s Benchmark Grants have been a game-changer for many schools around the country, including Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough, MA. (Applications are now open!)
“Our program has received over $31,000 in Benchmark Grants since we started applying in 2018 – and that’s just the beginning because CREF consistently provides support in other ways; we’ve received spray guns, safety glasses, CCC One estimating software, free I-CAR curriculum and various enhancements around the shop, including fresh epoxy coating on our floor,” shares Assabet Valley Auto Collision Technology Instructor Kenneth Stukonis, who estimates that his program has received “well over $50,000” in assistance from the Foundation.
As a state-funded high school, Assabet Valley has a “decent budget” for its collision program, but “it’s never enough,” according to Stukonis. “Trying to buy the supplies needed to train my students is so hard; we absolutely wouldn’t have the resources to purchase new equipment or update our tools. It would never happen without the support we receive from CREF, which has allowed us to invest in a KECO Glue Pull Repair System, and with the $5,000 we received in 2024, we’re planning to purchase updated scanners from ALLDATA. Ironically, smaller tools are the toughest items to get approval on – it’s easier to get the district to sign off on a costly spray booth than the smaller hands-on tools we need to keep the shop productive!”
Keeping students engaged with learning new skills is vital for maintaining enrollment. “Our school offers 16 different programs, and with each incoming class of 300-plus freshmen, we’re competing to attract those students to our program,” Stukonis points out. “Our industry needs those students to become collision future professionals, and when we can show them that our shop has the newest tools and equipment, that we can teach them about the latest and greatest innovations this field offers, it puts us on the same level or better than what other shops can offer. Our program has better technology than many local repair shops!”
Stukonis believes that the Foundation’s support also provides an intangible benefit for the 64 students in his program. “Knowing that CREF and others in this field are invested in their careers has a huge effect on their motivation and morale. Every Benchmark Grant check we’ve received hangs on the shop wall to remind them where these donations come from, to reinforce the fact that this industry cares about them and will support their career paths.”
Funding from CREF and its supporters enables Stukonis to counteract the prohibitive costs of running his program, ensuring Assabet Valley continues to offer collision repair training to its students. “Other schools have closed their collision programs, usually due to the cost of running this program compared to cheaper trades. Those schools all needed major updates with booths and other costly renovations, and they decided to switch to other trades,” Stukonis notes.
Given the number of collision instructors who face similar funding obstacles, Stukonis is shocked that more programs don’t apply for CREF’s Benchmark Grants. “It’s crazy to me that they don’t bother completing the application. I understand that it can be daunting to gather all the information needed the first year, but once you’ve obtained it, you can store a lot of the data in the application which makes it much easier. Investing this time pays dividends in technology and supplies that we couldn’t afford otherwise. I look forward to completing my application every year!”
And every year, he finds his efforts become even more beneficial. “CREF just keeps raising the bar! In 2018, we received a $5,000 check to buy what we could, but now, it seems like they send us something new all the time. Last year, they donated a totaled 2023 vehicle, so my students can practice skills on the frame machine and with pulling that they would never be able to do on a customer’s car. And access to I-CAR’s curriculum is bringing our educational capacity up to a prime level while helping us instill the importance of lifelong learning in students’ mindsets.
“CREF ups the ante every year, and I cannot thank them and their supporters enough,” Stukonis adds. “I cannot wait to see what the future brings!”
Applications will open January 28 with a deadline of June 27, 2025. Instructors who apply for a Student Scholarship online have the opportunity to receive up to $25,000 in funding for their school’s collision education program.
In 2024, over 80 high school and college collision programs were awarded CREF Benchmark Grants, totaling $536,000 and impacting over 4,000 students current training in these programs, as well as students who enroll in upcoming years. Additionally, the Foundation distributed over $335,000 worth of in-kind donations, including parts, products, quarter panels, subscriptions, safety equipment and more.
Since 2009, CREF has facilitated the industry’s generosity to provide collision repair educational programs with cash and in-kind donations. Learn about different ways to get involved with local schools, including how to direct a monetary or in-kind donation to a specific school in your market area, by clicking here. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube to explore testimonials about how your support impacts the educational programs as well as the students.
CREF’s Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark Grants recognize schools that excel at educating students in collision repair, but due to strained school budgets, the programs require additional financial assistance. Recipient schools use these funds to provide the tools, equipment and supplies necessary to enhance their students’ learning experience and elevate the caliber of their graduates, ensuring that graduates are prepared to successfully enter the workforce upon graduation. The Benchmark Grant application allows instructors to request specific items that are needed to help them advance their curriculum, and applying schools that are not selected for grant funds are still eligible to receive a variety of tools, equipment and supplies donated by industry sponsors and supporters.
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist high school and college collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online.
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The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation, visit us online at: www.CollisionRepairEducationFoundation.org.
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If you would like more information about this topic or any of CREF’s initiatives, please email info@ed-foundation.org.