The Contra Costa College (CCC) Collision Engineering Program continues to grow as it finds success in matching graduates to employers. 

Every student who has graduated from the two-year program and pilot program has transitioned into a job at their apprenticeship site, Laura Lozano, CCC Automotive Department co-chair, said Thursday. Those students not only transitioned but also stayed. 

“We’ve had zero turnover for students with employment,” Lozano said. “I think it directly correlates with the collaboration between local industries and the college.” 

The four most recent graduates began their careers as B-technicians after they graduated in May, Lozano said. The students started in 2022 and spent two years earning an Associate of Science degree along with a Collision Engineering Certificate through a traditional classroom setting. They also earned income apprenticing with employers who participate through sponsorship of the program. 

Students also connect with a technician as a mentor who follows them through their two academic years, Lozano said. 

The Collision Engineering Program (CEP) is a national workforce development program founded by the Enterprise Mobility Foundation and Ranken Technical College. CCC is one of seven colleges that participate. The first four students graduated last spring from the pilot program that started in 2021. 

Currently,  there are 16 active apprentices (double what the program had last year) working their way through the program, Lozano said. She said an additional four candidates are on the waitlist for fall 2024. 

As the program grows, so does the staff. Two part-time faculty members were hired in January. One of those members will become full-time in August.

The program teaches students the traditional concepts of collision repair, Lozano said. However, it also teaches students how to be professional in the workplace. 

“Students are learning how to communicate with their managers,” Lozano said. “We are encouraging them to speak up or ask questions. We have had to do a lot of work with employers too. The generational differences are drastic with how people communicate.” 

For example, employers may not understand the way the younger generation communicates through text, Lozano said. 

Employers sit on the CCC Repair Program Advisory Committee and can add input into how the program operates.

“Once a student is identified for employment, the partnership involves us communicating openly with the technician and having very forward conversations about the student’s progress,” Lozano said. 

Tony Sanchez, vice president of operation at B&S Hacienda Auto Body, said three of his current employees graduated from the program in May and one graduated last year. The shop also has one apprentice who will graduate next year. 

He said he appreciates that the program focuses on the importance of OEM standards. 

“That aligns with our business model,” Sanchez said. “The program teaches them the proper way of repairing vehicles and how to utilize proper tools.” 

The shop doesn’t have its own foundational building program, he said. 

“Laura teaches them the fundamentals and then they come in and put that knowledge to work here,” Sanchez said. “All of them work hard and strive to be better.” 

Typically, the business promotes from within, he said. This includes training detailers and polishers on how to be body technicians or painters. 

“We have had some difficulties in finding people who wanted to move on to be a body technician or painter,” Sanchez said. “We have some career detailers who don’t want to do anything more than detail cars. Her [Lozano’s] class opens up the eyes of students to the collision industry and shows them it can be a career rather than a job.” 

Graduating wages for the students have also been positive, Lozano said. She said former students are receiving wages above California living wage. The average is $25 per hour, up about 30% prior to the program. 

Molly Mahoney, Collision Engineering national marketing and engagement director, said the program focuses on providing the students with an apprenticeship that pays more than minimum wage while they are in the program. 

This wage can vary state by state and can be more difficult in rural areas, she said. For some employers, such as smaller businesses, the program does provide a wage reimbursement that covers the pay amount over minimum wage for the first year. 

The national program also has a 100% placement rate for students in the program, Mahoney said. It also has an 85.6% retention rate for students staying in their career. 

Mahoney said, as a new initiative that started in 2020, there has been limited data but the next few years should start to provide meaningful data sets.

For more information about CEP, click here.

Images

Feature photo: Contra Costa College’s Collision Engineering May 2024 graduates (left to right) Mynor Duarte, Bryan Ahumada, Mohit Gulati, and Luis Quezada/Contra Costa College. 

May 2024 graduates Mohit Gulati, Mynor Duarte, Luis Quezada/Contra Costa College

B&S Hacienda Auto Body Technician Mentor Williams Cordon, graduate Mohit Gulati, B&S Hacienda Auto Body Estimator Mentor April Ocone, graduate Mynor Duarte, and B&S Hacienda Auto Body Technician Mentor Mathew Fruguglietti/Contra Costa College