The Kishwaukee College Collision Repair Technology (CRT) program received the highest accreditation by National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Kishwaukee’s CRT program received the Master Accreditation designation, making the program one of only two college collision repair programs in Illinois to earn that distinction.
NATEF is a national organization that is dedicated to improvement of automotive technician training programs across the U.S. NATEF certification is based on evaluation of an educational training program using professional industry standards as criteria. A program that is certified by NATEF is recognized as providing the level of training that students must master to be successful as technicians in the auto industry.
The CRT program at Kishwaukee College prepares students to enter the workforce as collision repair professionals. Greg Brink, lead instructor of the CRT program at Kishwaukee, explained, “To receive this highest level accreditation means that our program prepares students to hit the ground running in the workplace. Besides repairing the structural damage, refinishing and painting, CRTs also advance in the profession to work with insurance companies as adjusters and estimators, in management, and other areas. It is an excellent career choice with good pay and room for advancement.”
According to the I-CAR Foundation, a CRT industry support and evaluative organization, there were over 173,000 CRT professionals at work in 2013 (the most recent data collected). The average age of CRTs in that same survey was about 39 years old. There is a current increase in professionals retiring from the career and a subsequent increasing need. The average annual salary is $52,900 with nearly 20% of current CRTs reporting annual earnings of $70,00 or more. Brink noted, “It really is a high demand career right now, that pays well as you increasingly gain experience. The Kishwaukee CRT program is a short-term program – you can complete the certificate in a little over one year – and it’s affordable, too. Receiving this a level of accreditation is like an additional feather in our cap.”
For more information on the CRT profession, visit www.natef.org or www.i-car.com. For more information on the CRT program at Kishwaukee College, contact Greg Brink at 815-825-2086, ext. 3280 or at gregory.brink@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
The Fall 2015 semester begins August 24; registration is currently in progress. For information on registration, contact Admissions, Registration, and Records at 815-825-2086, ext. 2740 or at arr@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
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