AudaExplore (formerly the U.S. operations of Audatex North America, Inc. and Explore Information Services) and the Collision Repair Education Foundation have announced that AudaExplore has exceeded $3 million in software donations to the foundation since the launch of its Audatex Educational Institutions Program in 2010. To date, more than 137 collision repair school programs in 35 states across the U.S. have benefited from in-kind donations of the company’s estimating software through the program’s partnership with the foundation.
“We’ve been a consistent supporter of the Collision Repair Education Foundation since it was established in 1991,” said Wolfgang Ahrens, managing director, AudaExplore. “AudaExplore is proud to play a role in shaping the future of our industry by making our world-class technology available to schools so that students can step right into their careers with the knowledge that they’ve been trained on the very best, most complete estimating software available on the market.”
Under the Audatex Educational Institutions Program, AudaExplore provides a comprehensive software and training package — free of charge — to vocational and technical schools throughout the U.S. To qualify, schools must complete an online survey conducted by the Collision Repair Education Foundation.
Thousands of students nationwide participate in the free online training that is available as part of the Educational Institutions Programs. Since AudaExplore is a member of the I-CAR Industry Training Alliance, select AudaExplore training courses qualify for points that apply to the I-CAR Gold Class Professionals and Platinum Individual programs.
“AudaExplore’s contributions are vital to our next generation of industry leaders,” said Clark Plucinski, executive director for the Collision Repair Education Foundation. “On behalf of the collision repair instructors and students who benefit from this support, we are grateful to AudaExplore for its ongoing role in giving our students the best technical education possible.”
Added Rick Tuuri, vice president, industry relations, AudaExplore, “As an AudaExplore associate and a member of the executive committee of the Collision Repair Education Foundation Board of Trustees, I know the value this donation represents to students in terms of what it brings to the learning experience and how it prepares them for the real world. We take great pride in our involvement with the foundation and in reaching this important milestone.”
One of the schools benefiting from the AudaExplore donation in 2012 was Manhattan Area Technical College in Manhattan, Kan.
“Audatex Estimating serves as an outstanding teaching tool that allows us to take the vehicle inspection process and transform it into a complete estimate, repair order and repair plan," said Linn Schroll, collision instructor. "We thank AudaExplore for helping us keep our students on the cutting edge of collision repair technology.”
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