The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) announced that Chief Automotive Technologies has donated welders and a rivet gun to the collision business whose team places in the top three at this month’s inaugural Top Tech Mentor/Mentee Competition. The donation is in addition to the cash prize pool for the event.
The goal of the competition, to be held Sept. 28, 2019 at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Mo., is to recognize the performance of the next generation of collision technicians and their mentors on critical skills necessary to repair today’s high-tech vehicles.
The first-place team will receive a Chief PNP90 riveting tool valued at $8,000. The PNP90 is a pneumatic-hydraulic system for riveting and pressing out self-piercing rivets. The equipment’s universal technology enables adaption of various attachments for different application.
The second- and third-place teams will receive a Chief MultiMig 190 welder, an entry-level model for low-carbon steel welding. The 220-volt transformer-based welder has the power to perform both structural and sheet metal repairs.
The donated equipment the top teams’ supporting businesses will receive are in addition to the cash prizes each team member will receive, including:
- 1st place – $2,500 each team member
- 2nd place – $1,000 each team member
- 3rd place – $500 each team member
“I want to thank Chief Automotive for its support of the Top Tech Mentor/Mentee competition,” said Christen Battaglia, director of strategic partnerships for CREF. “Their continuing commitment to the collision industry and support for technical training benefits students and young technicians and increases the opportunity to succeed in a collision industry career.”
Mentor and mentee teams will perform and be tested on competencies the industry has deemed necessary for an entry-level technicians.
There is still time for teams to register for the competition. More information and online registration is available here.
Industry individuals interested in sponsoring the event, participating in the competition as a mentor/mentee team or who would like to participate in the committees organizing the event should email [email protected][email protected].