The Collision Repair Education Foundation has announced it will offer free one-year I-CAR curriculum grants to 100 public post-secondary schools in 2013. This will assist schools with budget constraints, allowing them to offer students the new I-CAR Professional Development Program – Education Edition. The application will be part of the Education Foundation’s 2013 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant.
The grants are being funded by a donation from I-CAR as result of a new initiative that began in 2012 in which I-CAR pledged $1 for every I-CAR class attended. This resulted in a $200,000 donation to the Collision Repair Education Foundation – the largest it has received since its founding in 1991. Half of these funds will be used to support the work the foundation performs, and half will be reinvested specifically into post-secondary schools to help them access much needed curriculum.
“Curriculum is the foundation to any collision repair training program, and it is very unsettling to see that when school budgets get cut, curriculum budgets also get cut,” said Clark Plucinski, executive director of the Collision Repair Education Foundation. “If schools do not have even the basic curriculum to teach, students are missing out on a consistent and thorough learning experience. I applaud I-CAR for taking the initiative in getting curriculum in the hands of the colleges across the country. This will benefit the collision students studying in those programs greatly.”
Added John Van Alstyne, I-CAR CEO and president, “I-CAR is thankful to the inter-industry for making this donation possible. The Collision Repair Education Foundation and I-CAR foster a partnership that supports education for the entire inter-industry, and this donation will allow the Education Foundation to continue advancing its mission in a meaningful way.”
To be eligible, public post-secondary schools must complete the 2013 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant, which is available on the Collision Repair Education Foundation website at www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org. As part of the application, a school would submit an additional statement on why it would like to be considered for a curriculum grant. The application is due on May 31, 2013. Winners will be selected by the Collision Repair Education Foundation Board of Trustees Selection Committee this summer.
More information:
