Erie Institute of Technology in Erie, Pa., gave the green light to construction of a new auto body lab after the school saw that there are plenty of career opportunities in the field to justify the investment.
“To me, the most important thing is are there jobs out there in that field?” Paul Fitzgerald, director of the Erie Institute of Technology (EIT), explained in an article on GoErie.com. “The answer was a resounding yes.”
The lab is the latest addition to EIT’s Auto Body Technician program.
The program has about 40 students, some of whom are laid-off GE Transportation workers using the program as a way to learn basic job skills such as welding and painting, according to GoErie.com. The younger students, however, are in the program to pursue careers as collision technicians, painters, estimators, glass repairers and insurance adjusters.
They’re preparing to enter a field with strong job prospects: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that the number of body and glass repairers will grow from 169,100 in 2014 to 184,300 in 2024 – an increase of 15,300 jobs. The 9 percent jump is higher than the average for all occupations (7 percent).
“Anyone who wants it is going to get a job,” instructor Dave Little told GoErie.com.
The median pay for auto body and glass repairers in 2015, according to the BLS, was $39,880 per year, or $19.17 an hour.
“While the frequency of accidents has declined in recent decades, an increase in the number of vehicles on the road should bolster demand for automotive body and glass repair over the next decade,” the BLS explains in its Occupational Outlook Handbook. “In some cases, demand may fluctuate throughout the year due to the seasonality of inclement weather in some regions. The need for repair may be greater during the winter months in areas with snow and ice, for example, because these conditions increase the chance of accidents.
“The adoption of advanced safety features, such as automatic braking for collision avoidance and more durable automotive glass, may reduce future demand for automotive body and glass repair work, but this technology will take time to become commonplace.”
‘Well-Prepared to Enter the Workforce’
Not surprisingly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that candidates with industry certification and formal training will have the best chances of landing a job in collision repair.
After completing the 12-month Auto Body Technician program at Erie Institute of Technology, graduates “will be well-prepared to enter the workforce,” Fitzgerald said.
Students in the program spend over half their time in the lab. The recently opened lab in downtown Erie functions as a fully operational auto body shop, and boasts a frame-straightening machine, paint booth, car lift “and all the tools necessary to train students to become auto body technicians,” according to EIT.
While in the program, students learn concepts such as bumper repair; movable glass repair and replacement; full-frame construction and repair; panel bonding and replacement; rust repair and fabrication; frame straightening; and how to use hydraulic equipment.
The program also covers surface preparation as well as painting and refinishing vehicle surfaces.
