Collision and Repair Career Info Portal
- September 2013
at Franklin County Technical School
Instructors (click to contact): Jonathan Talbot Jeffrey Tarr
Collision Repair & Refinishing
at Franklin County Tech prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to repair, reconstruct and finish automobile bodies, fenders, and external features.Our Students
qualify for entry-level employment opportunities in the automotive body and refinishing industry.Auto BodyTechnicians
must learn to develop the appropriate method for each job, in addition to automobile construction and repair techniques.The Collision Repair & Refinishing program provides students
with hands-on experience in all the various aspects of the auto collision and repair trade. Restoration, painting, preparation, even air brush techniques are practiced in the shop."If you enjoy working with your hands, have a mechanical aptitude, take pride in your work, and are passionate about cars, then you might consider a career in collision repair."
About Collision Repair & Refinishing
Our Instructor
The Collision Repair & Refinishing Instructors, Jonathan Talbot and Jeffrey Tarr, are developing a top quality program that is current with the needs of the business community, driven to best serve the educational experience of students, and guided by the Massachusetts frameworks.
Curriculum
The Collision Repair and Refinishing (AKA Auto Body) program focuses on the repair of automobiles - but other surfaces are also incorporated as well. Primarily, students are exposed to comprehensive training in the repair of surfaces. They begin with intensive safety training, then gain experience in the safe and proper use of both hand and pneumatic tools as they perform major and minor repairs of panels using modern materials. Students weld, cut, prepare and refinish on a variety of projects, many on vehicles owned by customers from the community. The program is Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified through the National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF). We've implemented a new industry-standard iCar curriculum, which follows the student through their career.
Projects
FCTS, as the regional vocational high school of Franklin County, does so more than teach in a lab classroom and simulation environment. Students gain experience by assisting with FCTS facility projects, along with occasional projects for municipal and non-profit groups. Real world projects truly provide the students with an opportunity to apply what they have learned. Our students thrive on authentic work! You can demonstrate and practice a skill, but there is nothing like using those skills for real,under the direction of your instructor who now acts as your supervisor.
Collision Repair & Refinishing Customer Work: FCTS, as the regional vocational high school of Franklin County, does so much more than teach in a lab classroom and simulation environment. Trade programs have large shops filled with the same tools and technologies used by those men and women working in the trades. As a true extension of the classroom, authentic automotive projects are critically important to the learning environment. Occasional projects from municipal and non-profit groups offer hands-on learning to the students. Real world projects truly provide the students with an opportunity to apply what they have learned. Our students thrive on authentic work! Requests for FCTS work must provide educational value to the students and must align with the curriculum. If you are a municipal group or non-profit organization, you can contact Jocelyn Croft, Director of Vocational Curriculum.
Collision Repair & Refinishing Instructors
"Graduates are employed in shops specializing in repairs and painting or in service departments of car dealerships."
About the Program
Skills Required for Success in Collision Repair & Refinishing
- o Good eye-hand coordination
- o Tolerance for noise
- o Strong understanding of math concepts
- o Mechanical aptitude
- o Ability to visualize shapes and forms
- o Ability to think and follow directions
Future Career Opportunities in Collision Repair & Refinishing
- o Auto Body Shops
- o Auto Assembly Plants
- o Garages
- o Auto Rental Firms
- o Insurance Claims Adjuster
- o Trucking Firms
- o Fleet Rental Firms
- o Custom Painting and Design
Grading Policy
In order to calculate grade point average (GPA), each course will be awarded a rating based on the number of periods a class/shop is in session, the credit assigned to the shop and whether the course is required to meet graduation requirements as mandated under the Massachusetts Education Reform Law. Grading systems are developed by individual departments and instructors and vary in context and content. Instructors are given the flexibility to develop grading systems and standards, based on their expectations and department guidelines.
Coop Oportunities
Franklin County Technical School offers students cooperative educational opportunities during their senior year under the direction of the co-operative education coordinator. In addition, many shops provide field-site training opportunities that augment skills acquisition. To further the education process, maintenance projects inside the school and community-based projects enhance both the related and hands-on skills needed in the various trade areas.
