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Letter to the Editor

CCAR Announces Free Online Training in Safety and Pollution Prevention to All Automotive Training Schools

OVERLAND PARK, KAN. -- The Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair (CCAR) has begun offering free online training in Safety and Pollution Prevention to all automotive vocational technical schools in the United States. The goal of the program, named "S/P2," is to ensure that every automotive instructor and student has the knowledge needed to avoid injury and protect the environment.

The S/P2 training modules have been in development for two years and are designed in accord with U.S. EPA and OSHA standards, according to Lirel Holt, CCAR's chairman. Details of the program may be viewed online at www.ccar-traininglink.org.

"Imagine the impact of teaching every student who will be entering the industry how to protect our environment," says Holt, who is vice chairman and founder of CARSTAR, Inc., Overland Park, Kan. "In addition, the safety modules can make these employees more productive in the long run by reducing lost time caused by injuries, and they can ultimately save lives."

The first phase of CCAR's S/P2 program will be offered to students pursuing careers in the collision repair industry, and BASF Corporation is the first company to join CCAR as a national sponsor of this ambitious project. "The collision repair and refinish industry needs high-quality technicians who care about the environment and understand the importance of job safety," says Guy Bargnes, Director of Marketing for the BASF Automotive Refinish Regional Business Unit. "BASF wants students to consider a career in this industry and wants to help them make the transition from school to work and into a well-paying job as a professional technician."

Greg Gambrel, president of the Collision Repair Instructors Network [CRIN] and instructor at the Walker Career Center, Indianapolis, Ind., was the first instructor in the nation to take his students through the S/P2 program. "I want my students safe, and I want them aware of the damage they can do to the environment," says Gambrel. "After going through the S/P2 training, I will not let any student go onto the shop floor without taking it and passing the tests."

"Every vocational school or repair shop in America, auto body or otherwise, should get their act together and protect their students or employees - and the environment," Gambrel continued. "There is no excuse for any school or repair business not to have a plan and make sure everyone is trained."

CCAR is actively seeking additional sponsorships for S/P2, with levels of sponsorship ranging from $1,000 locally up to $40,000 nationally. Sponsors receive many benefits, including high visibility with automotive instructors, as well as with students who are studying the auto industry and are at a very important development stage in their career. To receive sponsor information, contact Bob Stewart at the CCAR office, 913-498-2227 or rgs@ccar-greenlink.org.

The next phase of the S/P2 program will be for automotive service/mechanical students, which CCAR expects to introduce later in the first quarter of 2002.

Established in 1994, CCAR is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the professionalism and image of automotive technicians. CCAR's more than 200 affiliates represent all segments of the automotive service and collision repair industry, including vehicle manufacturers and dealers, national automotive chains and local repair shops, and colleges and universities that offer training in automotive service and collision repair.

CCAR operates "CCAR-GreenLink®," the national environmental compliance assistance center for the automotive industry, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. CCAR-GreenLink is recognized globally as a leading source of environmental compliance and pollution prevention information for the automotive industry.

To learn more about CCAR's S/P2 online training, visit the CCAR-TrainingLink website.

©2002 Collision Repair Industry INSIGHT
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