The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) recognized 163 schools with its new designation program called the “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark.”

Schools are recognized at different levels based upon criteria that focus around the number of hours of instruction, curriculum in place, along with the tools, equipment, and supplies a school uses to prepare their students for employment in the collision industry.

Under the program developed by CREF, schools were classified into three tiers:

• Tier 1: Advanced,
• Tier 2: Proficient, or
• Tier 3: Developing.

The foundation determines the designation based on information provided by schools about the capabilities of their program on the Collision Repair Education Makeover grant application. (The program is currently accepting applications for 2018.)

Participation in the Makeover grant program provides schools with necessary items to help them advance to higher levels and expand their programs to best serve students and the industry, CREF said. The goal of the program is to help every school acquire the resources to eventually achieve a Tier 1: Advanced school designation.

“I want to congratulate all of the schools on their achievements for the Benchmark program,” said Melissa Marscin, Collision Repair Education Foundation director of operations/administration. “The number of schools participating in this program continues to rise and the Collision Repair Education Foundation is proud to support those schools in their efforts to achieve the Tier 1 status.”

Schools that received the “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark” include:

Tier 1

• Aims Community College (Windsor, Colorado)
• Austin Community College (Austin, Texas)
• Bay Path (Charlton, Massachusetts)
• Chippewa Valley Technical College (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)
• Clackamas Community College (Oregon City, Oregon)
• College of Lake County (Grayslake, Illinois)
• Dauphin County Technical School (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
• Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) (Ankeny, Iowa)
• Greater Lawrence Technical High School (Andover, Massachusetts)
• Idaho State University College of Technology (Pocatello, Idaho)
• Kishwaukee College (Malta, Illinois)
• Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, Nebraska)
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton, North Dakota)
• Ranken Technical College (St. Louis, Missouri)
• Southwestern Community College (Creston, Iowa)
• TCAT Livingston (Livingston, Tennessee)
• Texas State Technical College (Waco, Texas)

Tier 2

• Alvin ISD, Hensler CTE Campus (Manvel, Texas)
• Area30 Career Center (Greencastle, Indiana)
• Athens Technical College (Athens, Georgia)
• Bellingham technical college (Bellingham, Washington)
• Berks Career and Technology Center (Oley, Pennsylvania)
• Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation (Flat Rock, North Carolina)
• S. Monroe Technology Center (Leesburg, Virginia)
• Cape Fear Community College (Wilmington, North Carolina)
• CATEC (Charlottesville, Virginia)
• Cattaraugus Allegany Boces Center At Ellicotville (Ellicottville, New York)
• Cerritos College (Norwalk, California)
• Chantilly HS STEM Academy (Chantilly, Virginia)
• Chester County Technical College high school Pennick’s Bridge campus (West Grove, Pennsylvania)
• Cleveland Community College (Shelby, North Carolina)
• Collision Career Institute (Yorba Linda, California)
• Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania)
• Dennis Technical Education Center (Boise, Idaho)
• Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School (Fall River, Massachusetts)
• Dowell J Howard Center (Winchester, Virginia)
• Duncanville High School (Duncanville, Texas)
• Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (Willow Grove, Pennsylvania)
• EHOVE Career Center (Milan, Ohio)
• Erie 1 BOCES Kenton Career & Technical Center (Tonawanda, New York)
• Erie Community College South (Orchard Park, New York)
• Essex Technical High School (Hathorne, Massachusetts)
• Fayetteville Technical Community College (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
• Forbes Road CTC (Monroeville, Pennsylvania)
• Forsyth Tech Community College (Winston Salem, North Carolina)
• Fort Myers Technical College (Fort Myers, Florida)
• Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, Wisconsin)
• Freedom High School (Freedom, Wisconsin)
• Hayes Career Center (Columbus, Ohio)
• Gateway Community College Central City Campus (Phoenix, Arizona)
• George Stone Technical Center (Pensacola, Florida)
• Grant Career Center (Bethel, Ohio)
• Greater Lowell Technical HS (Tyngsborough, Massachusetts)
• Greenville Technical College (Greenville, South Carolina)
• GST BOCES Coopers Education Center (Painted Post, New York)
• Helena High School (Helena, Montana)
• Highland Community College (Freeport, Illinois)
• Hillsborough Community College (Tampa, Florida)
• Hodgson Vo-Tech (Newark, Delaware)
• Holmes High School (San Antonio, Texas)
• Hopewell High School (Hopewell, Virginia)
• Indian Valley Vocational Center (Sandwich, Illinois)
• Ivy Tech Community College (Terre Haute, Indiana)
• Ivy Tech Community College – Northeast (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
• John A. Logan College (Carterville, Illinois)
• Kansas City Kansas Community College (Kansas City, Kansas)
• Kennedy King College (CHICAGO, Illinois)
• Kingwood Park High School (Kingwood, Texas)
• Lake Career & Technical Center (Camdenton, Missouri)
• Lake Technical College (Eustis, Florida)
• Laramie County Community College (Cheyenne, Wyoming)
• Lebanon County Career and Technology Center (Lebanon, Pennsylvania)
• Lenoir Community College (Kinston, North Carolina)
• Lewis and Clark Career Center (Saint Charles, Missouri)
• Lex La-Ray Technical Center (Lexington, Missouri)
• Lorenzo Walker Technical College (Naples, Florida)
• Manatee Technical College (Bradenton, Florida)
• Maxwell High School of Technology (Buford, Georgia)
• Mercer County Technical Education Center (Princeton, West Virginia)
• Miami Valley Career Center (Englewood, Ohio)
• Mid-Coast School of Technology (Rockland, Maine)
• Montana State University Billings City College (Billings, Montana)
• Morgan Community College (Ft. Morgan, Colorado)
• Morrisville State College (Morrisville, New York)
• New Horizons (Hampton, Virginia)
• Nichols Career Center (Jefferson City, Missouri)
• North Georgia Technical College (Clarkesville, Georgia)
• North Idaho College (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)
• North Technical High School (Florissant, Missouri)
• Northern Neck Technical Center (Warsaw, Virginia)
• Oxford Hills Technical School/ Maine Vocational Region 11 (Norway, Maine)
• Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School (Palmer, Massachusetts)
• Prosser Career Education Center (New Albany, Indiana)
• Randolph Community College (Asheboro, North Carolina)
• Regional career Technical Center (Saline, Michigan)
• Renton Technical College (Renton, Washington)
• Richland Community College (Decatur, Illinois)
• Ridgewater College (Willmar, Minnesota)
• Rolla Technical Institute (Rolla, Missouri)
• Saint Cloud Technical and Community College (Saint Cloud, Minnesota)
• Seminole High School (Sanford, Florida)
• South Central College (North Mankato, Minnesota)
• South Technical High School (Sunset Hills, Missouri)
• Southeast Community College (Milford, Nebraska)
• Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School (South Easton, Massachusetts)
• Southwest Tech (Fennimore, Wisconsin)
• Stanly Community College (Albemarle, North Carolina)
• State Technical College of Missouri (Linn, Missouri)
• Steel Center (Clairton, Pennsylvania)
• Susquehanna County Career Technology Center (Springville, Pennsylvania)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Morristown, Tennessee)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Paris, Tennessee)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TN, Tennessee)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Shelbyville, Tennessee)
• Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
• Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Academy (Elizabeth, New Jersey)
• Thomas A. Edison CTE High School (Jamaica, New York)
• Ulster BOCES (Port Ewen, New York)
• University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
• Waite High School (Toledo, Ohio)
• Walla Walla Community College (Walla Walla, Washington)
• Warren Tech (Lakewood, Colorado)
• Warrensburg Area Center (Warrensburg, Missouri)
• Washburn University Institute of Technology (Topeka, Kansas)
• Wayne Community College (Goldsboro, North Carolina)
• Wenatchee Valley Tech (Wenatchee, Washington)
• West Side Career and Technology Center (Kingston, Pennsylvania)
• Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center (Limerick, Pennsylvania)

Tier 3

• Assabet Valley Regional Technical H.S (Marlboro, Massachusetts)
• Big Sandy Community and Technical College (Prestonsburg, Kentucky)
• Butler Tech (Hamilton, Ohio)
• CA BOCES-CTE Center @ Olean (Olean, New York)
• Center of Applied Technology South (Edgewater, Maryland)
• College of Alameda (Alameda, California)
• Delaware Area Career Center (Delaware, Ohio)
• Earnest Pruett Center of Technology (Hollywood, Alabama)
• Fauquier High School (Warrenton, Virginia)
• Greene Technology Center (Greeneville, Tennessee)
• Hinds Career Center (Elwood, Indiana)
• Indiana County Technology Center (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
• Jeff Tech (Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania)
• Judson High School (Converse, Texas)
• Lake County High Schools Technology Campus (Grayslake, Illinois)
• LeCroy Career Technical Center (Clanton, Alabama)
• Marengo Comm HS Dist 1554 (Marengo, Illinois)
• Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School (Littleton, Massachusetts)
• North Lawrence Career Center (Bedford, Indiana)
• Norwalk High School (Norwalk , California)
• R L Turner High School (Carrollton, Texas)
• Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational School (Billerica, Massachusetts)
• Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (San Jose, California)
• Sno-Isle Tech Skill Center (Everett, Washington)
• South Doyle High (Knoxville, Tennessee)
• Southwest High School (Jacksonville, North Carolina)
• Stuart Career Center (Baytown, Texas)
• TCHS Pickering (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis (Memphis, Tennessee)
• Texarkana Arkansas Career and Technological Center (Texarkana, Arkansas)
• Texas Southmost College (Brownsville, Texas)
• Tidewater Community College (Chesapeake, Virginia)
• United Technical Center (Clarksburg, West Virginia)
• Washington County JVS District (Marietta, Ohio)
• Wichita Area Technical College (Wichita, Kansas)

The “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark” program was launched in 2016. For more information, visit CollisionEducationFoundation.org.