Smith Vocational’s collision‑repair program highlights hands‑on training and rising co‑op placements

Christopher Richards, department head for the collision‑repair program, told the Smith Vocational Agricultural High School Board of Trustees on March 24 that the shop emphasizes hands‑on learning and employer partnerships to move students into jobs or advanced training.

"I'm Christopher Richards. I'm department head, collision repair," Richards said as he began a presentation that walked trustees through the program's curriculum, shop projects and employer connections. He described an "exploratory" one‑week panel project students use to learn dent repair: "If you look in the back, we put three dents in it," he said, demonstrating how students progress from basic filler and sanding to primer, sealer and multi‑stage paint work.

Richards outlined the program sequence: freshmen learn hand tools and car washing; sophomores move to power tools and dent repair; juniors focus on employability skills and mock interviews; and seniors concentrate on advanced refinishing, welding and an entrepreneurship project Richards described as "build your own body shop." He emphasized shop safety and classroom rules — including his shop rule against cell phones on the floor — and said the curriculum introduces welding in a limited, supervised way to overcome student fear of the process.

The department uses donated parts and total‑loss vehicles to provide live practice. Richards described field trips to Insurance Auto Auctions and vendor demonstrations from Safelight Autoglass that let students handle modern repair technology and ergonomics tools. He said local employers — which he named during the presentation — regularly accept students for co‑op placements and that the program is placing more students than in past years.

On outcomes, Richards gave grade‑level counts and placement notes: ninth‑grade enrollment in his shop was about 12 students, and he said approximately 37 percent of eligible students have secured co‑op placements this cycle. He also reported that several students medaled at SkillsUSA and advanced to state competition, a development he called a point of pride for the program.

Trustees asked about how the program handles students who lose co‑op positions; Richards said staff perform exit interviews and maintain communication with employers to understand and, when possible, correct placement problems. Board members praised the shop's culture and its combination of technical skills instruction, customer‑service training and community service projects such as parking‑meter refurbishing.

The presentation closed with trustees thanking Richards for the program's contribution to student employability and for the high level of industry collaboration that supplies both training material and paid opportunities for students. Trustees did not take action; the report will be incorporated into program review materials for the district.