Contributed TRAINING — Russell Achhammer, auto body collision program instructor at Jefferson County Joint Vocational School, was one of 15 people from across the country who took part in a training session this summer at 3M Headquarters in St. Paul, Minn.

BLOOMINGDALE — Jefferson County Joint Vocational School instructor Russell Achhammer received an education of his own during a 3M Collision Repair Instructor Training in Minnesota this summer.

Achhammer, who has taught the auto body collision program at JVS for the past six years, was among 15 instructors from across the United States who attended the four-day Collision Repair Academy in St. Paul in early August. Daylong sessions were conducted at the 3M Headquarters and led by company instructors.

Each summer, 3M invites a group of collision repair educators to the headquarters and two sessions were conducted on July 24-27 and July 27-Aug. 3. Achhammer learned about the program through the Collision Repair Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization within the automotive collision industry which recognizes the importance for more students to fill staffing shortage needs. CREF supports collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities.

Achhammer submitted his application and was confirmed in May to join the latter session. The company covered course fees for qualified technical school instructors that included meals, lodging and transportation within the Twin Cities. Achhammer said the program included a blend of classroom discussion and hands-on training and he learned new methods in the field to better prepare the future workforce.

It was awesome to interact with people from around the country and a lot of it was modern techniques and procedures,” he said.

The training program focuses on foundational body repair processes which underpin original equipment manufacturer repair procedures in order to restore a collision-damaged vehicle back to an acceptable state of crashworthiness. The instructors use practical hands-on training that reinforces and demonstrates key concepts, supported by occasional classroom theory and discussion. Throughout the training, attendees are instructed in the ‘why’ behind modern repair methods and techniques so that they can absorb and retain practices that may vary from the way things have been done for the last 30 years.

Training topics include best practices in the areas of body repair tools and application techniques; panel removal and replacement; welding; corrosion protection techniques; aluminum substrate repair; dent repair methodology; paint preparation and masking; and paint finishing. The academy is open to instructors who teach autobody collision repair and who are well-respected leaders of their organizations. In addition to the training, the groups also toured the 3M Innovation Center.

Achhammer intends to share his newfound knowledge with his students, which includes 16 juniors and seniors.

“It was amazing and very worthwhile to go,” he concluded.