3M Automotive Aftermarket Division, along with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), hosted an innovative event at 3M headquarters earlier this week designed to spark the hiring of students in the collision repair industry.
At the “Cars, Careers and Celebrities,” held in the plaza at 3M headquarters, some 30 classic cars were featured along with appearances by well-known Wisconsin car builders, the Ring Brothers. This served as a festive backdrop for a career fair, where more than a dozen collision repair companies had an opportunity to meet hundreds of students who are studying collision repair in high school or technical college.
It is one of roughly 20 career fairs CREF is hosting around the country to help address the critical shortage of skilled labor in the collision repair industry and to help graduating students find gainful employment and a career path for success. 3M is partnering with CREF in all of these events.
“These events are great for students who are graduating in the near future to meet industry employers,” said Dale Ross, U.S. marketing operations manager, 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “In addition, these events are great for students just starting out in collision repair as it’s a great motivator for them to stay in the program when they get to see the companies waiting for them after school. It is a tremendous opportunity for them to see the many different career paths in collision repair for students to explore.”
3M Automotive Aftermarket Division has a long partnership with CREF. It is a leading donor of hundreds of thousands of dollars in product donations each year. It also pioneered the 3M “Hire Our Heroes” program that has contributed more than $750,000 to provide more than 210 scholarships and tool grants to deserving veterans and their families in the collision repair industry over the past four years. In addition, a 3M executive serves on the CREF board of trustees.
