Oliver Gilmore received his Associate Degree in Automotive Collision Repair (ACR) Technology from Ranken Technical College in May of 2015. He currently works at American Automotive, a full-service auto body repair shop founded in 1929. American Automotive’s April Haddix notes that the company employs a number of Ranken alumni. She has observed firsthand that the college “provides the tools and skills needed for our staff to be well-rounded technicians.”
ACR Department Chair and instructor John Helterbrand states that as a student, Oliver was “very quality conscious, [he] pushed himself to be the best. I remember he was driven to work constantly on his hobby vehicle – a four-wheel drive that he loved!” Only a few years after graduating from Ranken, Oliver became a part-time evening instructor in collision repair. John was equally impressed by Oliver’s teaching ability, saying he “was a very good instructor, due to his compassion for people and his empathy.” Oliver continues to keep in touch with his former classmates, and former students, in the industry.
April sums up by telling us “Oliver is amazing. He has the combination of drive and skills that don’t come along very often!” According to a recent survey by the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Oliver is one of nearly 200,000 collision technicians nationwide employed at over 40,000 collision shops. Average annual income in the field is $54,842, with almost one in three technicians earning over $70,000.
Learn More at https://ranken.edu/find-your-career-path/
http://americanautomotiveonline.com/
https://www.facebook.com/americanautomotivestl
https://www.collisioneducationfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-Snapshot-of-the-Collision-Industry-Executive-Summary.pdf