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September 9, 2024  AutoInc. Most of us love a good fixer-upper. While most are residential, this one was located in a local high school.   An old mechanical shop, long abandoned and repurposed for storage, was restored to its former glory last year in Albuquerque, N.M. Scott Benavidez’s vision for the Future Focus program is fulfilling new career opportunities and dreams for students who may have otherwise gotten lost in traditional classroom settings.   Once home to woodworking, plastics, and other skilled trades, the shop had been unused for years. However, when Scott Benavidez, ASA chairman and owner of Mr. B’s Paint and Body in Albuquerque, N.M., saw its potential, he spearheaded a project to clean and revive the space. With the help of enthusiastic students, Benavidez transformed it into a fully functional collision repair and mechanical workshop.   “The space is big enough to fit four cars,” says Benavidez, who was inspired to start a successful new apprenticeship program, Future Focus, alongside the workshop. “Everything was there; it just needed some care and attention. We saw this as an opportunity to provide hands-on learning experiences for our students.”   While the restoration was physical, it also represented a rebirth of trade education in the community. The workshop&rs... read more

AMi & ASA Working to Ease the Labor Shortage in Repair and Collision Shops April 30, 2024   AutoInc.     In March 2024, ASA launched a successful new landmark Apprenticeship Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Highland High School that will serve as a template for communities across the country to grow young technicians entering the field of automotive and collision repair. Partnering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, local ASA member shops in the Albuquerque area, I-CAR, CCC, ARA (Automotive Recyclers Association) and AMi, the program launched with 12 students and will continue to grow. The seed of this idea for this unique program came from ASA’s Chairman, Scott Benavidez, owner of Mr. B’s Collision shop in New Mexico in 2022 who said, “At the onset, I just wanted to do something to help our collision and mechanical repair industry solve a problem that we had been experiencing for years…. shortage of qualified workers. This started in the collision community in New Mexico and now has grown to an entire repair community in Southeast Heights area in Albuquerque.” Students that signed up for the program, attend their regular classes at the high school then also work on the specific curriculum put together for this program by the team from input of CCC, ARA, ASA,  I-CAR and AMi. They also spend time in the local ASA member shop... read more

Due to overwhelming demand for our Train the Team special, we have added ALL size teams! No matter if you’re a lone ranger or an entire squad… we have a training package for you. For over 30 years now The Automotive Management Institute (AMi) has been one of the leading information providers, offering a variety of premier management training modules in both the Collision and Mechanical segments of the Automotive Industry. Not only do we offer live instructor-led training at events across the United States, but we also provide a year-round online Learning Management System (LMS) which holds over 500 offerings available to everyone who takes training seriously and realizes the true value when it comes to learning. Training does not cost, it pays! The Train the Team Subscription Special is a new program at AMi where any “team” of people within a repair facility (1 employee or more) will receive their training learning path to maximize their ROI. Please inquire for specific Designation via email or at (817) 381-5677 phone or text Our current available Train the Team Specials: ⦁ $65.00 - monthly for 12 months Single User ⦁ $187. monthly for 12 months 2-3 Users ⦁ $297. monthly for 12 months 4-6 Users ⦁ $400 monthly for 12 months 7-10 Users ⦁ * above 10 please call