New Equipment Advances NMCC Auto Collision Program
NMCC Auto Collision Repair seniors gather around the program’s new resistance spot welder with instructor Jason Sargent. From left are Matthew Maguire, Nat Hall, Braydin McClary, Chris Davis, Sargent and James McLean.
Northern Maine Community College’s Auto Collision Repair program has enhanced hands-on training for students through the addition of a spot resistance welder, a piece of equipment widely used in today’s collision repair field. The welder was purchased with financial support from MMG Insurance and the NMCC Foundation.
“We are excited to start the school year with this new welder in the shop,” said Jason Sargent, NMCC’s instructor of the program. “It allows students to train on additional repair techniques they’re likely to encounter on the job that we weren’t able to prepare them for previously.”
He noted that the spot welder is used extensively in the industry to weld body panels, bed sides, and other body parts in need of repair. The equipment replicates factory spot welds and fuses multiple layers of steel together, helping preserve repaired areas and reducing the need to refinish welded surfaces.
MMG Insurance provided the majority of the funding for the welder’s purchase to help strengthen the program’s ability to prepare students for careers in this skilled trade. Not only is the program important to the region’s workforce and local economy, but it also has broader implications as well.
Auto collision repair businesses across the country are facing a shortage of technicians. As an insurer that covers auto claims, MMG understands the need to support the education of tomorrow’s skilled workforce.
“The complexity of the technology in today’s vehicles combined with a shortage of technicians continues to create challenges for the auto body industry,” said Matt McHatten, President & CEO of MMG. “It impacts time of repair and delays getting vehicles back on the road. That’s why investments in hands-on training are so important. We’re proud to support NMCC’s efforts to advance its program with this new equipment.”
The addition of the welder also reflects a broader hope for the program’s future: that continued commitment to equipment, curriculum, and industry partnerships will help NMCC grow its Auto Collision Repair program as a strong training pathway for students and a reliable talent pipeline for employers who depend on skilled auto body professionals.