<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=02ZMcU_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=02ZMcU_1FP7N8Fs00" width="1000" height="800" ></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=24f7oI_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=24f7oI_1FP7N8Fs00" width="1000" height="800" ><figcaption>Rock Valley College’s Downtown West campus in Rockford prepares students for several high-demand career paths at a facility that’s easier to access for people in the western part of the college district. (Olivia Costello photos)</figcaption></figure>Tony Arbisi isn’t waiting around for new workers to walk in the door. That’s just not how it works in the collision repair industry. Rather, the co-owner of Arbisi’s City Body Shop in downtown Rockford is actively recruiting graduates from Rock Valley College (RVC). With a few industry certifications under their belt, they have everything they need to take an entry-level position. The rest of their training happens on the job, in a learning process that often takes years of practice, additional certifications and a few mistakes.“It’s exciting to have them here because they’re excited,” says Arbisi. “Most of them either couldn’t afford to go to a four-year college or didn’t have an idea what they wanted to do, but most of them knew they wanted to work with cars. Here’s an outlet in the collision repair world, and if you’re good at it you can make a pretty good living.”Recruitment is about to get even sweeter with the opening of the new Rock Valley College Downtown West Campus, at 711 Green Street and 315 S. Winnebago St. Its first students arrived this fall for lessons in automotive repair, collision repair, truck driver training, early childhood education, human services, criminal justice, adult education and more.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0c5F71_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0c5F71_1FP7N8Fs00" width="572" height="800" ><figcaption>Dr. Howard Spearman</figcaption></figure>It’s conveniently located for people who live on Rockford’s west side and in nearby communities like Winnebago, Ill., and Pecatonica, Ill. But it’s also about widening the career pipeline in a community where 4.4% of the workforce – nearly 5,700 people – are unemployed and many more are underemployed.Dr. Howard Spearman, RVC president, believes the keyword is “access.” He sees the new campus as a tool for bringing people in the door and sending them out with the tools they need to succeed in a high-tech world.“People recruit people, and so you have to build a sense of community so people have a sense of belonging here,” he says. “If they feel connected they will come and then we can continue to focus on bringing them into the talent pipeline. We encourage them that there is a place for them, not just at our Downtown West campus but at any of our locations.”Within the Downtown Training Center, classrooms are tightly focused around automotive service technology, truck driver training and collision repair. In one corner, there’s a collection of auto body painting bays and a paint color lab. Around the corner, there’s a massive service bay where students can practice on live automobiles, including electric vehicle technology. It’s equipped to grow and evolve with the industry.“There is an electric vehicle pathway students can take, and it’s built into their automotive technology degree,” says Spearman. “So, when our students graduate they will understand gas vehicles, hybrid vehicles and, if they want additional or specific training, they can learn about electric vehicles, too. We are very much looking at the future.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4esCCd_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4esCCd_1FP7N8Fs00" width="1000" height="800" ><figcaption>Students at RVC Downtown West learn their trade on numerous pieces of high-tech equipment, from the engine and transmission labs (left) to the auto lifts (right) that account for heavy electric vehicles and future innovations in automotive technology.</figcaption></figure>The new campus is also equipped with an engine lab and a transmission lab, where students can practice on actual equipment. Upstairs, a giant simulator allows truck drivers in training to practice for all kinds of working conditions.“In our career and technical education programs, yes, you get the lecture but you also get the hands-on experience,” says Spearman. “So, when you graduate you are much more confident doing the job you’ve been hired to do, because you’ve actually done the work before you stepped into the job.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0s1qXp_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0s1qXp_1FP7N8Fs00" width="617" height="800" ><figcaption>Tony and Michelle Arbisi</figcaption></figure>At Arbisi’s shop, the average worker takes about 10 to 15 years to reach full proficiency, what he calls the “A-tech.” Given all of the new technologies and equipment making their way onto automobiles these days, there’s a lot to learn. So, he finds it’s a huge benefit that RVC grads have already covered the basics with instructors Nick Verona and Greg Brink. When they show up to the first day of work, these young people already have basic industry certifications from I-CAR, an industry group that provides training and resources to collision repair specialists. They’ll continue earning I-CAR certifications throughout their career.“It’s not just about making them better,” says Arbisi. “It’s making our entire company better.”Education is fundamental to the new RVC campus, but it’s also designed to meet the wide needs of its community. While there’s a large social events space on campus – available for anyone to rent – the campus is particularly built for young people, adult learners and the employers who hire them.The general contractor, Ringland-Johnson Construction of Rockford, and the chief architect, Demonica Kemper Architects of Chicago and Peoria, Ill., collaborated with RVC faculty and the school’s industry partners. These working professionals provide constant insight for the school, to ensure graduates have the skills they need on the job. Several of these partners also donated money and equipment for the new campus.“We’re still competitive businesses. Just like anybody else we want the best for ourselves and our business,” says Arbisi, who’s been an industry partner since 2017. “But, more importantly, our industry has to grow or else we’ll be stagnant and we’ll never be able to do better for the client, which is what it all comes down to.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3agxzt_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3agxzt_1FP7N8Fs00" width="491" height="800" ><figcaption>Automotive technology occupies much of the new campus.</figcaption></figure>When it comes to students, benefits abound at RVC Downtown West. Thanks to a collaboration with the City of Rockford, every student gets a free bus pass with Rockford Mass Transit District, whose main terminal is two blocks away. Donors have provided more than $3 million in scholarships.The other half of this new campus is the Downtown Learning Center, where programming focuses on human services, early childhood education, criminal justice and adult programs like GED classes, English as a Second Language classes, and refugee and immigrant services.There’s also a drop-in center, where students can leave their young children in the hands of fellow RVC students in the early childhood education program.“There’s a huge need for early childhood education in this community,” says Spearman. “As a matter of fact, before Mayor [Tom] McNamara left office he was facilitating an early childhood task force to look at the need across Winnebago County.… If you want quality instructors and quality day care owners, I think we have a place that can help to train them so they can provide a safe environment and our community can grow.”The critical part of the pipeline is what happens after graduation. Certificates, credentials or degrees in hand, where do they go next? There’s still a need for local employers who can bring these graduates onboard.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0UqZaX_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0UqZaX_1FP7N8Fs00" width="1000" height="800" ><figcaption>Arbisi’s City Body Shop, in Rockford, has hired three RVC graduates, first as interns then as entry-level technicians. They have a head start in a field that requires constant training.</figcaption></figure>At least when it comes to collision repair, Arbisi and his colleagues are lining up at RVC. He estimates the average age of his team is between 45 and 70 years old, which means there’s considerable experience in house. But what happens when they retire? The next generation is imperative for business growth, Arbisi says, which is why he’s actively recruiting student interns and providing an array of tools to help them get started.“They come in green and they come in excited, and they’re able to grow within our process and with our business,” he says. “We use them everywhere in our business, whether it’s helping to clean the shop, take things apart, put things back together, repair things, take a customer home. Everybody does everything so they understand our business.”RVC offers a wide range of programs across its Downtown West and Mulford Road campuses, as well as its Advanced Technology Center in Belvidere, which caters specifically to manufacturing.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3QMF6A_1FP7N8Fs00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3QMF6A_1FP7N8Fs00" width="491" height="800" ><figcaption>As electric vehicles occupy more of the automotive market, students practice repairing this equipment at RVC Downtown West.</figcaption></figure>If employers are looking to upskill their current workforce, Spearman suggests they contact Grant Schubert, RVC’s executive director of customized training and development. He can help them to access college programs and other routes toward new skills and certifications.There’s also an ongoing need for industry partners like Arbisi, who lend their insider knowledge to the curriculum.“Where we really need industry partners is to be part of the think tank process,” says Spearman. “We want to understand their future needs. We want them to use us as a reliable resource for their current needs, and we always want them to consider supporting this institution through our RVC Foundation, because our students need financial support to successfully complete their degree. If that fits someone’s organization, I encourage them to reach out.”Arbisi thinks it’s a no-brainer. Here’s a pathway to ensure businesses succeed and young people can find a rewarding career, without taking on loads of debt and years of detours.“The question is, ‘How do we get younger individuals interested in our business?’” he says. “So many generations have been told they have to go to school, get four years of college and then they can come out and make $200,000 a year. Well, we understand that’s just not reality most of the time. The trades offer a way forward.”Whether you’re the parent of a kid who likes cars or the owner of a business that handles them, this is one more path toward our region’s prosperity.“Give it a shot,” Arbisi says. “You know what’s best for your shop, but you’ll never know how this can help you unless you go and see it for yourself.” </div></body>

Block Source: northwestquarterly.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Tony Arbisi isn’t waiting around for new workers to walk in the door. That’s just not how it works in the collision repair industry. Rather, the co-owner of Arbisi’s City Body Shop in downtown Rockford is actively recruiting graduates from Rock Valley College (RVC). With a few industry certifications under their belt, they have everything they need to take an entry-level position. The rest of their training happens on the job, in a learning process that often takes years of practice, additional certifications and a few mistakes.

RVC Downtown West: Campus Connects Workforce, Community

NewsBreak

Tony Arbisi isn’t waiting around for new workers to walk in the door. That’s just not how it works in the collision repair industry. Rather, the co-owner o

RVC Downtown West: Campus Connects Workforce, Community

Comments