MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD: TO BE PRESENTED AGAIN AT NACE

Nominations Requested by Mentors At Work

For Immediate Release:
July 8, 2005

For Information Contact:
Mark J. Claypool
Mentors At Work, LLC
P.O. Box 3368, St. Charles, IL 60174
Phone: 630-762-0614, Toll-Free: 888-225-6968
Fax: 630-762-0615
www.mentorsatwork.com

(St. Charles , IL)   Mentors at Work is, once again, searching for the best of the best mentors in the country and is seeking nominations from the industry for consideration for the “Mentor Of The Year” award. This “Mentor Of The Year” award will be presented to the individual who has shown exceptional skill and prowess in teaching and training new technician talent for the collision repair industry. The award will be presented at this year’s NACE, November 1 st during the Collision Industry Night of Achievement at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Nomination forms may be requested from Mentors At Work by calling 888-225-6968 or via e-mail at info@mentorsatwork.com and are due by September 16 th.

“Over and over again shop managers tell me that attracting and training the workforce of tomorrow is their number one challenge. Mentors throughout the country will play a crucial role in developing the workforce of tomorrow for shops that empower them to do so,” said Mark Claypool, President and CEO of Mentors at Work. “For four and a half years we have been working closely with shops to address the skilled worker shortage issue, and many shop mentors have really impressed us, not only with their technical skills, but also with their people skills, teaching skills and dedication to this industry and their employers.”

“This dedication and the above and beyond the normal call of duty efforts deserve everyone’s appreciation for the positive impact these initiatives will have on our industry’s long-term ability to fix cars right and in a timely manner,” added Claypool. “By presenting this “Mentor Of The Year” Award, we are able to recognize those who are currently mentoring others and encourage shop owners and managers to consider building effective mentoring/apprenticeship programs within their shops. This, in turn, will help our industry meet its long-term skilled labor needs.”

According to Claypool, the things the judges will be looking for when reviewing nominations for “Mentor Of The Year” are: What makes the nominee stand out as a trainer compared to other talented techs in the shop? What do apprentices who have been working with the nominee say about them? What communications skills and teaching skills does the nominee use to train others? What has the nominee done to teach new hires about the world of work beyond just the technical skills? and more.

“We want nominations about people who motivate others to learn, people who take every opportunity to help others learn, people who work in a way that makes others want to emulate them, and provide positive reinforcement when it is earned and constructive criticism when necessary,” added Claypool.

“There are some fine techs in this industry who simply aren’t equipped to teach others,” added Claypool. “It takes a special set of talents, beyond skill and speed, to be a mentor. We, as an industry, must pay homage to these special people within our shops.”

Mentors At Work provides free screening of mentor candidates on its home page at www.mentorsatwork.com.

The 2004 Mentor of the Year was J.C. Baccus, a 25-year veteran technician with Caliber Collision Centers in California. Baccus had mentored at least 30 new technicians in his career and had five apprentices working on his team when he was nominated. Two of his most recently trained apprentices are now on their own and are flagging 75+ hours per week of A-tech level work, and this after less than two years of training. These apprentices are welding qualified and several apprentices are on their heels.

Claypool, considered by many to be one of the nation’s leading experts on occupational mentoring and apprenticeships, is the founder of Mentors At Work. Claypool served as SkillsUSA’s TeamUSA Leader at this summer’s World Skills Competition in Helsinki, Finland. He is the former Executive Director of the National Auto Body Council (NABC), the I-CAR Education Foundation and was National Director of Development for SkillsUSA/VICA.

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