It's no accident that there is a great demand for skilled auto body repair technicians in Southern California. To help ensure enough qualified technicians are trained to meet the demand, Sterling Autobody Centers made a $5,000 donation to Cerritos College for their Auto Collision Repair Program to celebrate the opening of the Ontario facility. 

"We're proud to help Cerritos College provide young students the latest in auto repair training," said Adam Lewkoski, Sterling's Ontario shop general manager and graduate of the Cerritos College program. "As a program graduate I'm thrilled to see more students benefit from their excellent instruction."

The Cerritos College Auto Collision Repair Program provides state-of-the-art curricula that train vocational students in three primary areas: collision repair, automotive refinishing technology and damage estimating and management. Students learn with discussion and demonstrations by experienced and highly skilled instructors in a hands-on classroom and lab environment. Many students learn the course content and objectives with techniques demonstrated and practiced on their own project vehicles.

"The donation will help us meet the ever-changing technical demands of the auto repair industry," said Charlie Robinson, professor and head of the Cerritos Auto Collision Repair Program. "Students need hands-on training with the latest equipment shops like Sterling use on a day-to-day basis."

Each new Sterling facility represents, on average, a $2.8 million investment in the local economy. This investment in-cludes the latest in auto body and paint technology, facility construction, and high-paying, high-quality jobs. Sterling employees enjoy a compensation package comprised of salaries that average more than $40,000 per year; health, vision, dental coverage; and retirement benefits, including company-matched 401k contributions.

"Our employees have access to benefits and opportunities for advancement not typically seen in the auto repair industry," said Bill Daly, managing director of Sterling Autobody Centers. "As a result, Sterling offers a team-oriented repair process that gets the customers back in their cars faster, creates consistent customer service, greater efficiency, cost management, and higher quality repairs. All of which is good for the consumer."