Schools are in back-to-school mode as they gear up for another academic year. As the 2025-26 school year gets underway, collision repair programs across Texas, Oklahoma and beyond are reporting strong enrollment, fresh curriculum updates and deeper partnerships with the local industry.
From high school pathways to multi-year college degrees, instructors are welcoming larger cohorts of students, many of whom will graduate ready to step directly into technician roles. The momentum reflects a growing recognition of the skilled trades as viable, rewarding career paths.
Two programs in particular — Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater, OK, led by Jordan Short, and Collin College in Allen, TX, led by Raven Luna — are entering the new year with milestone achievements and forward-looking initiatives.
Meridian Technology Center: Celebrating 50 Years
Meridian Technology Center’s collision repair program is starting the year nearly at capacity. “We are bursting at the seams in our morning class, and nearly full in our afternoon class,” said Short. “Apprenticeship enrollment fluctuates with local industry demand.”
Meridian offers full-time combination collision repair technician and non-structural repair technician programs, as well as registered and non-registered apprenticeships. The full-time programs are predominantly high school students, with a few adult learners in each session.
Last year brought a long list of wins: passing NATEF accreditation, earning third and fourth place finishes in SkillsUSA contests for damage appraisal and refinishing, and placing multiple graduates in local shops, plus a handful of apprentices.
Meridian Technology Center students work on a truck restoration in the collision lab.
Short also upgraded shop efficiency by replacing a pegboard system with color-coded toolboxes for each class. “This was a big leap forward in keeping track of tools and avoiding the blame games that can happen when something goes missing,” he said. “Each class takes pride in keeping their tools organized and their box tidy.”
The program also added UV curing capabilities with a Scangrip UV gun, protective glasses and Colad UV putties and primers. This fall, they’re rolling out the extended I-CAR Academy curriculum.
One persistent challenge: finding enough aluminum panels for practice. “A few of our shops will save bolt-on panels for us, but it’s challenging to get enough for all students,” Short said.
Meridian’s Discovery Day will again welcome students from sending schools to explore trades. Short hopes to see more career literature highlighting young technicians who are thriving. “We need to reach and inspire youth to take up our trade.”
Collin College: Growth, Grants and a New Shop Management Course
At Collin College, Luna is overseeing a program that’s experiencing rapid growth. “We usually take 24 students for fall but will be taking 36 this semester,” she said.
The program offers an associate’s degree in collision technology, Level 1 and 2 certificates, an occupational skills award, and an enhanced skills certificate.
Raven Luna.
Luna credits a TRUE (Texas Reskilling and Upskilling Through Education) grant with helping students succeed. “It’s provided funds for tool carts, tuition, books and uniforms,” she said.
Last year, her students placed well at the SkillsUSA State Conference, and all three who advanced to nationals placed fifth in their contests. This fall, the program adds a new full-time instructor, Joshua Valle, who brings valuable EV experience from his time at Tesla.
Collin is also launching a collision repair shop management course that will give students a deeper understanding of shop operations, customer service and workflow.
While she looks forward to welcoming the incoming cohort, Luna emphasizes industry engagement. “We teach the fundamentals, but it takes industry support to help shape students beyond the classroom,” she said. “I invite shops to visit our campus to see what we’re teaching.”
Memorial High School: Scholarships and a Bigger Building
In Port Arthur, TX, Alex Juarez leads the collision and refinishing program at Memorial High School, offering I-CAR Academy training and ASE entry-level certification.
Juarez teaches 10 sophomores, 10 juniors and 10 seniors each year. Last year, two seniors earned a combined $17,500 in scholarships. “That was a huge win for our students,” he said.
While the program will update its curriculum this fall, the biggest news is the planned expansion. “We’re going to be building a bigger building in the next two years to accommodate more students,” Juarez said.
Juarez’s main challenge is rising refinishing material costs. “They’re getting expensive, and it’s where industry support could help,” he said.
Lockhart High School: Four-Year Pathway with Strong Industry Ties
AJ Hernandez runs a four-year collision repair program at Lockhart High School that starts with basics and progresses to collision repair, paint and refinishing, and a practicum.
AJ Hernandez with his son, a Lockhart High School collision student, accepting a $10,000 grant from the Collision Repair Education Foundation.
During the practicum, students are paired with a collision tech at Caliber Collision, and the results speak for themselves: “Ninety percent of students who work with them through practicum are still employed there,” Hernandez said.
This fall, Hernandez is eager to get students back in the shop for welding metal and plastics, panel repairs and painting projects. His top needs include specialty tools, more vehicles and fresh-air supplied respirators.
The program also organizes unique events, such as a STEM showcase with UTI Austin and a year-end barbecue where Hernandez smokes pork and grills burgers for all collision and CTE students.
Austin Community College: Planning a Training Center of the Future
At Austin Community College, Thomas Bragg, department chair of auto collision repair and refinishing technology, is focused on modernizing equipment while laying the groundwork for a new facility. The program, which offers an associate’s degree and multiple certificates, averages 50 students per semester.
An Austin Community College collision repair student refines her painting skills in the spray booth.
Last year brought increases in graduates across all credentials, plus the addition of a Car-O-Liner spot welder, steel welding tools and new spray guns.
The proposed collision training center would be the first time the department is housed on a college campus alongside other applied technologies. “This would be a neutral place where everyone can learn — from new students to seasoned techs,” Bragg said. “We want to invite businesses and manufacturers to hold classes here, or even run a shop within our walls for real-world experience.”
His biggest challenge is securing newer vehicles for training, particularly for advanced structural courses.
Industry Partnership: The Key to Student Success
Across these programs, instructors agree that industry support is essential for student success. Whether it’s providing updated vehicles and tools, donating supplies, offering internships or simply visiting classrooms, industry involvement bridges the gap between academic training and shop readiness.
As Short summed up: “We need to reach and inspire youth to take up our trade.”
With record enrollments, new curriculum updates and expanded facilities, the 2025–26 school year promises to graduate more collision repair students than ever — ready to step into a hiring-hungry industry. Local shops can play a vital role by partnering with nearby programs, providing materials, resources and input to help shape students’ skills beyond the classroom.
Leona Scott