2008
Mentor of the Year Award
Nominations Requested by Mentors At Work
Newport Beach, CA, August
8, 2008 — Mentors at Work, a Division of VeriFacts
Automotive, LLC announces its annual quest for the best of the best
occupational mentor in the country. Mentors At Work is seeking nominations
from the collision repair industry for consideration for the “Mentor
Of The Year” award. This “Mentor Of The Year”
award will be presented to the journeyman technician, currently
working in a shop, who has shown exceptional skill and prowess in
teaching and training new technician talent for his or her employer.
The award will be presented at this year’s NACE during the
Collision Industry Achievement Awards in Las Vegas. Nomination forms
may be requested from Mentors At Work either by calling 949-272-3830
or via e-mail at info@mentorsatwork.com. Nominations are due by
September 19th.
“Journeymen techs who, mentor new hires in shops across this
country, are playing an everincreasingly crucial role in developing
the workforce of tomorrow,”said Mark Claypool, Vice President
of Operation for VeriFacts.
“This dedication and the above and beyond the normal call
of duty efforts deserve everyone’s appreciation. Technicians
who effectively mentor others have a direct, positive impact on
our industry’s long-term ability to fix cars right and in
a timely manner,” added Claypool. “By presenting the
“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
systems within their own shops. This, in turn, will help our industry
meet its long-term skilled labor needs. We simply have no other
choice than to address this challenge head on”
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.
“Contenders for the Mentor of the Year award must have demonstrated
the ability to motivate others to learn, take every opportunity
to help others learn, 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. 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.”
The 2004 Mentor of the Year was J.C. Baccus, a 25-year veteran
technician with Caliber Collision Centers in California. In 2005,
the Mentor of the Year was Ron Ratzlaff, a journeyman tech with
36 years of experience who is employed by 911 Collision Centers
in Tucson, Arizona. The 2006 Mentor of the Year was Doug Kollasch,
also from 911 Collision Centers, who had spent the past 32 years
working in the collision repair field. In 2007 the award went to
Mark Mortimer from Gates Auto Body in Madison, Wisconsin.
|
