An auto body repair technician completes cosmetic restoration of damaged or aged vehicles. They handle everything from glass and part replacement to dent removal and frame alignment. Most technicians work in a body shop, occasionally traveling for private jobs. Massachusetts is home to a number of automotive body repair schools and has a number of large metro areas like Boston, Framingham, and Springfield that typically have job opportunities for this career.

Massachusetts Auto Body Repair Schools

Massachusetts offers prospective auto body technicians four Auto Body Repair School choices with programs ranging from certification to associate and bachelor's degrees.

  • Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology: Located in Boston, MA, this historical college was funded by Benjamin Franklin himself. The school offers associate and bachelor's degree programs, and features a variety of courses including an automotive technology curriculum.

  • Southeastern Technical Institute: Here, students can enroll in a 15-week Auto Body course designed to familiarize students with basic auto body repair. In addition, STI offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in Collision Repair and Refinish Technology.

  • Universal Technical Institute: This nationally recognized tech school offers a specialty Collision Repair & Refinish Technology Training Program. Students in Massachusetts can attend class at the school's Norwood location.

  • Lincoln Tech: A nationally recognized career training school with locations in Brockton, Lowell, and Somerville. The school offers a number of specialty trade programs, including Automotive Technology and Collision Repair and Finishing.

Graduates of these programs leave school prepared to work for an auto collision repair facility, or even ready to open their own collision repair business.

What to Expect from Auto Body Repair Programs

Automotive body repair schools in Massachusetts offer an immersive, hands-approach to automotive repair education. Throughout courses, students gain essential skills ranging from dent and collision repair to airbrushing, welding, and feather edging. In addition, graduates learn how to operate all the tools necessary for repair jobs. Programs typically include one-on-one training with ASE-certified instructors.

Common courses include:

  • Custom Body Fundamentals
  • Custom Paint Fundamentals
  • Structural Alignment and Replacement
  • Structural Damage Analysis
  • Finish Applications

Skills acquired include:

  • Dent and collision repair
  • Knowledge of auto body repair terminology
  • Painting/airbrushing
  • Welding
  • Feather edging

Massachusetts Auto Body Repair Certification

Although there is no distinct license for auto body repair, technicians can still study for related certifications that will aid greatly when seeking employment. Related certifications include:

  • Automotive Service Excellence (ASE): auto body repair and service industry certification for shops or individual professionals
  • Students have access to free ASE study guides
  • When testing, students can choose from one of 40 exams, ranging from truck equipment to collision repair
  • Massachusetts Auto Damage Appraiser License
  • PPG Refinish Certification

Resources for Auto Body Repair Technicians in Massachusetts

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Metro Areas Rated for Popularity for:
Automotive Body Repairers

Listed below are metro areas ranked by the popularity of jobs for Automotive Body Repairers relative to the population of the city. Salary data was obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov

Metro Area
Jobs
Annual Median Salary
Leominster-Gardner100$48,220
Barnstable Town110$44,940
New Bedford70$44,650

Sources:

  1. Automotive Collision Repair & Refinishing, Medford Vocational Technical High School, http://www.medfordpublicschools.org/schools/medford-vocational-technical-high-school/departments/vocationaltechnical/automotive-collision-repair, accessed September 27, 2016
  2. Program Overview, Collision Repair & Refinish Technology Training Program, Universal Technical Institute, http://www.uti.edu/programs/collision, accessed September 27, 2016.
  3. Automotive Body and Glass Repairers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/automotive-body-and-glass-repairers.htm, accessed September 27, 2016.

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