Caliber leads industry and builds talent movement with Technician Apprentice Program, hits milestone with 1,000 graduates

Driven by our Purpose of Restoring the Rhythm of Your Life®, Caliber is changing the image of the automotive service industry and leading the charge to solve a nationwide auto body technician shortage. Caliber Collision celebrates the 1,000th Technician Apprentice Program (TAP) graduate, who recently became a full-time auto body repair technician. In 2022, we laid the foundation of TAP with over 250 newly trained technician graduates and another 1,500-plus apprentices enrolled in the program. We’ve built on that momentum in 2023, with another 2,000 apprentices actively enrolled and continued program growth anticipated in 2024 and beyond.

What does this mean for the industry? As the disparity between experienced collision repair technicians exiting and new talent joining the industry continues to grow, demand far outweighs available capacity at collision centers across the country. According to the TechForce Foundation’s 2022 Supply and Demand Report, 113,000 technicians must enter the workforce between 2022 and 2026 to meet consumer demand.

TAP, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, is a 10-12 month paid program providing free, hands-on auto body technician training open to veterans and anyone who wants to begin a new career in the collision repair industry. Caliber pairs apprentices with experienced mentors in one of our 1,700-plus Caliber centers, where apprentices earn a salary, day-one benefits and take their skills to the next level while creating a fulfilling career. 

Other benefits of TAP include:

  • Potential to earn a higher salary than the average four-year bachelor's degree graduate, with $70,000-plus per year earning ability after completing the apprenticeship program, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Fifteen percent (15%) more earning potential than the industry average post-apprenticeship, per the ERI Economic Research Institute Compensation Survey
  • Purpose-driven, team-focused culture that supports each apprentice in meeting their full potential
  • Upon graduation, students are eligible to receive a $1,500 bonus  

Caliber featured the success of TAP during National Apprenticeship Week (Nov 13-17), further emphasizing the importance of certified apprenticeships in providing a critical talent pipeline that will help address ongoing workforce challenges.  

Along with TAP, Caliber trains exiting military veterans through our other proprietary training program, Changing Lanes. Transitioning to civilian life can be challenging and we offer solutions to help ease that transition while facilitating pathways to prosperity. New cohorts start every five weeks. Graduates of both TAP and Changing Lanes typically remain with Caliber as full-time auto body technicians  

Our commitment to addressing the growing automotive repair technician shortage through TAP and innovative training programs is essential to properly staffing both current and future needs in the automotive service industry. We take that leadership role seriously at Caliber! Please visit our website to learn more about TAP and available apprenticeship opportunities.

Published November 2023