Collision Engineering Program Coming to LA to Address Auto Repair Gap

The Collision Engineering Career Alliance partnered with El Camino College in Torrance, California to launch a collision engineering program.

The aim is to help fill the more than 100,000 job openings expected through 2028 in the field.

The two-year associate degree program is designed around a hybrid, work-based learning model. Students rotate every eight weeks between classroom instruction and paid apprenticeships at collision repair facilities. The model provides students the opportunity to earn an income while completing their training.

El Camino College’s Auto Collision Repair and Painting department offers the Automotive Service Excellence test prep and entry-level certification testing and a class series in insurance investigation.

The Collision Engineering Career Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to unite industry and education, remove barriers and foster sustainable pathways to collision repair careers.

Program enrollment begins in May 2026, with classes beginning in August of that year.