Teacher Is Star Pupil: UTI Instructor Is First Person to Complete Every Chief University Course

MADISON, Ind., July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Technical Institute (UTI) instructor Randolph McGinty is the first person in history to complete every collision repair training course offered by Chief University, the technical training arm of Chief Automotive Technologies.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130718/CL49547)

McGinty hit this impressive milestone when he took Chief University's newest course, Design Based Repair, in April. More than 30,000 collision repair technicians and 20,000 estimators and appraisers have participated in Chief University training through the years, but none have matched McGinty's accomplishment.

McGinty has taken the eight Chief University classes over the last 10 years at UTI's Houston campus. Following his final class, Chief granted McGinty advanced master structural technician and advanced master structural damage analysis professional certifications.

"The Chief University courses and instructors are awesome," said McGinty. "Unlike some other industry training programs, these courses require a great deal of thought and present new information. I, of course, take everything I learn back to my students so they have useful, real-world knowledge."

McGinty teaches both structural and non-structural repair classes at UTI in Houston. He has performed nearly every job in the collision repair industry over his more than 25-year career. McGinty is ASE certified in structural analysis and damage repair, non-structural analysis and damage repair, damage analysis and estimating, and painting and refinishing.

He took his first Chief University class, Computerized Measuring Training, in 2003. Since then, he has also completed Full Frame Analysis & Repair Planning, Unitized Body Analysis & Repair Planning, Advanced Frame Analysis, Advanced Steering & Suspension Analysis, Advanced Frame Repair, Design Based Repair and Structural Damage Analysis. McGinty's total Chief training exceeds 120 hours.

"I definitely would not have been able to attend all the classes without the support of UTI," said McGinty. "They provided instructors to cover for any of my absences and funded the training. The UTI-Chief relationship really benefits both organizations."

The class he took most recently, Design Based Repair, was also his favorite.

"Design Based Repair was the class I enjoyed the most because it provided brand new material," said McGinty. "Information about new steels, new methods of production and the way damage travels through a vehicle is highly valuable to technicians today."

The Design Based Repair course concentrates on the use of new materials in vehicles. Participants learn about the roles of high-strength steels, boron, aluminum and carbon fiber in modern vehicle design. The class outlines the proper use of OEM information to return a damaged vehicle to its original design specifications.

To learn more about remaining Chief University classes in 2013, visit www.chiefautomotive.com or call (800) 445-9262. Chief is also active on Twitter, twitter.com/ChiefAutomotive, Facebook, www.facebook.com/ChiefAutomotive and YouTube www.youtube.com/ChiefAutomotive.

About Chief Automotive Technologies

Chief Automotive Technologies, a Vehicle Service Group (VSG) brand, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of high-quality collision repair products and services, including frame-pulling equipment, vehicle-anchoring systems, computerized measuring systems, and vehicle frame specifications. Chief is also a leading provider of comprehensive training on structural analysis, computerized measuring, collision theory and design based repair.

VSG comprises nine major collision repair and vehicle lifting brands: Chief Automotive Technologies, Elektron, Rotary Lift^®, Forward^® Lift, Direct-Lift^®, Hanmecson^®, Revolution^® Lift, Blitz^® and nogra^®. Based in Madison, Ind., VSG has operations worldwide, including ISO 9001-certified manufacturing facilities on three continents.

About the Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Universal Technical Institute, Inc. is the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians. With more than 170,000 graduates in its 48-year history, UTI offers undergraduate degree, diploma and certificate programs at 11 campuses across the United States, as well as manufacturer-specific training programs at dedicated training centers. Through its campus-based school system, UTI provides specialized post-secondary education programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech). For more information visit www.uti.edu. Like UTI on www.facebook.com/UTI or follow UTI on Twitter @UTITweet, @MMITweet, and @NASCARTechUTI.

SOURCE Chief Automotive Technologies