Beck Receives Scholarship from MVTAP

Pictured: Back row L-R: Ken Neuman (South Tech instructor); John Heltebrand (Ranken ACR instructor and division head); Mike Kuechler (Lewis & Clark instructor); Ron Reiling (AASP executive director); Ken Kohnen (Snelson Collision Repair) and Mark Bennick (North Tech instructor). Front L-R: Mike Croker (Automotive Technology, Inc.); Gene Slattery (Automotive Technology, Inc.): Katie Beck (ACR student) and Dan Shymanski (State Farm Insurance).

The Metro Vocational-Technical Assistance Program (MVTAP) was started in 2004 with the intention to professionally advise and assist vocational-technical collision programs in the Metropolitan St. Louis Area. The program is currently made up of 20 members who are all associated with AASP-Missouri, local body shops, insurance companies or collision suppliers or vendors.

MVTAP strives to collect and distribute donations (such as scholarships) with the intention of raising the quality of education and training for students to better prepare them to enter the collision repair industry. MVTAP provides $6,000 in scholarships each year to students graduating from North and South Technical high schools and Lewis and Clark Career Center. The scholarships can be used at any post-secondary technical school but are matched if they choose to attend Ranken.

Along with providing scholarships, MVTAP offers support by providing financial assistance to Skills USA membership dues for students, assisting with the Regional SkillsUSA competition held at Ranken, sponsoring Ranken’s annual car show and serving on the high schools’ advisory boards to guide to programs with expertise in the industry and by suggesting equipment needs and curriculum. MVTAP host an annual Golf Tournament to help raise funds to support their program’s mission.

On Tuesday, January 17, members of MVTAP meet in Ranken’s CARSTAR room located in the Rodenheiser building to discuss plans for 2012 and to present a $2,000 scholarship check to Katie Beck, an ACR student. Beck is a graduate of Lewis and Clark Career Center and is in her second semester in Ranken’s collision repair program. Beck was also awarded a $2,000 scholarship in August which was matched by Ranken and added to the scholarships she earned from the College for placing first in the Regional and State SkillsUSA competitions.

"Katie was selected for one of the scholarships this year for many reasons," said Ron Reiling, executive director of Alliance of Automotive Service Providers and member of MVTAP. "She presented herself well and interviewed very well. After five minutes we knew this young lady was going some where in the collision business. She has great skills to go along with her great personality."