LINCOLN TECH ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH KINDIG-IT DESIGN BRINGING CUSTOM VEHICLE FABRICATION & ADVANCED DESIGN SKILLS PROGRAM TO DENVER CAMPUS
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation has partnered with Dave Kindig to establish the Kindig Academy at its Denver campus, set to launch in early 2022. This collaboration aims to address the high demand for skilled professionals in the custom vehicle design industry, offering students a unique certification in advanced techniques like specialty welding, custom fabrication, and painting. The program includes 240 instructional hours in 14 specialized topics, with an emphasis on foundational skills. The initiative responds to the projected need for over 130,000 new professionals in collision repair by 2028.
- Partnership with Dave Kindig enhances Lincoln Tech's reputation in automotive education.
- Unique certification for students may increase employability and industry recognition.
- Investment in transforming campus facilities reflects commitment to student training.
- Program addresses critical skills gap in the high-demand custom vehicle design market.
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Collaboration with Dave Kindig is the first of its kind in the U.S.
Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), marking 75 years in 2021 as a national leader in specialized technical training, is excited to launch the Kindig Academy at its Denver, CO campus in early 2022. Lincoln Tech has entered into a collaboration with Dave Kindig, owner of Kindig-It Design and star of MotorTrend TV’s “Bitchin’ Rides”, to offer advanced instruction in this highly specialized field.
Kindig offers start-to-finish builds for custom vehicles – known as RestoMods – that are unlike anything on the road today. With an extensive waitlist, his services are in high demand. At the same time, the need for skilled, qualified professionals throughout the industry has never been greater. The Kindig Academy at Lincoln Tech will help students take their skills to the next level in the custom vehicle design and fabrication industry.
“Earning a Kindig Academy certification is a unique credential for a custom vehicle designer and fabricator,” says Chad Nyce, Lincoln Tech’s Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. “And it will be available exclusively at Lincoln Tech.”
Kindig founded and operates Kindig-It Design, the nation’s premier custom vehicle fabrication company. Since 1999, Kindig-It Design has been the leading name in creating one-of-a-kind custom rides. In 2014 he helped launch “Bitchin’ Rides” on MotorTrend TV, a series that is still going strong in its eighth season. The show spotlights the one-of-a-kind rides Dave and his team produce and is seen in more than 169 nations worldwide.
Thousands of shops across the country offer custom design and fabrication services, and Kindig sets a high industry standard. He attributes much of the demand to the unparalleled performance machines his team turns out, while also noting how challenging it has become to attract and retain talent with the skills needed to excel in this highly specialized field.
“We’re really excited about this partnership and about combining our name with Lincoln Tech,” Kindig says. “We’re very thankful for this opportunity to partner with an educational institute that’s known for delivering quality training. The Kindig Academy and its Advanced Skills program will be great for both organizations, and most importantly for the technicians we train.”
The seven-week program will provide students with 240 instructional hours covering topics such as specialty welding, custom fabrication, part design, custom painting, custom exhaust fabrication, custom electrical system design, custom powertrain programming, mechanical assembly and more – 14 topics in all. Students entering the program will be expected to possess foundational skills in most areas and will be asked to demonstrate those skills as part of the application process. Entering the program with a basic knowledge of the fundamentals allows instructors to deliver training in the highly advanced skills needed to produce high-end custom vehicles.
Lincoln Tech will transform an area of its Denver campus, which offers Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology training, into the new Kindig Academy with its own entrance, showroom, and merchandise shop. Nyce says a substantial investment has been made to make the Kindig Academy at Lincoln Tech a landmark training center for an exciting career field.
With class sizes expected to include no more than 12 students at a time, applicants will apply into a competitive admissions process via www.KindigAcademy.com. Prior experience will be a prerequisite and candidates will be asked to detail why they want to advance in the custom vehicle fabrication industry.
“This is an incredible opportunity for all sides,” says Nyce. “We’re looking forward to launching the Academy and we’re grateful to have been chosen by Kindig-It Design to host the program at Lincoln Tech.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the collision repair and refinishing industry to projected to fill more than 130,000 openings by 2028*. Lincoln Tech’s Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology program, in tandem with industry leaders like Dave Kindig, will help employers nationwide maintain skilled, competitive workforces.
* This data was compiled from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the years 2018-2028, www.careeronestop.org, captured on July 31, 2020.
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About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in five principal areas of study: automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades, business and information technology, and hospitality services. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946.
Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 14 states under four brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences. Lincoln also operates Lincoln Culinary Institutes in both Maryland and Connecticut.
For more information, go to lincolntech.edu or KindigAcademy.com
About Kindig-It Design
Kindig-It Design is a premier all-aspects Hot Rod shop utilizing the newest advancements in custom fabrication technology. A family-owned and operated company since 1999, Kindig-it Design is constantly growing and looking to add more skilled artists of their creed to create some “Bitchin Rides”.
Dave Kindig's concepts and vision are the foundation of rides which are built, improved, and modernized to reflect the best version those vehicles can be. The Kindig-It team uses state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the highest quality, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction throughout the entire design and build experience.
For more information, go to kindigit.com.
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