Auto Body Refinishing (Certificate of Achievement)

Cost: $1,098
Length: 48 weeks
Working 6 months later: 44%

Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

People enrolled: 41

Finished the program: 88%Based on 32 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Working 6 months later: 44%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Earnings in one quarter after: $10,467A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.

The jobs this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Job ads may call this: Body Man · Frame Man · Auto Body Man · Auto Body Repairman

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.

Show 2 more things this job involves

Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.

Typical pay in California: $68,750per yearSanta Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: $64,134
Projected openings: 13,490Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: 110
Projected change: +3.2%
Usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: More than a year

New hires are trained on the job for more than a year after they start. The classroom part is the beginning of this work, not the whole of it.

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 51% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 22% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 22%
High school diploma: 51%
Started college, no degree: 15%
Two-year degree: 8%
Four-year degree: 3%
Master's degree: 0.6%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0%

This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.

Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Glass Installer · Glass Technician · Windshield Installer · Glass Installer Technician

Prime all scratches on pinchwelds with primer and allow to dry.
Remove all dirt, foreign matter, and loose glass from damaged areas, apply primer along windshield or window edges, and allow primer to dry.
Allow all glass parts installed with urethane ample time to cure, taking temperature and humidity into account.
Apply a bead of urethane around the perimeter of each pinchweld and dress the remaining urethane on the pinchwelds so that it is of uniform level and thickness.

Show 2 more things this job involves

Select appropriate tools, safety equipment, and parts, according to job requirements.
Install replacement glass in vehicles.

Typical pay in California: $49,059per year
Projected openings: 1,680
Projected change: +4.2%
Usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent

California publishes no separate figure for this job in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: 1 to 12 months

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 47% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 17% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 17%
High school diploma: 47%
Started college, no degree: 27%
Two-year degree: 6%
Four-year degree: 3%
Master's degree: 0.8%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0%

Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Hitch Technician (Hitch Tech) · Service Technician (Service Tech) · ATV Tech (All-Terrain Vehicle Technician) · RV Tech (Recreational Vehicle Technician)

Diagnose and repair furnace or air conditioning systems.
Connect electrical systems to outside power sources, and activate switches to test the operation of appliances or light fixtures.
Examine or test operation of parts or systems to ensure completeness of repairs.
Repair plumbing or propane gas lines, using caulking compounds and plastic or copper pipe.

Show 2 more things this job involves

Inspect recreational vehicles to diagnose problems and perform necessary adjustment, repair, or overhaul.
Locate and repair frayed wiring, broken connections, or incorrect wiring, using ohmmeters, soldering irons, tape, or hand tools.

Typical pay in California: $70,169per year
Projected openings: 1,660
Projected change: +8.3%
Usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent

California publishes no separate figure for this job in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: More than a year

New hires are trained on the job for more than a year after they start. The classroom part is the beginning of this work, not the whole of it.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 44% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 20% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 20%
High school diploma: 44%
Started college, no degree: 20%
Two-year degree: 8%
Four-year degree: 7%
Master's degree: 0.9%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0.3%

Program details

This program provides in-person instruction only.

The auto body curriculum is designed to prepare students for entry level career opportunities in the auto collision industry involving auto body metal repair, frame measurement and alignment, welding, automotive electrical and refinishing techniques found in the collision industry. Emphasis is also given to safety, ethics and work habits needed to succeed in the auto collision trade. The graduate of the Certificate of Accomplishment in Auto Body Refinishing will: Develop, practice, and apply good work and safety habits while in the auto body workplace. Determine processes and materials needed to refinish vehicle surfaces in accordance with collision industry standards. Demonstrate commercially acceptable skills and speed in refinishing vehicles. Understand the basic theory of auto body metal repair, and plastic filler application. Develop occupational skills including; team work, work habits, ethics, and communication skills. Identify estimating processes used in the collision industry.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.

The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator

America`s Job Center of California Workforce Resource CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 805-614-1550
1410 South BroadwaySuite ESanta Maria, CA 93454about 11.8 miles away
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Has a veterans' representative

Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →