Fix Network Names AGTO Gold Medalist James Chapman as National Trainer for Apprenticeship Program

One of the most talked-about workforce development stories of autumn 2024 involved the announcement that James Chapman—the 2023 AGTO gold medalist—would become the national trainer for the Fix Network Apprenticeship Program (FNAP). The September appointment followed Auto Glass Week, where Chapman had served as an AGTO competition judge and windshield installation demonstrator.

Chapman's path to the national trainer role began with his own competitive career. He won the 2023 AGTO gold medal and competed at the championship level before joining Fix Network's apprenticeship infrastructure. His exposure to the apprenticeship program's goals had sparked his interest even before the trainer position opened. Chapman said learning about the program had gotten him excited about the potential to reach a large number of technicians entering the industry.

"I want to progress the industry through education," Chapman said. "I thought this position within Fix Network would be one of the best ways to reach a vast amount of technicians coming into the industry." The statement reflected a broader industry ethic among high-performing technicians: expertise is most valuable when it is transmitted to the next generation rather than kept within a single shop or individual career.

FNAP's executive director, Dave Curbow, said Chapman stood out for his deep enthusiasm for the industry and his refusal to settle for "good enough." Curbow noted that Chapman consistently pushes himself personally and professionally—a trait particularly valuable in an instructor whose job is to raise standards among new entrants.

Under FNAP's structure, Chapman provides apprentices with hands-on education and classroom-style instruction. Journeyman-level technicians at employer-partner shops—primarily Speedy Glass USA locations—then guide apprentices through their on-the-job training component. Chapman's role bridges the formal instruction and practical mentorship elements of the program.

Chapman's appointment as national trainer, combined with Jay Bickford's retirement earlier in 2024, marked a generational transition in Fix Network's training function. The program that Bickford helped establish was now being carried forward by a technician whose competitive credentials would resonate immediately with the apprentices he would teach.