Milton, Ontario — On May 23rd, Tropicana Community Services hosted the 2024 Discovery Day event at the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB Group) in Milton, Ont.
The event was hosted in collaboration with CWB Group’s Canadian Collision Repair Academy and Tesla Collision Centers in Canada, and was also in support of Tropicana’s 2024 cohort of its Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer Pre-Apprenticeship program.
The day marked the beginning of technical training for Tropicana’s L-1 pre-apprentice students who brought to the event with the organizational help of Suad Dualeh Coordinator Pre-apprenticeship Training Program Tropicana Employment Centre. During the event, the students had the opportunity to connect with industry experts such as Wayne Faria, Regional Manager Collision Canada and North Central United States, Tesla, and Jean-Marc Julien, Instructor, CWB Group, while also having the chance to ask questions about technical aspects of the industry.
When speaking to Wayne Faria, he noted that the event went really well and this was in part to the thorough and interesting questions asked by both participating students and instructors.
“I thought that the questions asked were really good,” said Faria. “Even the questions asked by instructors were interesting and fun to answer.”
Faria further highlighted the importance of current and future industry members staying up-to-date about collision repair trends and changes, and here, specifically commented on the importance of training for the ongoing shift to electric vehicles.
Moreover, when speaking with Jean-Marc Julien, he further highlighted that the day went very well with all involved able to share in the “opportunity to learn all aspects of the industry.”
“Students were able to learn about collision repair, but they were all able to learn about all aspects of the industry and were able to expand their knowledge to see all of the opportunities that are out there and that they can access through their programs. The day was very informative with each presentation—from the services available through Skilled Trades Ontario to Tesla’s presentation on the repair process—offering a ton of information for students to carry forwards.”
“While the day was more about theory than hands-on demonstrations, the day was definitely a success,” Julien noted.
“Tropicana’s Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer Pre-Apprenticeship program is designed to bridge the gap between education and employment for our students,” said Nimo Abdulkadir, Director of Employment Programs, Tropicana Community Services. Tropicana is in partnership with Centennial College, School of Transportation (TDA) where students currently enrolled in Tropicana’s L-1 pre-apprentice program receive their technical training via the Training Delivery Agent.
“Discovery Day is a pivotal event that not only introduces students to the technical aspects of the industry but also connects them with leading employers like Tesla Canada and CWB Group. This exposure is invaluable in helping our students envision and build a future in this dynamic field.”
The day was also attended by Tesla team members, Ryan Finnell, Collision General Manager, and Vincencij Prisc, Apprentice Collision Technician and 2023 Tropicana apprentice alumni.
Check out Collision Repair magazine’s photos of the event below and watch Tesla’s Collision Team video to see interviews with members of the automaker’s repairer team.
