By Mike Davey
Hamilton, Ontario — October 21, 2016 — A new group of students has hit the first milestone on their journey towards careers in the autobody field. Mohawk College held a special event at the school’s Stoney Creek campus to honour the latest round of graduates from its pre-apprenticeship collision repair class. It was a momentous occasion for all of the students but one in particular will likely remember the day for as long as he lives. Student Joey Piercey ran into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and snapped a selfie with him. Trudeau was not attending the graduation, but was visiting the school as part of a trip to Hamilton.
The course of study is a pre-apprenticeship, so the students are not officially registered apprentices. However, the training they have recieved is equivalent to that of the Level 1 apprenticeship course.
The pre-apprenticeship course at Mohawk College is administered by Debbie DeDauw, a training specialist with the college. DeDauw is something of an expert when it comes to pre-apprenticeship programs. Over the years, she has run 35 similar programs for various skilled trades.
The training is free of charge for the students, but DeDauw notes that there is a lengthy approval process for those who want to participate.
“We want people who really want to go all the way,” she says. In other words, the program is for those seeking to make a career in the skilled trades.
While all of the students have reason to be proud, there are three who deserve special mention. Haroon Basharat was presented with the CARSTAR Outstanding Achievement Award for achieving the highest overall grade point average. Rutual Patel was awarded the CIIA Outstanding Achievement Award for Basic Level 1 – Theory, while Michael Medwin received the Treschak Enterprises Outstanding Achievement Award for Basic Level 1 – Practical.
You can find more information on Mohawk College’s Autobody & Collision Damage Repairer program here.
{unitegallery Mohawk_PreApprenticeship_Grad_2016}
