CCIF’s education-industry connection program invests in students
By James Kerr Toronto, Ontario — January 23, 2018 — In the collision repair industry, not all schools are on a level playing field. “Some schools are doing well, others are struggling with the same budget they’ve had for 30 years,” says Patrice Marcil, North American Customer Experience Director at Axalta Coating Systems and Chairman […]
Okanagan College sweeps BC Skills Competition
Abbotsford, British Columbia — April 11, 2017 — The awards ceremony at the BC Skills Competition turned out to be a proud day for Okanagan College’s collision repair program. The Automotive Collision Repair competition saw every single place on the podium occupied by an Okanagan student. Andreas Roth, a Level III apprentice at Okanagan College, […]
Fanshawe hosts grad party for Level 3 apprentices
London, Ontario — December 23, 2016 — Fanshawe College in London, Ontario recently held a special graduation party for the school’s Level 3 Auto Body Collision Damage Repair apprentices. The graduates can now head back to their respective shops, complete their training and write the Red Seal exam to become tradespeople in Ontario. Instructors from […]
Mohawk College honours pre-apprenticeship grads at special ceremony
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 […]
Applications open for Arthur Paulin Scholarship
Ottawa, Ontario — October 19, 2016 — Every student could use a funding boost. AIA Canada has now opened applications for the 2016 Arthur Paulin Scholarship. Scholarship recipients receive $700 to pursue their studies in an automotive aftermarket industry-related program at a Canadian college or university. The scholarships are awarded annually across Canada to qualified […]
Grassroots recruiting: Students tour CSN-Hutten Collision Centre
By Jeff Sanford Fergus, Ontario — July 5, 2016 — CSN-Hutten Collision Centre in Fergus, Ontario recently hosted a group of students from a local high school to tour through their brand new collision repair facility. The kids came from Emmanuel Christian High School, which is near the new shop that opened earlier this spring. […]
Skills Canada National Competition kicks off in Moncton
By Mike Davey Moncton, New Brunswick — June 7, 2016 — The 2016 Skills Canada National Competition is now underway at the Moncton Coliseum. The event kicked off on June 5 with student orientation and welcome reception. The competition portion of the event officially started on June 6 and continued on June 7. In addition […]
CARSTAR to sponsor ‘Best in Class’ scholarship program
By Mike Davey Hamilton, Ontario — May 18, 2016 — The shortage of skilled tradespeople has a profound impact on the collision repair industry as a whole. For the last few years, Toronto’s Tropicana Employment Services has been helping to fill the gap with its Autobody and Collision Damage Repairer Pre-apprenticeship program. Repairers and suppliers […]
Jack Tellian mentors the next generation at KKT Auto Collision
By Jeff Sanford Markham, Ontario — April 5, 2016 — A long-standing issue in the collision repair industry has been the lack of trained technicians. Instilling the knowledge of how to repair cars after an accident has to be a priority if body shops are going to continue to be viable. Arguably, few in the […]
Carrossier ProColor sponsors Project Mustang
Laval, Quebec — February 7, 2016 — It isn’t enough to attract students to collision repair. Efforts need to be made to retain them as well. As one of the sponsors of Project Mustang, Carrossier ProColor has helped to donate $25,000 to organizations that work towards student retention or student aid. The money was raised […]
