By Jordan Arseneault
Toronto, Ontario — December 21, 2018 — It’s almost time for lunch as Jorden Cardinell puts the final touches on the front end of a newly repaired bumper. The inspiring apprentice inspects the part from all sides, before sliding underneath the vehicle to secure its clips.
Covered in grease from head to toe, Cardinell can’t help but smile. In the span of a few months he had transformed his life, from a high school graduate with a dream, to an automotive student with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the field of collision repair.
“I fell in love with autobody in high school but had no practical experience outside of that,” Cardinell said. That all changed earlier this year when Cardinell stumbled across the Tropicana autobody pre-apprenticeship program. The program which includes seven weeks of pre-employment training and a 12-week level one autobody collision and damage repair course at Centennial College, was exactly the type of opportunity Cardinell was searching for.
Not having the resources to afford further schooling and still lacking the experience and training required to make his dream a reality, Cardinell took his shot at applying for the program. Not only did Cardinell getaccepted, he excelled; received top honours in his graduating class resulting in a $500 academic scholarship.
“Tropicana provided me with an opportunity to gain knowledge of the industry and taught me how to fix vehicles,” Cardinell said.
“I now have the education and experience I need to go and become a level 2 apprentice and continue towards a career as an automotive mechanic.”
Having graduated the program in September, Cardinell is currently working at Assured Automotive in Scarborough as a part of his 12-week paid placement set up by the Tropicana program.
Cardinell’s story is one of many examples of the impact the Tropicana program has had on new apprentices entering the industry. In just nine years the program has helped over 100 students become level one apprentices, while bolstering a student success rate of over 70 percent. It’s not just the academic success however that makes the program so special, but also the impact it has had on students outside the classroom.
“This program has had a very large impact on my life,” Shefat Golam said.
Golam, another recent graduate of the program and scholarship recipient, is currently completing her 12-week paid placement at Brimell CSN in Scarborough.
“I have only been here for a short few months and the staff at Brimell has become my second family. I love coming into work during the weekdays and it makes time fly by having such a great work environment,” she said.
Golam first learned about the program through her brother who was completing a program of his own underneath the Tropicana umbrella. Collision repair was something Golam was familiar with, having completed autobody classes in high school, but it was the challenge of the industry that motivated Golam to further her automotive education.
“When I tell people I work at a bodyshop people are shocked because I do not fit the stereotype but it’s a new world and we need to work together to break all stereotypes and norms,” said Golam.
“I would love to show people that even though I am a woman I can still work in a field as such.” Program Coordinator Suad Dualeh has seen the results first hand; working with hundreds of students between the ages of 18 and 30 throughout the greater Toronto area. Dualeh believes that it’s not just the success of students, but also the demographic of individuals chosen that has made the program so meaningful. “At Tropicana Employment Centre, we work with a marginalized group that has been overlooked for a long period of time,” Dualeh said.
“These young adults do not have the network or the resources to access trade areas on their own and many encounter additional socio-economic obstacles that impede their success. Tropicana Employment Centre has traditionally worked with this client population and has staff with the experience and skills necessary to address the various needs of these clients.”
Dualeh’s impact and her dedication towards the program hasn’t gone unnoticed, with some sponsors viewing it as one of the contributing factors to the tremendous success of the initiative thus far. “I believe it is the dedication of the staff at Tropicana who genuinely want to help the students succeed, that makes this program work so well,” said Tom Forster, PBE general manager LKQ Keystone.
“Tropicana Community Services are a valuable asset and their reward is every student that has gone through this program successfully. They work hard everyday to make sure this program and the students within it are successful.”
Another major strength of the program has been the continued support it’s received from sponsors. Organizations such as 3M, LKQ, CIIA and CARSTAR have all served as long-time sponsors of Tropicana, contributing meals and supplies for all students.
“The program serves to provide valuable employment for students that perhaps wouldn’t have been able to enter or stay in there,” said John Norris, executive director of CIIA.
CARSTAR was one of the original sponsors to get involved with Tropicana, helping the program get off the ground by sending industry support letters to the government requesting funding. With the program now well established CARSTAR has shifted its efforts to supporting specific Tropicana objectives, while also offering assistance for job fairs and placements.
Aside from presenting an opportunity for those who might lack the ability to be involved, the program has also lent a major hand in supplying the industry with motivated and capable workers. Programs such as Tropicana’s will be vital in helping to provide relief for the worker shortage developing within collision repair.
“It’s important to continue to support the next generation of collision repair and paint technicians through educational programs.
We regard this as an important program both within the community and the industry,” said Peter Wrong, senior accountant representative at 3M. “The people in the collision repair industry are aging very quickly and if we do not replace
the veterans that are leaving with an influx of qualified new recruits then the volume of technicians needed to sustain the day-to-day business will not be maintained,” said Norris.
Caridnell and Golam are two of the latest examples of young enthusiastic workers ready to take collision repair by storm. Despite not knowing what lays ahead in their perspective careers, both can agree that the fateful decision to pursue Tropicana was the right choice.
“The vast majority of the population drives a vehicle which is why this particular field is one that will always be in demand,” Golam said. “I have met a lot of wonderful people and have had a very rewarding experience.”
“I would tell anyone considering Tropicana to apply,” Cardinell said.
“It’s a great program and was there for me when I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
