JILL OF ALL TRADES
Centennial College hosted its second Jill of All Trades event on October 24 to help inspire young women in high school to consider careers in the skilled trades and technologies following graduation. The full-day event took place at Centennial’s Ashtonbee campus in Scarborough. More than 100 students from school boards across the GTA attended the event. Students were able to participate in a variety of workshops designed to give them a chance to try out different aspects of the skilled trades. The College’s auto body workshop included activities such as using a plasma cutter to cut a design into a piece of sheet metal. A heavy-duty equipment workshop included activities like taking off and installing one of the over four feet tall wheels on a Caterpillar Loader. The Jill of All Trades event was originally founded by Conestoga College and has been running since 2014.
WORKING WELDING WESTWARD
In a recent announcement, I-CAR Canada has shared their new partnership with the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB Group) to help increase welding training opportunities across Canada. Through this partnership, CWB will lend the use of its training facilities in Milton, Ontario and Nisku, Alberta while I-CAR Canada will offer its nationwide training instructors. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that welding training from I-CAR Canada will be accessible to all Canadians in a timely manner. Within the coming months, CWB training instructors will be travelling across the country training technicians in-shop with the hope of offering knowledge to a wider range of Canadian collision shops in both rural and urban areas. “This is an incredible opportunity to provide I-CAR welding training to rural, sometimes inaccessible, areas of Canada,” Stuart Klein, Vice President of Collision Programs at AIA Canada said. “Working with the CWB Group at these facilities and through their travelling instructors will ensure that all Canadian collision sector businesses, regardless of their location, will have access to the training they need to safely repair vehicles.”
EXPANDING HUE-RIZONS
Color Compass announced that it has successfully kicked off module one of the outer panel repair specialist (OPRS) course with Betag North America. The program—which features locations in key cities all across North America—offers insights on topics such as how to be appropriately staffed for your business partnerships and work mix; how to maintain optimal production levels and WIP; how to operate at your desired performance standards, as well as efficiency and CSI; and how to maximize your labour and profit margins. The overall goal of the course is to “turbocharge the repair skills of less experienced, aspiring technicians to create productive, more efficient non-structural, outer panel repair specialists.” In partnership with Betag, the company offers 16 instructor-led, workshop-based training days split into four blocks of four-day learning sessions over four months. This training is accompanied by skill development practice programs to ensure that students are meeting expectations.
BOOT CAMP IN SESSION
The Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) is at it again with their ever-continuing generosity. The organization recently donated $3,300 to Sask Polytechnic to support Auto Body Skills Boot Camps in Regina and Saskatoon. The initiative aims to provide aspiring students with hands-on experience and valuable skills in the field of autobody repair, encouraging them to pursue a career in this industry. The Autobody Skills Boot Camps are open to students in grades 10, 11, and 12 who have a keen interest in making auto body repair their profession. Each program can accommodate up to 12 students, ensuring personalized attention and guidance throughout the training sessions.The boot camps aren’t the only SAAR-backed training opportunities, though. The organization will also donate $20,000 to the Distance Learning Corporation of Saskatchewan to initiate a high school work education program throughout the province. This money will go to compensate teachers supervising this program which was previously concealed due to budget cuts.
