AN ELECTRIC INVESTMENT
On October 15, Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament, Niagara Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, announced a $365,854 investment from the federal government into Niagara College’s Motive Power program. This funding will be matched by the college through the 2023 Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy ‘Investments in Training Equipment’ program stream. Collision Repair mag reached out to Wayne Toth, professor and program coordinator of Niagara College’s Motive Power program who commented that it is “an innovative program that is giving students the chance to get hands-on experience analyzing and solving complex motive system programs. With the guidance of experienced faculty, students learn to diagnose and repair mechanical, electronic and electrical motive power components and systems in state-of-the-art labs.”
AN AUTOMOTIVE JUMP START
The Shop at Youth Unlimited is using donated used vehicles from the community to help youth at risk of homelessness, addiction and mental illness to receive hands-on automotive repair training. The charity organization has been working with young people in the Newmarket and Cambridge, Ontario area since 2003. Program Director Mark Dean originally told Barrie Today that “we do skills mentoring by training youth between the ages of 15 and 25 in the automotive trade. People donate cars which can be refurbished and then those cars are re-sold to fund The Shop. Youth work alongside us in refurbishing the cars while receiving valuable skills training. The vehicle donations help transform young lives.”
PARTNERED PLACEMENTS
The Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre (Sask DLC) has extended partnership agreements with the Saskatchewan Automobile Dealers Association (SADA) and the Saskatchewan Association of Autobody Repairers (SAAR) to help offer work placement options for high school students. Both associations have signed a two-year partnership extension with Sask DLC to enhance learning opportunities through work placement options for students taking online mechanical and automotive or autobody courses. SAAR will provide an annual investment of $20,000 to fund a coordinator position with Sask DLC that will also facilitate work placements enrolled in Sask DLC’s autobody courses. SADA will continue an annual investment of $40,000 to fund the delivery of Sask DLC’s mechanical and automotive program, including a coordinator position to set up student work placements.
