IN FOCUS: TRAINING PROVIDERS
Highlights of some key training institutions, coast to coast
AIA CANADA
The Automotive Industries Association of Canada is the only national industry association in Canada that brings together the entire automotive aftermarket supply and service chain.
Our mission is to promote, educate and represent members in all areas that impact the growth and prosperity of the industry. We are the VOICE and the RESOURCE for the automotive aftermarket industry in Canada.
ARSLAN AUTOMOTIVE
Arslan Automotive Canada offers free on-site training with the purchase of the AccuVision-3D measuring system, TECNA spot welders, FIMER Pulse MIG welders, and dent repair systems to ensure that the companies we work with have well-trained technicians who are engaged and delivering a better final product to their companies. We believe investment in training leads to a more positive work environment and achieves efficiencies, as well as return on investment.
ASSINIBOINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
At Assiniboine Community College, small class sizes make it easy for instructors to get to know students personally. ACC’s nine-month automotive technician certificate program is one of the best, requiring dedicated students eager to join the automotive service industries. Gain essential skills for the automotive service industry while learning in ACC’s hands-on environment.
The school also provides apprenticeship programs in a variety of skilled trade disciplines.Trades and apprenticeship training takes place at the Len Evans Centre for Trades and Technology at Assiniboine’s North Hill campus. Completed in 2010, the LECTT offers 11,700 square metres of shops, labs, classrooms and offices. The building provides a modern, integrated, open-concept environment for more than 800 students every year.
SOLERA | AUDATEX
For over four decades Solera | Audatex has been providing fast, easy and fair solutions to the Canadian collision repair industry to allow shops to focus on what they do best – fixing vehicles. Audatex staff are focused on driving efficiencies in the repair process, augmented by Solera employees around the globe. Key solutions include Audatex estimating, GoTime repair, Vehicle health check and shop recoverables. For more information, please visit audatex.ca or call 1-844-AUDATEX.
BASF
Our educational programs are designed to improve performance, productivity and end-user satisfaction while enhancing safety standards and minimizing environmental concerns. Courses feature instruction by leaders in the refinishing industry at multiple locations across North America. Take advantage of these opportunities to build your skill set, learn to reduce cycle time in the shop and understand what it takes to maintain higher levels of customer satisfaction
BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Every BCIT program receives strategic advice and assistance from a cross-section of employers, alumni and other professionals working in the industry. Students will stay on the cutting- edge of the latest developments in their industry, ensuring they are learning everything they need to get hired.
For learners in the motive power field, BCIT’s School of Transportation delivers the provincial curricula in three methods: Route One: Apprenticeship; Route Two: Certificate; and Route Three: Co-op Diploma. Thanks to a generous $115,000 gift from NAPA Auto Parts and Traction Heavy Duty Parts, BCIT students will be able to train with state-of-the-art tools, ensuring they are job-ready upon graduation.
CANADIAN HAIL REPAIR
The Sam Piercey Foundation, founded in 2016, honours the memory of Sam Piercy of Budd’s Collision and raises money through Budd’s annual pig roast in December and other charitable events run by Sam’s son (Sam Jr.) through his company, Canadian Hail Repair. The Sam Piercey Foundation awards bursaries every year to the winners of the Skills Canada national skills competitions for paint and autobody repair.
In 2019, the foundation will award additional bursaries, having a confirmed new partnership with Consolidated Dealers, which has agreed to make an annual donation that will fund the bursary for the winners of the national Skills competitions. The foundation will issue funds previously allotted for those bursaries, to the winners of the Ontario Skills competitions for paint and autobody. This brings the total annual bursaries to eight.
If you are interested in funding bursaries to other provincial winners, please reach out to Bing Wong by email at bing@
CARSTAR CANADA
CARSTAR franchise training and support includes enrolment in CARSTAR U Learning Institute. There are also teams in place committed to helping to get your CARSTAR location open and running smoothly. These teams range from real estate and finance to project management and operations.
CENTENNIAL COLLEGE, ASHTONBEE CAMPUS
Centennial College was Ontario’s first community college. It was established in 1966 and primarily serves the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area through five campuses and seven satellite locations.
For the automotive industry, Centennial’s School of Transportation is the largest on-site transportation training facility in Canada, featuring some of the most highly skilled instructors in the industry and state-of-the-art automotive training equipment.
Centennial’s mission is to educate students for career success. The school’s curriculum, teaching and services demonstrate that it values the diverse profiles of its learners. Centennial is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse post-secondary institutions in Canada.
CIIA
CIIA (Collision Industry Information Assistance) helps shops in this exciting autobody and collision damage repair industry. From ensuring trades-licensed staff help to technical and management training courses and compliancy help, as well as managing the OEMrepairinfo.ca industry website, we have assisted shops since 1988.
We provide advocacy assistance and help in apprenticeship, schooling and grant provision. We are the industry trade association for collision repair in Ontario. We can be reached though ciia.com or autobodyhelp.ca
COLLISION 360 INC.
Collision 360 Inc., distributer of thousands of products, recognizes the thirst for improvement and that new technology is stronger than ever. Utilizing its strong equipment partnerships and extensive catalogue, Collision 360 has added a training branch to ensure a customer-support team trains customers proactively instead of reactively. In the next chapter of the training offering, Collision 360 has developed criteria to help substantiate the creation of training events moving forward, which are designed to show customers how powerful/simple/helpful a product is. To share your thoughts and ideas, contact Anthony Iaboni at 1-855-660-1395 or anthony@collision360.ca.
COLOR COMPASS
Color Compass University offers both scheduled and ondemand technical training and business management
workshops. From comprehensive welding training utilizing
the latest in equipment to industry-leading production,
business management and financial performance courses,
Color Compass University will help your business thrive.
EQUALIZER INDUSTRIES INC.
Since 1992, Auto Glass Academy has been offering professional instruction of the removal, replacement and repair of auto glass to technicians, owners and entrepreneurs who want a strong foundation to perform quality work. Our curriculum is built on more than 30 years of global research, product development and industry-wide training in an expansive range of environments.
FANSHAWE COLLEGE
Fanshawe is a comprehensive college serving the greater London region by providing flexible learning arrangements and experiential education opportunities developed in response to labour market needs.
One of Ontario’s largest colleges – with four campuses in London, Simcoe, St. Thomas and Woodstock – Fanshawe serves close to o500,000 people.
The school offers more than 200 degree, diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs to 43,000 students each year. Fanshawe also plays an important role in providing re-skilling and skill upgrading opportunities for mature learners through the design and delivery of custom training for federally and provincially sponsored trainees, community organizations, sectoral training councils and private-sector employers.
FIX AUTOMOTIVE NETWORK
The Fix Automotive Network Training Centre is the first of its kind in Canada’s automotive aftermarket services industry to offer autobody, mechanical and auto glass professionals a state-of-the-art, fully operational collision, mechanical and auto glass space to update their skills. The 575 sq. m training centre boasts the most modern equipment available in all three trades, as well as a separate 18-seat classroom. The newly constructed training centre provides up-to-date education to serve the franchisees for all three Fix Automotive brands: Fix Auto, Speedy Auto Service and NOVUS Glass. Additional training centres are set to open in Quebec and Alberta in 2019.
KIA CANADA
The objective of Kia University is to make sure that all Kia dealer staff – sales, after sales, technicians and management – are fully trained and are given the tools and knowledge necessary to deliver the best customer service/experience in the industry. To achieve this, Kia University has developed a comprehensive curriculum that includes brand knowledge, best practices and detailed product knowledge for all models. These courses are delivered via our custom learning management system KU in the form of web courses, virtual instructor-led sessions and in-class instructor-led courses (mostly for technicians). Kia Canada has two full-time training facilities, in Toronto and Montreal, and partnerships with colleges in P.E.I., Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta to deliver regional classes as needed.
NEW BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
As New Brunswick’s largest college, NBCC is proud to be a leader in relevant, accessible and flexible post-secondary education. The needs of today’s job market are changing rapidly.
Whether participants are fresh out of high school, seeking a career change or looking to upskill in their current field, NBCC offers learning opportunities to help everyone achieve their aspirations.
For students pursuing motor vehicle body repairer and painter courses, NBCC’s fully -equipped shop will allow them to exercise their creative skills by designing mock ups and working on real customer vehicles.
PDR CANADA
PDR Canada is dedicated to training and offering handson experience through deeper understanding and better techniques. This year, PDR will offer the first-ever hands-on experience, three day PDR Repair Secrets Event in Canada during which you can work with the latest tools, techniques and tips from special PDR technicians and experts. An IMI EV certification course also will be held this year.
POLYVANCE
Polyvance, the pioneer in nitrogen plastic welding since 2011, is now an I-CAR Sustaining Partner and offers several plastic repair courses that are approved for I-CAR continuing education credits under I-CAR’s industry training alliance program. In Canada, the in-shop PR-01– Intro to Nitrogen Plastic Welding course is approved for three I-CAR credits. This course is delivered on-site with Polyvance-trained personnel. The course takes about three hours, trains up to three technicians per session in five essential handson bumper repair techniques, and costs US $500 per session. Each technician will receive three I-CAR credits. Call Polyvance at 800-633-3047 for more information or to register for the course.
PPG
PPG offers comprehensive training on refinishing products, equipment, technologies and production methods. To make staying ahead of the curve even easier, we conduct courses throughout the year at PPG Business Development Centres and various field locations conveniently located across North America. In addition, online content provides fast access to a wealth of product, program and technical information.
PRO SPOT INTERNATIONAL INC.
Technicians and sales staff of Pro Spot distributors attend continuing education seminars offered by Pro Spot. For the customer, this means, when they buy a piece of Pro Spot equipment, they can rest assured the in-house training they receive will be from factory-trained Pro Spot personnel. In addition, Pro Spot supports I-CAR Canada through promotions that include I-CAR Canada training. Currently, Pro Spot is offering free I-CAR training with the purchase of qualified equipment, including spot welders, Pulse Mig welders, plastic welders and riveters. This is one of our methods to keep technicians and companies up to date with the latest training available.
SASKATCHEWAN POLYTECHNIC
Interested in automotive customization, collision repair, restoration or refinishing repair? Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s autobody technician or automotive painter programs prepare you to work in autobody shops, auto dealerships and custom fabrication shops. Our experienced instructors and well-equipped shops give you the hands-on experience to repair, replace, install, seal, paint, assemble and align parts on classic and modern cars and trucks. The automotive painter program covers minor repairs, sanding, masking, priming, sealing, painting, colour matching and spot repair. Students in the autobody technician program learn to analyze costs, research repair methods and all the steps in minor and major collision repair.
These programs are available on campus in Regina and Saskatoon. Get more info at saskpolytech.ca/transportation.
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS AUTOMOTIVE
Committed to strengthening the future of the collision repair industry, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes is actively engaged in collaborative efforts with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) to support secondary and post-secondary students interested in learning the trade. Sherwin-Williams offers training to students and instructors; certification education; hands-on support at state, national and global competitions; and information-sharing at career fairs and industry events.
Training takes place at the six Sherwin-Williams North American automotive finishes training centres – in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas and Reno in the U.S., and in Mississauga, Ont. The training protocol includes an introduction to products and features, an opportunity to apply paint inside a spray booth and a discussion of potential career opportunities.
VALSPAR REFINISH INC.
Valspar Automotive Training Centers are located in Grand Prairie (Texas), Massillon (Ohio), Detroit (Michigan), Sacramento (California), Kincumber (Australia), Rome (Italy), Lyon (France) and Lelystad (The Netherlands). Thousands of painters from all segments of the industry visit these centers each year. Auto refinishing technicians and distributors who attend classes at Valspar Automotive’s Training Centers benefit from an instructional standpoint and learning environment. Facilities are equipped with high-tech class and colour mixing rooms, spray booths and must-have digital technologies.
The centers’ training curriculum, approved by the I-CAR Industry Training Alliance®, includes both theory and practical workshops and gives students hands-on experience in the preparation booth, spray booth and state-of-the-art color mixing room.
VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Located in the heart of the city, Vancouver Community College offers academic, cultural and social environments that inspire relevant real-world training. On-campus facilities – including gourmet restaurants, an auto shop, and salon and spa – allow students to hone their skills and training.
VCC offers training for automotive service technicians, collision repair technicians, automotive painters and heavy mechanical technicians.
With more than 15,000 students, including a growing number of First Nations and international learners, 1,100 employees and an annual budget of $105 million, VCC is a key player in the post-secondary landscape in B.C.
WEDGE CLAMP SYSTEMS INC.
Wedge Clamp, under the direction of Vice-President Mark Greenberg, is committed to ensuring training on Wedge Clamp equipment, such as its chainless anchoring systems and Eclipse electronic measuring system. This training is provided to distributors and customer technicians in a faceto-face, hands-on approach. The mandate is to make certain that Wedge Clamp’s brand has proper support through training, thus ensuring that use of its equipment is done with 100 per cent knowledge and application its resulting in safe quality repairs.
