COLLISION REPAIR CAMP

SAI T TEACHES TEENS IN THE BODYSHOP

BY ALLISON ROGERS
PHOTOS BY RYAN SOX, SAIT

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is taking new steps to show teenagers how fun the autobody trade can be.

The Calgary-based training institute hosted a one-week autobody camp for high school-age students. The program let campers explore a real-life bodyshop and provided hands-on training in the basics of the autobody trade, from raw plastic prep to topcoat application.

SAIT hosts a slew of summer camp programs in the trades and science fields, from welding and carpentry through to AI development, coding and content creation. The autobody course was previously offered in pre-pandemic times, but this year marked its triumphant return to SAIT’s summer programming. The autobody camp is marketed as an opportunity for young people to gain hands-on experience working on autobody techniques and procedures while also learning the basics of prepping and detailing.

“The current cohort of kids are loving it and having a great time prepping and painting,” Sox said about halfway through the first session in July.

Throughout the week, the students worked hard and learned a lot, Ryan Sox, instructor of the course, told Bodyworx Professional. They were particularly interested in pursuing careers in the autobody trade and asked many questions about how to get started.

The students enjoyed the hands-on activities, which included airbrushing stencils and applying undercoat. “They were thrilled to be able to keep the projects they worked on and to have a tangible reminder of the skills they had learned,” said Sox.

For more information on SAIT’s camp programming, visit www.sait.ca/youth-programming