Toronto, Ontario — October 13, 2015 — There’s a lot you can do to bring a new generation of repair staff into the industry. Recently we received a letter from Craig Sindall, a high school teacher in Napanee, Ontario, seeking help to keep his students enthusiastic by giving them access to better equipment.
You can help. We all can help. Maybe you have equipment you no longer need. Maybe you’re a supplier or distributor with some surplus. Maybe you just want to send a cheque. But we all should help.
We will be using our website collisionrepairmag.com and our print magazines to match organizations with donations. It will be a work in progress, but in the meantime please email Darryl Simmons at publisher@collisionrepairmag.com with suggestions, requests or supplies.
Here’s Craig’s letter:
“I am a high school teacher in Napanee running a collision repair and refinish program. On a yearly basis I have 100 students flow through my program and I have had many move on to become apprentices and tradespeople.
One of my students won gold in auto painting at the Skills Competition in 2012, and I am very focused on having students compete in Skills events. I am always looking for interesting ways to have my students gain more knowledge about the industry’s benefits and opportunities.
I have used the Bodyworx magazine article about Ink and Iron in Toronto over several classes and the report has inspired many young female students to focus on a career in the business. My budget for my classes works out to $12 per student per semester which allows me to do very minor projects but it seems to work okay. I do take on some projects which allows me to fund extras and materials that we need.
I know there are many shops that update equipment and roll the old things into the corner to collect dust. Is there a way to set up some sort of section in your magazine that shops could place used items that would be good for a school but maybe a little worn out or old? I am looking to upgrade our booth and I have been given a large lump of cash to get one but it is a little short for brand new but I should be able to obtain a used one.
It would be great to have a central place to shop and share information.”
This is your chance to step up and help the next generation!Email Darryl Simmons at publisher@collisionrepairmag.com for more information on how you can help!
