By Mike Davey
Toronto, Ontario — August 27, 2015 — The most recent AYCE Career Fair was definitely a success. The event took place at the Tropicana Community Services Centre of Excellence in Toronto. Since 2010, AYCE has facilitated pre-apprenticeship training for those interested in a career in the collision repair industry. To date, the program has successfully launched more than 50 careers in the trade. Due to continued and unwavering support from industry stakeholders, the program has continued to grow each year.
Marc Tremblay is the Coordinator of the Pre-apprenticeship Training Program for AYCE Employment Services. He notes that 10 out of the 18 graduates at the career fair secured positions the day of the fair. The other eight all have interviews scheduled with local facilities.
“These students are motivated, hungry and excited about kickstarting their careers,” says Tremblay. “Each student has successfully completed their level one at Centennial College and they’ll be taking I-CAR courses later this year. They’re ready to enter your shops and give the best contributions they can.”
Hiring AYCE students also carries with a subsidy amount of $4.50 per hour to a maximum of $1,890 per person. This is completely from and in addition to the tax credits a business would normally receive for signing an apprentice.
The AYCE Pre-apprenticeship Training Program is clearly of benefit to the industry in providing fresh talent, and the industry has consistently stepped up to help out in return.
“Just this year, we received big new donations from Key Colour and 3M,” says Tremblay. “This is in addition to the great support we’ve received from major repair organizations like CARSTAR, Fix Auto, CSN Collision Centres, Maaco and many others.”
AYCE would like to thank the numerous collision centres, companies and individuals who have helped to bring the program to where it is today. For more information on AYCE, please visit ayce.on.ca.
