Techs for the Taking: SkillsOntario CEO calls on employers to make use of hiring, apprenticeship resources
Toronto, Ontario — The table is set for Ontario’s collision repair managers in need of skilled technicians for their shop, according to Ian Howcroft of SkillsOntario; all they need to do now, he says, is dig in. Howcroft, SkillsOntario’s CEO of the past five years, recently discussed with Human Resources Director Canada Magazine the often […]
Bringing Home the Hardware: Medalists announced for Skills Canada National Competition
Winnipeg, Manitoba — More than 500 talented students descended upon Winnipeg for this year’s Skills Canada National Competition, where nearly 250 medals were awarded to those who will become Canada’s next generation of skilled tradespeople. This year’s event, which ran Thursday to Friday last week at the RBC Convention Centre, saw fierce competition across 45 […]
Medal Meeting: Sask Polytech pulls in 29 medals at recent provincial skills competition
Photo by Skills Canada Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — The Saskatchewan automotive skilled trades community showed up in force in late April for the 2023 SkillsCanada Saskatchewan Provincial Competition, held mainly at SaskPolytech’s Saskatoon Idylwyld campus. The prolific trades school itself saw 29 of its own students win medals at this year’s competition, in addition to […]
A Seat at the Table: Sask. government invests $1.5 million into 250 new apprentice training seats
Regina, Saskatchewan — The Prairies are quickly becoming the place where future apprentices grow, as the Saskatchewan government announced Thursday that it is opening up an additional 250 seats in its training classrooms this year. Thanks to a $1.5 million investment from the provincial government, this expansion of apprenticeship training opportunities builds on more than […]
Albertan All-stars: Winners announced for Skills Alberta provincial competition
Edmonton, Alberta — “Another successful Skills Alberta event in the books!” Cecile Bukmeier, chair of the autobody program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), declared over LinkedIn, following the closing of the provincial skills competition in Edmonton on Thursday. Alberta’s aspiring young tradespeople, including a number of students representing the autobody repair and […]
Apprentice Appreciation: Pair of Man. collision apprentices honoured at achievement awards Thursday
Winnipeg, Manitoba — Carrying on a proud tradition of honouring the province’s tradespeople, the Manitoba government recognized its best and brightest on Thursday at the thirty-first annual Apprenticeship Highest Achievement Awards ceremony. Automotive painter Jacob Doerksen and body technician Trevor Marshall represented the collision repair industry among 36 other newly certified apprentices, declared to be […]
Talking Tech: Skills Canada Winnipeg summit to feature talks from Level5Drive, MPI, VW Audi and more
Winnipeg, Manitoba — A date has officially been set for the Skills Canada Automotive Technology Summit, where experts from across Canada’s collision industry will converge on Winnipeg for a day of discussion on the latest technology trends. May 25 will see a rapid-fire schedule of presentations, according to Tuesday’s press release from Skills Canada, featuring […]
Acing the Course: Surrey technical institute receives $560,000 to support automotive technician, welder training
Surrey, British Columbia — The government of British Columbia announced Tuesday that it has opened up a new funding stream to support automotive technicians, and other tradespeople, in completing their education at the Ace Trades and Technical Institute (ATTI) in Surrey, B.C. The lower mainland trade school is set to receive more than $560,000 to […]
Spanesi Made Easy: CWB to host Spanesi equipment training sessions in April
Milton, Ontario — Do you have Spanesi equipment sitting around but no technicians trained to use them? Well, a trio of free training courses supported by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) may be just what your team needs to put those fancy yellow tools to work. Over the course of April 25 to 27, trainers […]
Skills for Jills: Conestoga’s ‘Jill of All Trades’ program to go nationwide with support of RBC investment
Kitchener, Ontario — Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont. is slated to get a slice of some newly announced skills trades funding as the RBC Foundation announced Wednesday that $650,000 of a total $3.5 million investment is on the way to support the national rollout of the college’s “Jill of All Trades” program. The one-day workshop […]
