SGI, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, wants to fast-track Aboriginal students into the high demand auto repair industry.
Each year there are more than 200,000 auto damage claims in Saskatchewan. That is a lot of wrecked cars that need to be fixed in an industry that is always looking for new workers. In an effort to encourage more Aboriginal students to enter the industry, SGI is funding a new pilot program.
It is a 10-week pre-employment training course run through SIIT. The students get eight weeks of training and two weeks of working in a body shop. SGI Minister Don McMorris says the program should help fill a void.
“We think it is a good fit with the SIIT, with their student population and with the help of SGI. We know there is a void there, a gap. Auto body shops are needing these kind of technicians, so we think it fits together quite well.”
One of the first students enrolled in the new program is Jordan Morin. He says it was a perfect fit for him, and he is anxious to begin a career in the auto repair industry.
“I didn’t really know what my skills and abilities really were, but I was getting sick of working in construction. I wanted to use my knowledge and I like working with my hands.”
The Saskatchewan Automobile Dealers Association and the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers also provided input into the new program. Bill Ziebart with the repairers association says the industry needs more workers, both entry level and journeymen.
“We need 40 to 50 new people every year and I believe the schools were putting out about 26, so we need more. It’s like everything in this province — it’s really getting more critical every year.”
SGI is providing $80,000 in funding for the new program. It will also host the first wave of students for hands-on training at its major claims facility in Regina.
The 10 students began training in mid-January.