Consider apprenticeship Feature Trade: Motor Vehicle Body Repairer I


f you have an interest in the skilled trades and you’re looking into post- secondary and career options, consider


apprenticeship. Apprenticeship Manitoba offers training in over 50 different trades, most of which are eligible for interprovin- cial Red Seal certification. Receiving a Red Seal means your credentials are recognized across Canada. One of the Red Seal trades is motor


vehicle body repairer. Motor vehicle body repairers fix damaged vehicles. Te work they do includes straightening frames, fixing body damage, removing badly dam- aged sections, and priming and painting all repaired surfaces. Motor vehicle body repairers need to have strength, stamina, manual dexterity, creativity, patience, an eye for detail and good colour vision. An apprenticeship in the trade of motor


vehicle body repairer is a post-secondary option like the others, but with a few im- portant distinctions. On-the-job training


First, as an apprentice you will spend


most of your time working, earning a salary while learning your trade. Approxi- mately 80 per cent of an apprenticeship takes place on the job, learning practical


skills under the instruction of a skilled journeyperson. Te other 20 per cent is spent in technical training, learning other important aspects of the trade in school. Te four-year program requires at least 1,800 hours of on-the-job training and four levels of technical training. You can even get a head start in your apprenticeship in high school through the High School Ap- prenticeship Option. Second, rather than pay thousands of


dollars in tuition every year, apprentices are responsible for only a portion of their technical training fees. Te rest is covered by the Manitoba government. Te personal contribution towards technical training for a motor vehicle body repairer apprentice in Manitoba is around $200 a year, plus the cost of books. Compare that to the cost of one year at university or college and you can see how apprenticeship is a lucrative post-secondary option. Grants and Incentives


Various grants and incentives are avail-


able to apprentices. Te Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, offered by the federal government to apprentices in Red Seal trades, provides $1,000 aſter completion of level 1 and another $1,000 aſter comple-


tion of level 2. Upon successful program complet ion, apprent ices receive a $2,000 Apprent iceship Complet ion Grant , also of fered by the federal government. In addition, the provincial government


offers a 60 per cent income tax rebate on eligible tuition fees for all apprentice grad- uates in Manitoba. Tis means apprentices can claim both the amount of tuition they pay themselves and the contributions paid on their behalf by Apprenticeship Manitoba. Manitoba Public Insurance also provides


a new financial assistance program for apprentices specifically in the collision repair industry. Te assistance includes a maximum $5,000 tool allowance and, aſter successful completion of each program level, a $2,000 apprenticeship grant. Interested in becoming a motor vehicle


body repairer apprentice or pursuing an- other career in the skilled trades? Contact Apprenticeship Manitoba at 945-3337, toll-free 1-877-978-7233 or visit www. manitoba.ca/tradecareers.


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26 SMART careers | Early Spring 2011


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