Okanagan College Collision Repair Department

04/22/2023

Congratulations Tony, from all of us here at Okanagan College Collision Repair
Collision Repair magazine Skills Canada / Compétences Canada

Great job

Congratulations to Tony Casey, Body Technician apprentice at Craftsman Collision in Vernon, BC. for winning 2nd place in the Skills Canada British Columbia provincial competition-autobody repair category.

We couldn't be any prouder 👏🏆🥈.

04/22/2023

Congratulations to Steph Appel on winning gold at the 2023 provincial skills for Car Painting, next stop nationals in Winnipeg

12/09/2022

We would like to introduce you to...Jade Lind

A recent grad from the Collision Repair program at Okanagan College. She was recently honoured as the recipient of the Craftsman Collision Entrance Award for Automotive Collision Repair/Refinishing. Congrats Jade!

Jade's future plans are to further develop her techniques and skills in the industry, finish her apprenticeship and get her Red Seal Certification as a Refinishing Tech.

She feels, "there are a lot of opportunities in this trade for women and is a really great option as a career choice. It’s a fast paced environment and if you work hard you can achieve a lot. I would recommend it to anyone and I would love to see more women in the industry!"

From all of us at Craftsman Collision we wish you much success now and in the future Jade!

10/14/2022

Great to see our Autobody Collision Repair Foundation program alumni promoting the trade. Great work!! We are very proud of you.

The Automotive Retailers Association, through its Auto Careers BC program, and BASF had teamed up for a new and exciting program this year, the ARA Pedal Car Challenge. The goal of this province-wide event is to encourage youth to consider the automotive industry as a viable career choice.

Each participating school in B.C. has been given an antique pedal car (a human-powered toy car), to design, modify, and paint. The students have also been provided with mentorship and guidance from the ARA’s industry partners: BASF, Color Compass Corporation Industrial, and Craftsman Collision.

The completed pedal cars were just recently auctioned off at the the ARA’s 70th Anniversary Celebration + AGM in Whistler, BC to help raise funds for the Automotive Retailers Foundation Inc. (ARFI), which offers scholarships and bursaries to individuals pursuing a career in the automotive industry.

Shout out to Craftsman Collision apprentices Louise Trenholm, Emily Pendlebury, Caitlan Kirkby, and Stephanie Lappel who made us so proud with their well crafted and finished pedal car that was auctioned off, contributing to a very successful fundraiser which raised over $30,000 for ARFI.

07/27/2022

Don’t miss out.

The deadline for ARFI's 2022 scholarships and bursaries is quickly approaching! This year, the Foundation will give away two scholarships and four bursaries in a total of $15,000. Follow the link below to apply today!

https://arfi.ca/overview-of-scholarships-and-bursaries/?fbclid=IwAR1AoahZaC0bFr6mbSCkSIi0s7EF_eMYtpKxA-IKaXXBpudlZBGzt7vG_iw

07/12/2022

Start your career now.

05/29/2022

Competitors around the nation competed for the top honours in collision repair post secondary skills training this past week. We are very proud of our training, and proud to share that Joey Bruno has won silver at the national level representing Okanagan College Trades & Apprenticeship and Okanagan College. Thank you to his employer Craftsman Collision for supporting Okanagan college and Joey through out his journey. Skills Canada / Compétences Canada Collision Quarterly Magazine Industry Training Authority

05/25/2022

The Okanagan College Collision repair department had the pleasure of hosting a week for Okanagan College Women in Trades. Women from the area had an opportunity to learn how to work with automotive body panels, and try out their automotive painting skills. What amazing talent!! we hope to see you back in the fall to start your journey.

Okanagan College Okanagan College Trades & Apprenticeship Automotive Retailers Association Okanagan Auto Enthusiasts Collision Repair magazine WorkBC

05/18/2022

Determination and hard work pays off. Joey started as a student in our collision repair foundation class and finished his levels of apprenticeship at Okanagan college. Craftsman Collision WorkBC Get Youth Working - Youth Skills BC Workplace Program Skills Canada / Compétences Canada Workbc-ApprenticeServices

It takes a lot to throw Joey Bruno off his game. The third-year apprentice in the Auto Body and Collision Technician training at Okanagan College was on his way to a Skills Provincials competition on April 22 when the car he was riding in rear-ended another vehicle.

04/27/2022

What can we say…. We train the best. Way to go Joey.

Automotive Industries Association of Canada Industry Training Authority Get Youth Working - Youth Skills BC Workplace Program Okanagan College Trades & Apprenticeship CHBC - Global Okanagan

Joey Bruno WINS gold🥇!

We are beyond thrilled for Joey who is a 3rd year Body Tech Apprentice participating in the very popular Apprentice Program at Craftsman Collision - Abbotsford.

Thank you to longtime employee Tony Bruno for being an amazing workplace mentor and dad 👍

Joey took home the gold in Autobody Repair at the Skills Canada / Compétences Canada BC 2022 Provincial Competition. He is now busy preparing to compete in Skills Canada National Competition May 27-28 where his amazing skill and talents will be put to the test competing against the best of the best across Canada.

We are ALL so proud! Congratulations Joey!

04/23/2022

Okanagan College Collision Is very proud to announce that Joey Bruno has won Gold!! Representing Okanagan College Okanagan College Trades & Apprenticeship Joey competed at the British Columbia Skills Canada / Compétences Canada automotive collision repair competition Friday and was awarded gold for his skills. Joey will now be able to showcase his talents at the national skills competitions being held in Vancouver.

Okanagan College Collision Repair Department is very proud to have a role in Joeys journey and training since his start in our Collision Repair Foundation class https://www.okanagan.bc.ca/entry-level-automotive-collision-and-refinishing-program and his apprenticeship with Craftsman Collision and Okanagan College.

Collision Repair magazine BodyShop Business Industry Training Authority WorkBC School District No. 83 - North Okanagan-Shuswap School District #23 Kelowna Automotive Retailers Association Automotive Industries Association of Canada

04/14/2022

We are very proud of all our students. Joey Bruno is a shining example of the success Okanagan College collision foundation students can achieve. Go Joey Go!!! Industry Training Authority Okanagan College International Education Okanagan Auto Enthusiasts Skills Canada / Compétences Canada Automotive Retailers Association Collision Repair magazine BASF PPG Refinish USA & Canada / Refinition PPG BodyShop Business Craftsman Collision

Okanagan College student Joey Bruno is getting ready to compete at the British Columbia skills provincials competition this month.