Co-op programs put students on inside track to jobs

Ron Loveys

TADA PRESIDENT

Most new-car dealerships across Canada offer co-op programs for post-secondary students who aspire to work in the retail car industry.

At my dealership, we've offered co-op placements for dozens of students and the experience has been a positive one for the participating schools, for the students and for us.

We've hired students who are interested in becoming service advisers, service technicians, IT specialists, salespeople and managers. I've seen students enter a co-op program hoping to work in the service department, only to discover that a different area of the business appealed to them more.

Many of the students that we've hired have leveraged their co-op experiences into full-time positions. Others have moved on to pursue careers in the manufacturing, marketing and aftermarket segments of the industry.

In addition to providing students with first-hand experience in the field, a co-op program complements the theoretical knowledge that students receive in the classroom. It provides students with an income while they're learning, which helps to offset the costs of tuition, residency and learning materials (which seem to increase every year).

Colleges and high schools across Ontario boast high success rates for co-op programs. For instance, the Canadian Automotive Institute maintains a co-op employment rate of more than 96 per cent in the automotive industry. More than 50 per cent of the institute's graduates find full-time employment with one of their co-op employers.

For 24 years, the institute has been a feeder of well-trained professionals to the auto industry. Graduates of the diploma and degree (bachelor of applied business-automotive management) programs are in high demand for co-op placements and as graduates because of their love for autos and passion for the industry.

The Toronto Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) is a strong advocate of co-op programs and has partnered with several post-secondary institutions, including the Canadian Automotive Institute, to make programs more accessible for students and dealerships.

In September, TADA announced a new apprenticeship program with Centennial College. The goal is to provide students with management skills, if they choose to move beyond the shop floor.

This program is a two-year course that consists of in-class training and paid co-op placement at a Toronto-area auto dealership.

Students who complete the program are qualified to work as technicians, service advisers, managers and auto company representatives.

This initiative by the TADA is part of an effort to reach out to the next generation of workers, parents and educators. If the retail car industry hopes to attract the best and the brightest to this industry, all interested parties will need to be part of the discussion.

As an industry, we have do a better job preparing and exposing young men and women to the careers available to them, and dispelling negative stereotypes that persist about the auto industry.

Students today are easily persuaded to enter careers in the computer, banking, medical and legal professions. These sectors enjoy an aura of respectability and have little difficulty attracting young students.

By comparison, the automotive industry is often overlooked by parents and guidance counsellors because of outdated stereotypes and a lack of information.

Students who choose a career in the retail auto sector achieve a high measure of job satisfaction, great opportunities for advancement and excellent pay.

My advice to young men and women seeking careers in the auto sector is to acquire as much education as possible. The better they are educated, the more opportunities and advantages students will have in the marketplace.

Co-op programs continue to be a vital part of the learning curve for young people looking to join our industry. It's a great way for them to get acquainted with work itself, and with the people who are already employed in the industry.

This column represents the views

of TADA. Email president@tada.ca

or visit tada.ca.

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