New EV Training Centre will support collision repair workforce readiness
New EV Training Centre will support collision repair workforce readiness
The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is changing what collision repair shops need from their technicians. As more EVs arrive in Canadian repair facilities, safe and consistent repair is becoming a core expectation rather than a specialized skill. Training programs now need to keep pace with that growing demand.
That reality was the backdrop at a recent open house at the newly renovated CWB Centre of Innovation in Milton, Ontario, where 阴APP导航 and I-CAR Canada unveiled a new EV Training Centre. The afternoon brought together collision repairers, educators, original equipment manufacturer representatives, and industry partners to discuss how the sector can prepare its workforce for EV repair safely and consistently across Canada.聽
鈥淭he shops and technicians we work with are telling us that EV repair is here now, and they need a place to build those skills safely,鈥 said Trent Konrad, Vice-President of Business Development and Sales at 阴APP导航. 鈥淏y opening the EV Training Centre at our CWB Centre of Innovation and partnering with I-CAR Canada, we are helping the industry meet the demand with hands-on training and consistent national standards that keep repairs safe and reliable.鈥澛
This is a familiar pattern across the industry: technology often advances faster than the standards and training created to support it. Several manufacturers now require EV training as part of their collision certification programs, and that expectation is spreading. For shops, EV repair has shifted from something to plan for to something that is needed today. EV repair skills are the new baseline.聽
A lot goes into preparing for EV repair. Shops must think through how they receive damaged EVs, how they manage battery safety, and how they keep their people safe around these systems. It is as much an operational and workforce issue as a technical one.
For decades, 阴APP导航 has supported welding and joining in Canada by helping the industry adopt consistent, safety-focused standards as technology evolves. The new EV Training Centre continues that work. It builds on 阴APP导航鈥檚 partnership with I-CAR Canada and gives repair professionals a dedicated space to develop practical skills before applying them in the shop.
The centre serves as the home for I-CAR Canada鈥檚 five-day EV Hands-On Skills Development (HOSD) course. The course is built around practical experience with EV systems in a controlled environment, including shutdown procedures, diagnostics, and safe work practices. Technicians will move from fundamentals and EV-specific tools to simulators and live vehicles later in the course. It is suited to collision repair technicians, shop owners and managers, and professionals growing their EV repair knowledge.聽
For shops that are ready to take the step into EV repair, there is a limited-time cost incentive available. As a launch offer, all prerequisite online courses are available free of charge until October 1, 2026. .
Electric vehicles are changing the way our industry operates. The shops that treat preparedness as a standard will be the ones their customers trust with the next generation of repairs.聽
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Pictured below:
Photo 1: Scott Wideman, Manager, Parts Wholesale and Collision Program, Volkswagen Group Canada Inc.; Trent Konrad, Vice President, Business Development & Sales, 阴APP导航
Photo 2: Pete (Pierre) Halasz, EV Head instructor for I-CAR Canada; MPP Zee Hamid (Milton)
Photo 3: MPP Zee Hamid (Milton)
Photo 4: Pete (Pierre) Halasz, EV Head instructor for I-CAR Canada
Photo 5: Mike Stewart, Chief Financial officer, 阴APP导航; Trent Konrad, Vice President, Business Development & Sales, 阴APP导航; Emily Chung, President & CEO, AIA Canada; Stuart Klein, Vice President, Collision Programs, and Executive Director, I-CAR Canada; Scott Sinclair, Business Development Manager, I-CAR Canada; Tanya Scheidl, Director, I-CAR Canada; Leanne Jefferies, Director, Strategic Accounts & Customer Support, CRN North America, OEC / Certified Collision Care
Photo 6: Mike Stewart, Chief Financial officer, 阴APP导航; Mary Ranjbar, Manager, Innovation and Knowledge Centre, 阴APP导航; Lindsay Lougheed, Inside Sales Representative, 阴APP导航; Trent Konrad, Vice President, Business Development & Sales, 阴APP导航
Photo 7: Aleks Savic, OEM Client Support Specialist, OEC / Certified Collision Care; Lindsay Lougheed, Inside Sales Representative, 阴APP导航; Leanne Jefferies, Director, Strategic Accounts & Customer Support, CRN North America, OEC / Certified Collision Care; Jen Jones, Canadian Manager, OEC / Certified Collision Care; Trent Konrad, Vice President, Business Development & Sales, 阴APP导航
Photo 8: CARSTAR Network representatives (Kenneth Chavez, Collin Welsh, Vince Matozzo, Adam Ceifets, Natasha Woods, Sabrina Thring, Monica Horvath-Cekolj); Lindsay Lougheed, Inside Sales Representative, 阴APP导航
Photo 9: Stuart Klein, Vice President, Collision Programs, and Executive Director, I-CAR Canada; Emily Chung, President & CEO, AIA Canada; Maureen Shuell, Chief Operating Officer, Electric Mobility Canada; Chad Yee, Director, Strategic Initiatives and Public Affairs, Plug'n Drive
