Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
NDSS students Logan Williams and Liam Alford showcased their auto body repair talents at the Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto last week, earning gold and silver respectively.
Both were given real life scenarios and had to repair damaged cars and then had their work graded by a panel of judges. They were matched up against high school students from all across Ontario after winning the top spot at the regional Limestone District competition.
At provincials, Williams earned the top spot in auto paint.
“I had to prep and paint a bumper cover,” said Williams for her task at the competition. “I had to mix and match paints and remove imperfections and polish a hood.”
Alford took home silver in the auto repair category.
“I had to remove a rocker panel and part of the ‘B’ pillar on a car and replace it with a new part and make it fit,” said Alford.
That involved cutting it down to size and welding it back into place. He also had to measure a unibody and do some silicon bronze and aluminum welding.
Both students credited their auto body teacher Craig Sindall for helping to prepare them for the competition.
“I got to practice on different cars, one earlier last semester and one about a month or two ago,” said Alford. “Just to get a hand for it.”
They’ve both benefitted from NDSS’ auto repair focus program, which teaches real life skilled trades by allowing students to work on actual cars and trucks. That hard work paid off as they were the only two students from the Limestone District to earn provincial medals.
“I like it because I like to be more hands on rather than textbook work,” said Alford. He also noted he’s looking into getting a summer job at an auto body shop and will be looking to pursue a career in the field.
“Painting is pretty artistic,” said Williams of her chosen skill. “You can be creative with it and have fun with it. That’s what got me into it.”
Williams was also proud to point out that her fellow female students were the only ones to earn medals in the auto paint category, breaking the stereotype that auto body is strictly a skill for males. She too is considering a career in the field.
By virtue of her first-place finish she’s now qualified for the national skills competition, which will take place Edmonton, June 1 to 6. Should she finish first there, she’d earn the right to represent Canada at the worlds in Russia.