This time last year, Addison Duhaime was living on the West Coast, working for a railway and trying to make some money while contemplating his next career move.
He's now an apprentice at the Elliot Lake Ford automotive shop, working in parts and service, and planning a long-term career with the dealership.
“I've been working my way up,” he said while on a recent break at work. “It's kind of cool. I plan on doing this for the rest of my life, so I can look back on it when I'm older.”
All Duhaime needed to get on the right track was opportunity, something manager Paul Legris gave him after he returned to Elliot Lake on a winter break. Since taking on a job in the wash bay in September, Duhaime has stayed on as an apprentice, working his way through the ranks to shop assistant and impressing his supervisor along the way.
“It doesn't happen that often that you trip over a guy like that,” Legris said. “I put Addison back there and he just took off.”
Duhaime is one of dozens of local high school graduates who have discovered a new career path thanks to the dealership's participation in provincial apprenticeship programs. The dealership has welcomed apprentices into the shop for more than 30 years, and was recently recognized by the provincial government as one of 16 employers across Ontario who “show leadership in training apprentices, support the apprenticeship training system, and promote careers in skilled trades.”
Legris said he's lost track of how many mechanics have been trained in his shop, but points to his current master mechanic as an example of success: after completing his apprenticeship, he stayed on with the dealership and has been a valuable employee for 24 years.
Legris, who himself has been with the dealership, through all its incarnations since the 1970s, said apprenticeship training is essential to the sustainability and growth of the industry.
As workers retire and fewer apprentices enter the program to fill the void, the gap in skilled labourers is widening. One way to avoid that is by taking on apprentices and training them in your own shop, Legris said, noting he currently has four under his wing.
“That's why we believe in the program,” he said. “If you don't have it — and we know there's a shortage, I don't care if it's plumbers, electricians, or mechanics — there's just not enough going into the trades.”
Adam Sayers knew the apprenticeship program was for him after spending his childhood taking things apart and working with his hands. Originally enrolled in a college mining engineering program, he decided against a career that had him “sitting at a desk all day,” and the apprenticeship program has allowed him to do what he loves.
“I don't look at it like a job, especially with a boss like Paul,” he said.
Sayers, a graduate of Elliot Lake Secondary School, will have completed his required number of apprenticeship hours this fall and can be licensed as early as winter. For each successful term completed, the government hands out $1,000 grants, and once apprentices pass their final test, they receive $2,000.
While he watches friends get bogged down in unmanageable debtloads from their post-secondary tuition fees, Sayers is on his way to a lucrative career, offering a service that will always be in demand.
“Without the trades, you can't do much,” he reasoned. “You'll always need someone to fix your car.”
Training up the next batch of mechanics isn't always an easy endeavour. There's the extra cost associated with wages, which is partially eased by a modest government subsidy. But precious time normally spent on fixing vehicles by the master mechanic is diverted to guidance and teaching, Legris said.
And not every apprentice is cut out for the work. For every success story like Duhaime or Sayers, there's a student who drops out before ever completing his hours. Still others decide to take their training elsewhere, leaving Elliot Lake short of workers.
Legris does the bulk of his recruiting at the two local high schools, where he encourages students who already have an interest in the industry and show an aptitude for the work. He can tell within six to 12 months if the partnership will be a success, and every once in a while, he finds a star pupil like Duhaime.
Winning “the Stanley Cup of apprenticeship awards,” was an exciting moment for Duhaime, who attended the ceremony on the dealership's behalf, and a feather in the cap for the small community.
After mastering the parts and service end of things, he's eyeing up a salesman's role, with even greater aspirations for his future.
“Like somebody here said, if you want to be successful, you have to work your way from the back to the front,” he said. “Maybe I'll manage a dealership one day. That's my 10-year plan.”
