Auto Body Painting Training Based on Real World Practices

There is much more to auto body painting than just slapping paint onto vehicles. An automotive painter must know how to: inspect the condition of the vehicle; mask and tape for multi-tone paintwork and protective requirements; prepare paint booth equipment; mix paint and components, and matching colours; use equipment, brush or spray guns to apply primer, paint, enamel, lacquer or other non-metallic protective and decorative coatings to automobiles; inspect jobs and repair faults; apply or restore anti-corrosion treatments, and more. As such, an apprenticeship program is required of any automotive painter who hopes to have a long-lasting career.

At Centennial College's Automotive Painter program, those interested in this field can obtain the training needed to confidently go forward in their careers. Consisting of four training periods of 1,800 hours with an employer and one eight-week college session, this auto body painting offering begins at the institution's state-of-the-art facilities in the province’s largest transportation training centre, Ashtonbee Campus. During this time, students attend courses in labs that are similar to the working environment of auto body painting shops. In fact, to simulate a real-word setting, the Automotive Painter offering has students perform tasks such as colour matching and tinting while meeting deadlines and quality requirements. Students in Automotive Painter program spend at least 50 per cent of their time in these labs partaking in courses such as: Applied Shop Practices, Preparation, Application (Undercoat), and Application (Top Coat).

It is worth noting that the Automotive Painter program employs an "earn-while-you-learn" approach, through which qualified students receive income support from the Employment Insurance of Canada during the time they are in school and compensation when they are with their employer. These on-the-job sessions of the Automotive Painter offering not only allow students to apply what they have learned but also to interact with customers, learn to handle real-life situations and see how seasoned professionals perform their duties.

Applicants to the Automotive Painter program must meet a range of requirements. First and foremost, they must have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Secondly, applicants are required to already be employed in the field when entering this program, so they may work towards their license through the combination of in-school sessions as well as time with their employer. Applicants, however, cannot apply directly to the college or ontariocolleges.ca for admission to this apprenticeship program. For general information about Automotive Painter apprenticeship registration, they should contact the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

At the conclusion of their apprenticeship, students can write the exam for their certificate of qualification. Passing the certificate of qualification exam means they can qualify for a certificate of apprenticeship from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities as an automotive painter.