An appreciation for continuous collision training: A conversation with Sid Petrisor
With a career spanning over four decades, Sid Petrisor has been an I-CAR Canada instructor since its very beginnings. With a passion and knack for repairing vehicles and knowing the importance of staying up to date with emerging technologies, Sid Petrisor is grateful to be able to give back to the collision repair industry after it has provided him with a successful career and immense amounts of connections across the industry and learning opportunities.
Sid Petrisor, I-CAR Canada Instructor
How long have you been in the industry?
I have been involved in the collision repair industry for over 40 years. I started out in the dealership world, at General Motors (GM) then to Chrysler stores. However, from then on, I owned and operated independent collision repair shops. Soon after, I took on an insurance carrier, where I was responsible for estimating and overseeing collision shop programs.
Currently, I have been retired for just over four years, but I am still involved with I-CAR Canada as an instructor. I have been with I-CAR Canada since 1980. Throughout my time with the organization, I have been the recipient of several I-CAR Canada founders awards, instructor of the year awards, as well as many individual committee and goal achievement awards.
Have you always wanted to work in the automotive industry?
Always! The automotive industry has always been near and dear to me. I have been fixing vehicles since I was young. This is truly a great industry to be part of. It has given me endless opportunities to meet and work with some of the best people across the nation. Being part of this industry has allowed me to see and be involved in the bigger picture and be able to help with some of the transformations that have taken place in the repair industry. Overall, it is extremely gratifying working with people from across the industry and helping them achieve their goals.
What would you say is the importance of continued collision training?
I have always been an advocate for continuous education. Without continued training, how would we keep up with all the ongoing changes in our industry today? Someone who may have been trained a mere two years ago—and what they consider to be current information—may already be outdated. This helps us stay up to date and ensure proper and quality repairs.
Why should technicians and companies consider I-CAR Canada training?
Vehicle technology is evolving at a rapid rate—we all recognize that. Repair firms and technicians need to be prepared, well-informed, trained and/or certified to meet these demands and keep up with increasingly complex vehicle technology. Of course, we all need to be aware of the safety and liability requirements that are associated with repairing new vehicles. I-CAR Canada has always been the leading source of information, providing state-of-the-art, standardized training to all aspects of the repair industry, from as far back as I can remember.
What is the most important aspect of being an I-CAR Canada instructor?
Being an I-CAR Canada instructor means I can provide pertinent information to technicians and the repair industry that ensures their customers are receiving quality and safe repairs. It is incredibly gratifying to be able to give something back to the industry that has been such a huge part of my life for all of these years.
About I-CAR Canada
I-CAR is an international organization dedicated to providing the information required to perform complete, safe, and quality auto repairs.
I-CAR Canada is a training and recognition program run by the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada), a not-for-profit organization representing, supporting and leading innovation in Canada’s $37.8 billion auto care sector.
Aimed at up-skilling tradespeople in the collision industry, I-CAR training has been available in Canada since 1979 and has been operated by AIA Canada since 2010.