Education/training
Technician fast-tracks to business ownerAt the tender age of 10, Vince Passarelli used to lift the hood of his father's Buick Century and remove the air cleaner to get a closer look at the carburetor. MARK TOLJAGIC |
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 [ 2005-10-12 ] |
Centennial college graduate and FI Auto Service owner Vince Passarelli credits his apprenticeship experience for his quick entry into the business world.
"He used to yell at me, 'Vince, what are you doing to my car?'" Passarelli recalls with a grin.
Little did he know that his son was feeding his automotive curiosity -- a passion that would turn into a rewarding career as an auto technician and business owner.
Passarelli has always been driven to succeed in the automotive sector.
After taking auto tech courses at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in his native Brampton, he started working in repair shops as soon as he finished school at 16. To become a licenced auto technician, however, Passarelli realized he needed to become an apprentice.
Apprenticeship involves finding an employer to sponsor you throughout the expected five years of training, who also agrees to pay you for your time while working at their business. The training period is interspersed with classroom time at college to acquire additional skills.
Passarelli found a willing employer at Master Mechanic in Brampton, and enrolled at Centennial College -- Canada's largest transportation training centre -- in the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship program in 1996.
Passarelli was impressed by the college's facilities and the vast knowledge demonstrated by his teachers. "If I had technical problems at work, I would take them to school to find the answers," he says. "The courses were especially helpful when it came to electronics."
Passarelli racked up a lot of overtime at the garage and met his required on-the-job training hours early. He wrote the provincial Certificate of Qualification and earned his licence at the age of 21.
"You know how they say you'll meet a teacher who will stick with you for life? That's what happened to me," he recalls, crediting professor Brian Humphrey with encouraging him to start his own business after graduating.
Before taking the plunge, Passarelli garnered some excellent management experience at tire retailer Active Green & Ross, where he learned the all-important lessons of dealing with customers. He also worked for six months at a muffler shop, learning the skills of customized pipe bending and MIG welding.
Opportunity knocked when one of Passarelli's previous employers asked him to take over his small garage (he had been contemplating early retirement). Passarelli became a business owner at the age of 23, when most students were still finishing university.
"It was a hard year: I had gotten married, bought a house and our first child was on the way," Passarelli recalls.
Fortunately, his business, F1 Auto Service, was humming with activity as Passarelli managed to triple his clientele in short order.
"The previous owner was old school. I introduced better customer relations and really grew the business," he says.
Today, he employs his two younger brothers, Sandro and Claudio, and they're already contemplating expanding out of their industrial unit in Woodbridge.
Passarelli is proud to call himself a licenced automotive technician and recommends auto service as a rewarding career.
He notes technicians can earn $70,000 annually and more with overtime. In addition, the profession opens doors to business management and ownership.
"I always wanted to work for myself," Passarelli says. "And there's the personal satisfaction of repairing a car and making it right."
To learn more about Centennial's automotive apprenticeship programs, visit www.centennialcollege.ca/ transportation.
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