AIA Canada Creates Entrepreneurial Space At Georgian College With $250,000 Donation

#aftermarket – The automotive aftermarket industry is made up of entrepreneurial thinkers and doers who find new and better ways to service and accessorize our vehicles, and members of their national association want to inspire others to do the same.

The Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada  has announced  it is donating $250,000 to Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada (ABSC) to create a changemaker space.  It will be a dedicated space for students to use to work on collaborative projects, as well as to learn more about the AIA through multimedia displays.

“AIA Canada is very proud and excited to partner with the Automotive Business School of Canada to educate future leaders in the Canadian automotive aftermarket industry. This important financial contribution from our members will ensure that students have the right learning environment and the right tools to succeed in our sector for many years to come,” says Marc Brazeau, president and CEO, AIA Canada.

Student Matt Garwood was there for the announcement. As the director of Performance and Sponsorship for the 2015 Georgian College Auto Show, he’s come to learn a lot about the aftermarket, which is a $19.4-billion industry employing 420,000 people.

Garwood will be showcasing several of its vendors at the auto show, as well as race cars and teams, in the performance area this year.

“There is a lot of opportunity in the automotive aftermarket for Georgian students and graduates. Through the changemaker space, we’ll be able to learn more about the AIA and pursue our own ideas for the next big products and services in the industry,” says Garwood.

Marie-Noelle Bonicalzi, Dean of Business, Automotive and Hospitality, is thankful to AIA Canada for playing an ever-increasing role at Georgian College.

“Since the mid-1990s we have nurtured and developed a strong relationship with AIA Canada and as a result, many of our students are choosing the aftermarket sector as their career of choice,” says Bonicalzi.

AIA Canada’s donation was made in support of Georgian’s fundraising campaign, The Power of Education: Transforming the Student Experience.

Georgian College offers the only Bachelor of Business Automotive Management degree and Automotive Business diploma in Canada. Graduates of these unique programs secure great jobs in many sectors of the automotive industry including dealerships, aftermarket, finance and insurance, remarketing, corporate head office, fleet management, marketing and advertising, and event management.