College works for handy mechanic from Grenada

By Leslie Emmons

When Franklyn Emmons immigrated to Canada he had the work experience but needed the credentials to restart his career in his new country.

Arriving in 1972 from his birthplace of Carriacou, Grenada, Emmons worked in factories and restaurants, and fixed cars on the side before realizing he wanted to pursue his career properly. Growing up with a father who was a mechanic with his own garage, he was surrounded by cars and it shaped his choice of profession.

“You must go to school now and study to get a licence to be able to work as a mechanic in Ontario,” he says. “In the islands, they don’t really have licences. My father owned a garage and learned mechanics himself. That’s what you do in the islands: you learn from experience.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday for one year, Emmons attended night classes at Centennial College’s Ashtonbee Campus. He received his Ontario Ministry of Education and Training - Automotive Service Technician Certificate on September 22, 1979.

“At Centennial College I obtained my Class A licence,” he says – just the credential Emmons needed to open employers’ doors. “I have now been working for Downsview Chrysler for the past 28 years.”

With all those years of work experience in a big dealership, Emmons says that a lot has changed in the world of automotive technology since he started.

When he began his career, auto technology was made up of hydraulics and mechanical systems. Now it has changed from mechanical to electronic, and everything from engines to transmissions is different. The veteran mechanic notes that everything is controlled by computers and sensors. It’s a big change from the old way of working on cars.

Yet even though methods and technologies change, no car should be too intimidating for a mechanic to fix, Emmons says.

“A Class A mechanic is supposed to know how to fix any car,” he says. “At Downsview we work on Chrysler vehicles, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and now we are getting involved with Fiat. We have to learn to do whatever Fiat requires, so as a mechanic you must be able to fix all cars.”

Technicians learn the specifics of different vehicles by constantly educating themselves.

Every time Chrysler introduces a new model, Emmons says a course is offered either online or at the Chrysler training centre.

Emmons specializes in building transmissions, so if new information comes out he usually writes tests specifically involving transmissions. All courses completed result in a certificate.

Having a specialty in your field of work is very important, he says. To have a skill pertaining to the job you want that sets you apart from rest of your colleagues is something Emmons encourages.

A car’s transmission optimizes vehicle performance and fuel economy by transferring power from the engine to the drive wheels through a complex set of gears. Along with the general skills mechanics have, building automatic transmissions is Emmons’s specialty.

“I learned to build car transmissions at Downsview,” he says. “At present I am the only one at my location building them. Not too many people go into it because of the difficulty and the preparation you have to do to keep working at it. ”

Concerning the future of mechanics and those who wish to study it, Emmons’ outlook is positive. He advises youth to take advantage of whatever opportunities are available to them.

“Mechanics is a stable job and it’s a well-paid job,” he says. “The government is assisting young people in completing apprenticeships. For any young person who wants to be a mechanic, I advise them to earn themselves an apprenticeship licence and go to Centennial College.”

According to Emmons, apprenticeship programs can be up to five years long, most of it spent in the workplace gaining competencies before writing the provincial Certificate of Qualification exam.

In hindsight, Emmons says the effort has been worthwhile.

“The world of mechanics has been a good experience and I would encourage interested young people to get involved in it.”

Centennial College is Canada’s largest transportation technology training centre. Click here, for more information about the college’s many automotive programs.

Leslie Emmons is Franklyn’s daughter and a first-year student in Centennial’s Journalism program. Click here, to listen to Leslie interview Franklyn in this podcast (mp3).