Restoring his ’76 Corvette is a bucket list item for Trevor Whelan and, after completing Lakeland College’s street rod technology (SRT) microcredentials, he’s got the skills he needs to get the job done. 

“I’ve been working on the car for three or four years now,” Whelan says. “It was a bucket list item for me, wanting to do all the work myself. I always wanted to take the courses at Lakeland and I did this year. It saves you a bunch of money if you’re not paying someone else to do the body work and the paint.” 

Lakeland offers SRT microcredentials, covering topics such as sheet metal welding and shaping, braking and steering systems, panel restoration and replacement, and body and paint. Each one is taught over the course of a two-day weekend at Lakeland’s Energy Park Site and after completing all five, students receive an SRT certificate.

“The courses were really good and very informative. They give you a well-rounded overall view of the steps required to complete a project,” Whelan explains. “They’ve got everything at the shop and you get a chance to try all the different tools to see what actually works for you. The instructors have been building cars for years. There’s lots of knowledge there to be shared.”

Each weekend, Whelan and the other students spent half a day in class and the rest of the time in the shop working on projects.  

After he finished the final microcredential in February, Whelan was surprised with a $1,000 scholarship from the Edmonton Antique Car Club.

“I didn’t expect it,” he says. “I was pretty flattered that they gave it to me. I went there with the attitude that I was there to learn, and I just jumped in. It was the hands-on part that I wanted to be involved in and learn from.

“I loved taking this course. Now that I have, I’ve got an idea of how to actually go about it without standing there scratching my head.”