General Motors Technicians Elevate Their Careers at Centennial College

Are you currently working as an automotive apprentice at a General Motors of Canada dealership? Do you think you’re ready to take the next step in your career in becoming a General Motors technician ? If so, the ideal GM Technician training program awaits you at Centennial College.

This program, officially known as Automotive Service Technician General Motors of Canada ASEP (MAP 32), requires applicants to be currently employed as automotive apprentices at a General Motors of Canada dealership. In addition, they must possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or a GED or equivalent. Interested parties can apply directly to the College. Acceptance to the GM technician training is based on successful completion of all entry requirements and space is limited. It should be noted that if students are not currently General Motors employees, they may be selected through an interview process. Once they’ve been accepted, they are required to obtain an employer and register as a MAP apprentice with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Designed to offer hands-on practice, theory and real-life application, the GM Technician training sees students alternating between the college and their employers for a total of 64 weeks (32 weeks with each). This approach works well because students first have a chance to gain a foundation then apply what they have learned about GM vehicle systems, diagnosis and repair following recommended GM service procedures to real life situations. Additionally, because the offering is longer than traditional apprenticeships, students gain a more in-depth knowledge of General Motors vehicles and procedures.

Students have the advantage of the GM technician training being facilitated out of Centennial College's Ashtonbee Campus, which is Canada’s latest transportation centre. As such, students practice on real GM cars using tools they will find in the industry.

More specifically, while they are completing their in-school sessions, these General Motors technicians in training attend five specific courses: Motor Vehicle Gear Trains, Electrical/Electronics & Fuel Systems, Motor Vehicle Engine Systems, Applied Work Practices and Procedures, and Suspension/Steering and Brakes. These courses encompass all of the latest GM vehicle systems.

After gaining vital knowledge, students work with their employers and practice their new skills while being compensated for their work and setting themselves up for full-time hire.

Becoming a General Motors Technician means students enter a company that as of 2011 was considered the world’s largest automaker, by vehicle unit sales. In addition, GM employs 202,000 people and does business in some 157 countries. General Motors technicians are responsible for a variety of tasks, including: Writing vehicle damage repair estimates, repairing broken or worn mechanical components, maintaining repair and service records, installing equipment, components and systems; testing vehicles both before and after repair; and repairing electrical wiring, circuits, fixtures, brakes, transmissions, electrical systems, breaks and tires.