Ford Technician Program Offers Specific Training

Imagine being paid to learn everything you need to know to become a Ford technician. That’s exactly the case for students of Centennial College’s Automotive Service Technician Ford Company of Canada Limited Asset (MAP 32) who may be eligible for EI (employment insurance) during in-class training and receive pay during the apprenticeship portion of the undertaking. “Students learn a set of skills and theories at the College. They then get a chance to practice these tasks in the real environment,” explains Peter Lokun, a Centennial professor.

To apply for this Ford technician training, students must possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or a General Education Diploma or equivalent. In addition, they must already be employed by a Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. Dealership. Successful applicants must secure an employer and then register as MAP apprentices with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Acceptance to the program is based on successful completion of all entry requirements. Limited space is available in this Ford technician training program. It is worth noting that candidates may apply directly to Centennial College.

The Ford technician training is structured to include both in-class and on-the-job experience. As such, every four weeks, students alternate between the College and their employer — for a total of 64 weeks (32 weeks with each). This benefits students as they first obtain a foundation in topics such as Ford’s latest technology, with the emphasis on electronics and the diagnosing of vehicle management systems. The foundation is then applied to on-the-job training with their employer during which students learn to deal with customers and prepare for increasingly advanced levels of Ford technician training.

The structure of this offering ensures that it is more in-depth with longer in-school sessions than traditional apprenticeships. Specific courses in the Ford technician training include: Motor Vehicle Gear Trains, Electrical/Electronics & Fuel Systems, Motor Vehicle Engine Systems, Applied Work Practices and Procedures and Suspension/Steering and Brakes. Additionally, this program includes Ford specialties that, in the past, students had to attend Ford school to learn. These specialties are: engines, electrical, brakes and climate control. All in-school training takes place at Centennial College’s Ashtonbee Campus, which is one of the province’s the largest transportation training centre. As such, students practice on cars and tools of the trade.

Once students complete the Ford technician training, they are qualified to maintain and repair cars, vans and pickup trucks by fixing engines, changing brakes, checking windshield wipers and fluid levels, and replacing mufflers, hoses, belts and plugs.