A Day in the Life of an Automotive Service Technician

An automotive service technician Canadian Tire will work a normal eight hours a day along with occasional weekends and evenings. Typically working in a motor vehicle dealer, garage or service station, the workday is always busy with duties to complete.

The technician will begin his or her workday by reviewing work orders and discussing the tasks at hand with the supervisor. When reviewing what needs to be fixed on the vehicle, the technician may find that several checks need to be conducted.

The technician will begin by changing, repairing or replacing parts and components of automotive systems including fuel, brake, steering and suspension systems, transmissions, differentials, drive and shafts, emission control and exhaust systems, engines and electrical, cooling and climate control systems by using hand tools and other specialized automotive repair equipment.

A technician may also find themselves painting and sanding vehicles, running tests or performing scheduled service maintenance, such as oil changes, lubrications and tune-ups.

The working environment is usually loud and nosy and technicians will find their days physically demanding as the work on different types of automotive everyday from hatchbacks and sedans to sport cars to antique vehicles.

Depending on the vehicle and the type of work that needs to be done, the technicians will require heavier machinery and they may spend hours welding or hammering dents out of a car door.

Whether a motor vehicle dealer, garage or service station, you will usually find an apprentice working alongside an experienced technician. Most of the time, the apprentice is completing a program component. Once the program is completed, the apprentice is likely guaranteed full-time work. In efforts to get the right education to work in the field, many opt to take a 32-week Automotive Service program. Centennial has partnered with Canadian Tire to offer the certificate program that combines in-depth classroom and hands-on lab training with a four week on the job work placement experience.

Automotive apprenticeship Canadian tire appeals to people who like hands-on tasks and who get satisfaction from challenging physical labour. Many are problem solvers and quick thinker who love being in an environment that allows them to fix what was once broken.

According to Stats Canada, given the growth in the motor vehicle fleet and aging population, the number of automotive service technicians should increase over the next few years. The field is looking promising, will you be apart of the automotive MAP Centennial program?

Three Benefits of Becoming an Early Childhood Educator

A career as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) is one that is both rewarding and fun. You will find that you’re career is truly unique. It’s unique in the sense that your office is a playground, a playground of not only endless play for the children who are in your care, but also a playground of endless learning.

The early childhood program swap the suit and tie for crayons, sandboxes, paint, toys and juice stains and not one would ever change their work environment because this setting, whether it be a daycare or a elementary classroom, is where not only the children thrive, but where the ECE thrives as a teacher.

The children who are in your care look to you for guidance, nurturing and affection; to them you are their learning resource.

Focus on Shaping Young Minds

You will be learning how to approach children with respect and consideration. That behavior will be reciprocated to you and the children will learn that they have value and worth. This will help build an environment open to knowledge.

The children will feel comfortable in your care, giving not only them ease, but their parents as well. The children will feel comfortable to express themselves through play, which will in turn help them learn and grow.

Children see endless possibilities when they create with open-ended materials. Learning becomes an innate part of their experimentation. Children learn concepts of math, science and language through their discoveries.

Educators know of the importance of children learning and absorbing, the education is the most vital at the ages of zero from five years old. Under their teachings and guidance, children from all backgrounds and diverse abilities, grow and learn through acts of play and socialization which helps them prepare for their educational career in the years to come.

For the Love of Children

Children always have a look of wonder in their eyes. The world is a big place for them and they are more than ready to explore. The workdays get a little brighter, minds get enlightened by the day and the love for your career continues to blossom. One must love children and all of their differences, be it characteristic differences or physical differences. One must want to make an impact of the lives of these young people and make a difference with lasting value.

It’s a messy job (paint stains, markers on your hands, sand in your hair, the list goes on.) You might want to bring a change of clothes, literally. But the small mess is worth the rewards.

Working in a Supportive Environment

Another perk about being in the Centennial ECE program is the supportive environment surrounding you. From administrators who are helping you grow as a teacher, to your peers who you will constantly be learning from, to the children you inspire, to the parents that you ally with as a nurturing figure to their little one.

The environment is always one that is positive, friendly and motivating.

Fast facts about the field in Canada

• The number of children 0-5 years has increased,rising from 2,093,000 children 0-5 years in 2009 to 2,230,000 in 2012.
• The 0-4 age group has been growing at the highest rate in 50 years (11% since 2006).

According to http://childcarecanada.org/sites/default/files/StateofECEC2012.pdf

Sounding like a career of interest? Wondering what background knowledge you’ll need?

The School of Community and Health Studies at Centennial College is highly respected, as it will teach you to take responsibility for observing the needs of children and create well-planned and stimulating programs suited to meet their needs.

Facilitated from Progress Campus, the Early Childhood Education program is a hands-on offering that will include real-world experience at Centennial College’s two early childhood education centres. Used as lab schools, these centres will allow you to experience and understand high quality childcare.

Let Centennial help you get into a career, not just a job, that you will love. One that not only will be rewarding to you, but rewarding to your community at large.

How the HRAC program ignites future success

As a Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician, your job is all about balance. That is, being able to achieve perfect temperatures, levels of humidity and overall air quality in homes, offices and other buildings. What you might not know is that these highly-skilled professionals can enjoy excellent job security, terrific learning opportunities, and even greater earning potential.

In-demand
When you think about it, most places have some sort of heating and cooling system in place. Whether it’s a large industrial furnace, a window-unit air conditioner or an ice rink refrigeration system, these appliances require constant maintenance and upkeep. Can you imagine what it would be like in the dead of winter with no heat or how difficult it’d be to skate on an iceless rink? So it’s not hard to imagine the sheer volume of service calls HRAC technicians receive on a regular basis, let alone at the beginning of the winter and summer seasons.

Service demand aside, employment growth in this industry has sharply increased – almost 40 per cent between 2010 and 2011 (Statistics Canada) – and with an aging population, many heating technician will soon retire making this one of the biggest growth industries.

Great earning potential
According to PayScale.com, entry-level workers start out making about $40,000 a year, and this only rises as you gain more experience. After about ten years on the job, and depending on your skills currency and career commitment, you might see yourself making upwards of $70,000 annually.
As with any career, education and training is supremely important. Not only because you learn the important theory and tactical skills needed to be successful, but because you’ll start higher on the pay scale than those who have just a high school education. Taking the HRAC program at Centennial also steers you into an apprenticeship, which is necessary if you wish to become a tradesperson.

Continual skills development and staying up to date on the latest technology is also a factor in how much you’ll earn. Associations like the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada and the interprovincial Red Seal program provide certification and on-going training opportunities to help you keep up with advances in technological and industry standards.

So what will I actually be doing?
Design and Installation – You might determine system designs to fit customer preferences, read blueprints and install to pre-determined specs, or simply introduce new systems in place of older ones.
Routine inspections – Inspecting older units to determine whether they meet current standards and regulations will be common in aging buildings. You might be asked to provide recommendations that meet energy-efficiency guidelines for the size of building and type of unit requested in addition to estimating costs for service.

Diagnostics, maintenance and service – Nothing lasts forever. And sometimes things break down at the most inopportune times, so emergency service in this industry is the norm. Refrigerant leaks, burnt out compressors, drainage blocks and sensor malfunctions are just some of the issues you’ll encounter in a long list of common problems. You’ll need to troubleshoot and diagnose what’s causing the difficulties, source parts, prepare service quotes… oh, and actually fix it!

So if you’re into ditching the briefcase for a combustion analyzer, then maybe you’ve found your match. This is a career for those who like using their hands, don’t mind getting them dirty and enjoy the challenge of solving complex mechanical and electrical problems.

Five Myths about the Trades

Do you enjoy being around cars? Would you rather work with your hands as opposed to being in front of a computer all day? Have you considered Centennial’s (Automotive) Motive Power Technician – Technical program?

Undoubtedly, the trades are a booming field. With continuous job growth, it’s no wonder the field is in such high demand. Just think about it, skilled trade workers have an impact on our daily life. For instance, automotive technicians diagnose, analysis and repair our vehicles. They help get our transmission fixed, check our oil and correct our brake, all of which help us drive safely.

Those who have chosen to pursue a career in the trades are valuable to our communities, yet those who choose to pursue an apprenticeship often fall victim to a number of myths surrounding the profession.

But that is all they are just myths, not reality, so let’s break a few here.

Myth #1: Skilled trades are for students who get poor grades

This seems to be the most popular misconception that faces those who have joined the trades. However, quite the contrary is true. Trade workers have strong academic foundations in reading, writing, math and science.

Myth#2: University is the only path to a good career

University is not the only path that one needs to take to ensure a promising career. Applying for an apprenticeship through the college will ensure you a good future in a high demand area with good pay and an opportunity to travel. Once certified, trade workers can move up and work as managers or supervisors.

Myth#3: Skilled trades are dirty, noisy and physically demanding

Yes, the trades can be physically demanding and the environments are certainly more diverse than that of an office, however, those who have chosen to work in the field find the work rewarding and get a great deal of satisfaction from working in a hands-on tasks.

Myth#4: Jobs in the trades are dead end jobs

The trades offer many opportunities to advance your career from supervisor, to management to even the possibility of owning your own business.

Myth #5: Women don’t have the physical strength to perform skilled trades

Another common and unfortunate misconception. Physical work does not solely imply strength. In fact, skilled trades require dexterity, stamina, good hand-eye coordination and balance – all attributes that women equally possess along with men.

If you are passionate about working with new technologies and are a hands-on learner, then the trades might be for you. Apply for an apprenticeship and see the benefits of trades work. You will be receiving hands-on training from your instructors, mastering life long skills and you will also be minimizing your student debt, pretty awesome right? Check out Centennial Automotive Technician program.

Five reasons to train as a truck and coach technician

Not interested in actually driving a big rig but you’re mechanically inclined? Opportunity knocks for technicians in this rapidly expanding industry.

Almost everything you see around you travelled by truck at some point in its journey to get into the hands of consumers. Even by air or water, shipments must first be transported to processing plants, warehouses and stores, all by truck. It’s a critical and fast-moving industry, and here’s why you should consider becoming a Truck and Coach Motive Power Technician:

1. There is no shortage of trucks that will need fixing – With more than 650,000 trucks on the road, servicing will always be needed for things like regular wear and tear, motor vehicle accidents, and federal safety requirements (which means routine inspections). And according to Workopolis, there’s been an increase in demand for service technicians over the last year by more than 130 per cent. Career prospects are looking good!
2. Technicians can have great work-life balance – Unlike their truck-driving counterparts, who sometimes have to sacrifice a lot due to the time spent on the road, technicians keep regular and stable work hours. This means they don’t have to worry about putting strain on family or other relationships, can pursue interests and hobbies outside of work, and can build a life in a permanent location.
3. There is opportunity for career progression and advancement – Truck and coach technicians have the opportunity to obtain Red Seal endorsement on their trade certificates, which is the Canadian standard for excellence in the skilled trades. This means technicians can work anywhere in Canada and have greater career prospects than those not endorsed. Other opportunities include the ability to rise up into management positions or become shop owners.
4. Foundational and in-depth training can be completed in just two short years – Our program gives you the ability to gain significant and thorough understanding of structural, mechanical, electrical and electronic vehicle systems and components in a short amount of time. This means you can get working in the industry as quickly as possible.
5. You never wanted to sit behind a desk all day, anyway – You’re the type of person who enjoys figuring things out and understanding how they work. You don’t mind getting your hands dirty; in fact, you love it! You’ll never grow roots to a chair because you’re under a hydraulic platform or half inside a diesel engine.

So in an industry that’s booming, and a field that can give you maximum work-life balance and enormous opportunity, why not go for it? You’ve got nothing to lose and can start this September. Enroll today to become a Truck Technician in Toronto!