Take Your First Career Step With Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship Training

Within the automotive industry, especially the automotive service technician sector, hands-on training is essential to obtaining a job. Employers want you to come to work with some sort of previous experience, which is where apprenticeships come in. Apprenticeships are a system of learning by doing. They consist of on-the-job training with an employer and related class studies in automotive schools. Apprenticeships vary in length, depending on the trade. However, sometimes even the competition for apprenticeships can be tough. That’s why Centennial College has developed its Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship Training.

The focus of the undertaking is to help you to improve your chances at being a top candidate to obtain an apprenticeship position. It is ideal for a few different categories of people and is offered at no cost. For example, anyone wishing to improve his or her skills and gain insight into the automotive industry may find this automotive training beneficial. In addition, if someone is unemployed and looking to return to the workforce, has left school early or is new to Canada, this program may be for them.

To apply for this training in Centennial's automotive school, you must possess an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent and be employed as an apprentice. However, you cannot apply directly to the college or ontariocolleges.ca for admission. For general information about apprenticeship registration, please contact the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Check out the contact information by visiting Centennial College’s Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship Training admissions page.

The automotive training last 36 weeks, during which you will gain knowledge of automotive and truck/coach technology in a modern lab setting and have help obtaining a 12-week job placement. During your in-school session, you will also update your English and math/computer and job-readiness skills (such as resume writing and interview techniques). Meanwhile, your field experience will see you working in a repair garage, car dealership or truck operation.

Once you complete the Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship undertaking, you will be ready to partake in an apprenticeship program. These programs are a major employment growth area because of the number of skilled workers who are set to retire. Therefore, the government continuously offers tax credits, scholarships and signing bonuses to encourage the hiring of apprentices for skills training. Also, graduates of the Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship training will receive credit for Truck and Coach Technician Level 1 or Automotive Service Technician Level one. This credit exempts them from some of the classes in the traditional apprenticeship program. It is the door you need to open to move up and begin a long-lasting career.

In 2008, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities also selected Centennial to offer the Pre-Apprenticeship program in Truck and Coach Technician. Ever since, these programs have been helping students to gain apprenticeships in many areas of the automotive field.

Become a Toyota Expert with the Automotive Service Technician Toyota Apprenticeship

The Toyota Motor Corporation is the world’s largest automobile maker by sales and production. That means two things. First, Toyota is constantly creating new vehicles, upgrading current ones and sitting at the forefront of innovation. Second, with sales as high as they are, there are clearly many Toyota vehicles on the road. These vehicles sometimes break down or have accidents and Automotive Service Technicians are needed to fix them. This is where it becomes obvious that professionals trained at an Automotive Service Technician Toyota Apprenticeship have an advantage.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job growth in Automotive Service Technology to grow by 14 percent from 2006 through 2016, with increased job opportunities at dealerships, such as Toyota. The Toyota Automotive Service Techs must be able to diagnose problems using Toyota diagnostic equipment and perform repairs and preventive maintenance on engines, transmissions, electrical systems, brakes and tires. Technicians also conduct vehicle inspections. Technicians should have good customer service and communication skills as well as computer proficiency as many of today’s car models have a computer system within them. Another quality that a Toyota Automotive Service Technician should possess is the ability to work with his or her hands and have enough stamina to be under the car, bending over the hood or in other such positions for extended periods of time.

Centennial College’s one-year Automotive Service Technician Toyota Apprenticeship is designed for those students who have a particular desire to work with this specific company. The training focus is, therefore, on Toyota’s latest technologies and is more in-depth with longer in-school sessions than traditional apprenticeships. Emphasis is placed on electronics and the diagnosing of computerized control systems. However, students also learn all aspects of vehicle technology. They get to work on different vehicle systems such as electrical, body electrical, engine, transmission, steering, front-end, and all other aspects that would allow a Toyota vehicle to be serviced. Every eight weeks, the students in this Modified Apprenticeship alternate between the college and their employer. This occurs for a total of 64 weeks, during which they are paid for the apprenticeship aspect. Upon successful completion, students will complete on-the-job experience with their Toyota dealership employer. Another appealing aspect of the Automotive Service Technician Toyota Apprenticeship program is that students may be eligible for Employment Insurance during the in-class training.

Centennial College requires students who are applying for this Modified Apprenticeship program to present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or a GED or equivalent. They must also be employed by a Toyota dealership or be selected through an interview process. Candidates may apply directly to Centennial College, with successful applicants obtaining an employer and registering as a MAP apprentice with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Apprenticeship Path to a Career

Trevor Thompson registering for the Modified Apprenticeship Program in Truck and Coach in August 2008 (inset). The larger picture shows Trevor (on the right) in his work placement with the City of Toronto (Fleet Maintenance) this past December.

Trevor is thankful for the help he has received from the Ministry (Marieke Vander-Meiden) and SoT staff (Professors Thompson, Dixon and Tamburro) in pursuing his goal of becoming a licensed technician with the City of Toronto. He moved to Scarborough last year because he was interested in studying at Centennial.

He started with the Con. Ed. Department by taking night courses on Steering, Suspensions and Brakes while being employed during the day at East Spring Service. When he heard about the opportunity to study full time in the Modified Truck and Coach Co-op he did not hesitate to quit his job to pursue full time studies. With a little support from EI and his savings account, Trevor has remained focused upon his goals of continuing to achieve credentials in the Transportation industry.

His professors are receiving very good reports on his field placements. He even volunteered to stay on for an additional three weeks in his placement with the City of Toronto. Trevor is impressed “with the amazing diversity of people and the variety of equipment in the Fleet Maintenance Department.”

We can expect to see Trevor around our campus for some time yet as he continues to build upon his successes by enrolling in full and part-time programs with the School of Transportation. Visit Automotive schools to find more information about your apprenticeship training.