Brake Technicians and Wheel Alignment Technicians Obtain Training in One Program

Brake technicians and wheel alignment technicians find work with: vehicle and parts manufacturers, dealers, garage retailers, governments, corporations with their own fleets and through self-employment. Today's sophisticated vehicles require specialists to maintain and repair their complex systems, and ensure that the braking system and steering wheels in vehicles meet appropriate safety standards. Therefore, among the responsibilities of brake and alignment technicians are providing service that includes operating equipment such as grinders, brake lathes and bleeders, hoists, alignment machines, strut compressors, air guns, bearing packers, and installing brakes, shocks, struts and front end parts. They are also required to test drive customer vehicles.

As a student in the Alignment and Brake Technician apprenticeship at Centennial College — through courses such as Work Practices, Suspension & Steering Systems; Tires, Wheels, Hubs & Alignment, and Brakes Systems, and on-the-job training — you will gain in-depth knowledge of wheel and steering systems and their relation to vehicle control and stability. The program also covers service and repair for all types of braking systems.

But what makes this brake technician and alignment technician program unique? Well, it is divided into three training periods of 1,800 hours with an employer and two eight-week college sessions. During the in-school sessions students work out of the largest training centre in the province, Ashtonbee Campus. This facility includes the latest technology and real cars that have been donated to the College. Helping students to become qualified professionals are professors who possess up-to-date experience and knowledge of the industry. The in-school portion of the Alignment and Brake Technician program is geared to on-the-job learning to ensure that students are well trained enter the field upon completion. In addition, during their time studying to be a brake technician and wheel alignment technician, students may be eligible to qualify for income support through Employment Insurance Canada benefits or training allowance.

Meanwhile, the time that is spent with an employer allows students the opportunity to apply what they have learned while working alongside seasoned professionals in a real-life setting. This setting also exposes students to situations with which they may have deal upon graduation — including difficult customers, customers whose first language is not English, and an array of other scenarios.

To apply, students must have an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent. They must also be employed as an apprenticeship. Lastly, students cannot apply directly to the college or ontariocolleges.ca for admission. To learn more about the application process, check out the Alignment Technician admission requirements page.

Ford Technician Training Gets Your Foot In The Automotive Door

"Students learn a set of skills and theories at Centennial College. They then get a chance to practice these tasks in the real environment," sums up Peter Lokun a professor in the Ford technician training program at Centennial College. Although it may sound simplistic, this combination of in-school sessions and time with an employer is designed to ensure that students are ready for the field upon graduation. Officially known as the Automotive Service Technician Ford Company of Canada Limited Asset (MAP 32) Apprenticeship, this undertaking takes one year to complete and is conducted from the province's largest transportation training centre, Ashtonbee Campus. It is fully equipped with real cars that have been donated to the school by Ford as well as all the latest tools that students will find in the field upon graduation.

The Ford technician training is more in-depth than a traditional apprenticeship. This ensures that students become experts in the field by focusing on the latest Ford technology such as: electronics, transmission, engines, air conditioning, supplemental restraint systems and the diagnosing of vehicle management systems. In addition, the program teaches Ford specialties that, in the past, students had to attend Ford school to obtain. These specialties are: engines, electrical, brakes and climate control.

Every four weeks, students in the Ford Technician training alternate between the College and their employer for a total of 64 weeks (32 weeks with each). While with an employer these future Ford technicians, work alongside professionals to gain additional knowledge and apply what they have already learned. They also get to experience dealing with real customers and become familiar with situations that they may encounter in the field. Centennial College favours an earn-while-you-learn approach and students are compensated for their work. In addition, students may be eligible for employment insurance during the in-class training.

Students who are interested in obtaining Centennial College's Ford Technician Training must have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or a General Education Diploma or equivalent. A Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. Dealership must also employ the applicant. Successful applicants must obtain an employer and then register as a MAP apprentice with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Acceptance is based on successful completion of all entry requirements. Limited space is available in each program. Please note that candidates may apply directly to Centennial College for this Ford technician training.

In 2002, there were approximately 818,000 automotive service technicians employed in positions in the United States alone. Duties of automotive service technicians include: 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 and fixtures.

Centennial College's Honda Technician Training Ensures Education and Hands-on Practice

Numbers showcase the success of a car company. If you're looking for a reliable employer, consider that Honda is the sixth largest automotive manufacturer in the world and in 2008 it surpassed Chrysler as the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. As jobs are expected grow in the automotive service technology field by 14 per cent from 2006 to 2016, now is the time to consider obtaining Honda technician training and entering this exciting field.

Honda technicians are usually employed by dealerships where they perform a variety of automotive service duties. First and foremost, these techs must know how to use Honda diagnostic equipment to properly diagnose the reason the car malfunctioned. After this is completed, technicians perform the appropriate repairs and preventive maintenance. This maintenance or repairs may occur on engines, transmissions, electrical systems, brakes and tires. In addition, Honda technicians conduct vehicle inspections.

To enter the field, one must obtain Honda technician training or GM technician training. These specialized options ensure that the techs are comfortable with this specific make of car. At Centennial College in Toronto, students are trained through a modified apprenticeship program, which emphasizes knowledge of Honda's engines, parts and latest technologies.

If Honda is a dealer that catches your interest, you can apply to the program by, first, presenting an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or a GED or equivalent. In addition, you must also be employed by a Honda dealership or be selected through an interview process. You can actually 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. The application for the Honda technician training program can be completed online. Please note that your acceptance is based on successful completion of all entry requirements and space is limited.

Students in this program gain the upper-hand as training lasts 64 weeks and offers a more detailed look at Honda vehicles than traditional apprenticeships. Students spend 32 weeks at Centennial College participating in lectures and courses such as: Applied Work Practices and Procedures, Motor Vehicle Engine Systems, Steering Suspension and Brakes, and Electrical Electronics and Fuels. Alternating for another 32 weeks, students spend time with an employer, which gives them the opportunity to interact with clients, learn alongside professionals who have been in the business for years as well as network.

While obtaining their in-school experience, students study out of Ashtonbee Campus, which is Ontario's largest automotive training facility. Throughout the courses mentioned above, they work on systems such as electrical, body electrical, engine, transmission, steering, front-end, and all other aspects that would allow a Honda vehicle to be serviced. It should be noted that some students within the GM technician training at Centennial College may be eligible for Employment Insurance during the in-class sessions.

A College Degree Can Help You to Advance

Obtaining a college degree or diploma can be beneficial not only to your place in the workforce but to your mental health and well being. College degree and diploma programs have varying lengths and are affordable. Although they range in topics, they do have some things in common.

First and foremost, degree programs and diploma program expose you to a wide range of people. Your professors and instructors come from many walks of life and have experience in the field that you will enter upon graduation. They are able to share stories from their own careers and personal experiences. In addition, they can help you to network with established professionals in the field. This often occurs when degree programs offer their students work placements or internships. Usually taken in the last semester of their educational undertaking, these real life components see students working in companies during which they are embedded with regular employees. Although the traditional idea of an internship conjures up images of coffee runs and walking the company owners dog, today's work place experiences are anything but. They include real responsibilities and serious networking. Lastly, in degree programs you will meet your fellow classmates who may help you to ensure you are prepared for exams, and you, in turn, will help them. It is often said that you know a subject when you are ready to teach it. The small classes sizes of degree programs ensure that this is possible.

Of course, attending a college degree program also has positive benefits to your career and financial well being. According to the Census Bureau, individuals who have a college degree earn around $2.1-million throughout their working adult life, while high school graduates earn an average of $1.2-million. Taking a closer look at weekly earnings brings the life-span numbers into more perspective. In winter 2004-05, the US Department of Labor reported that in 2003, workers who had a bachelors degree had a median weekly earning of $900, compared with $554 a week for high school graduates. That's a 62 per cent jump in median earnings.

At Centennial College, students can take diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate, degree programs and more. The college was founded in 1966 and is Ontario's first community college. This longstanding history ensures that students are learning from programs that are tried, tested and true. Of course, these programs have evolved with technology and other such advances, and will continue to evolve as Centennial College is on the cutting edge with many of its programs. For example, it offers full-time programs such as Advertising, Biomedical Engineering Technology, Strategic Management, Police Foundations, Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Management and hundreds of others, whose grads are in high-demand. In addition, the college also offers more than 150 part-time degree programs.

Centennial College’s Architecture Program Is on the Cutting Edge

“The architecture program [at Centennial College] leads to a diploma in architectural technology. The program is really cored around sustainable design and that’s what kind of sets us apart from some of the other colleges that have the same sort of program,” says John Romanvo, a professor in the three-year undertaking. An architecture student, Alana Galligan, points out another reason why the architecture program stands out. “It’s the only college in this area that has a paid co-op program, she points out. “The co-op is helpful because you get to incorporate things that you have learned in the past and now it starts to make sense and stick together.”

These testimonials prove that Centennial College’s architecture program (officially known as Architecture Technology) offers fantastic benefits to students, but there is more. Using state-of-the-art computer technology, students in the program prepare designs, construction drawings and specifications needed to communicate with clients, construction professionals and approval authorities. As professor Romanov mentioned, there is a green focus to Centennial’s architecture program that is highlighted through an emphasis on protecting the environment, energy conservation, and sustainable design and construction strategies. In addition, lessons are provided on topics such as building materials, construction methods, structural design, mechanical and electrical services, building codes, contracts, specifications, and the business environment for providing design and construction services. Specific courses in the architecture program include: Design and Computer Aided Drafting Project, College Communications, Environment, Mathematics for Architecture, Microcomputer Applications for Technology, Materials and Methods, and many others.

Academically qualified students can enhance their education by working as paid employees in the architectural technology field, for a total of up to 12 months. This experience puts classroom learning into practice and provides valuable career contacts.

To apply, for the architecture program, students must have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. In addition, they must have the compulsory English 12C or U credit or skills assessment, or equivalent and the Math 11M or U or 12C or U credit or skills assessment, or equivalent. Possession of minimum admission requirements does not, however, guarantee admission to undertaking. Please note that in order to gain entry into the fifth semester of the program, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA. In, a minimum C grade in COMM-170/171, minimum 2.5 GPA, and minimum 80 per cent successfully completed year 1 courses required for COOP-221 and subsequent co-op work placements.

According to Service Canada, there is an expected growth in construction and architectural services that will result in an increased number of architectural technology jobs in the next couple of years. Service Canada adds that the new opportunities will first be available to candidates with a college diploma in the architectural technology/technician areas of study. In 2006, census data showed that approximately 63 per cent of architectural technologists and technicians worked in architectural, engineering and related services firms. Significant numbers could also be found in the construction industry, public administration and the manufacturing sector.