Enter the Automotive Service Field as a Chrysler Technician in Just Two Years

Have you always had an interest in fixing cars? Do the inner workings of a car fascinate you? Do you love cars such as the Dodge Challenger or the Chrysler 300? Do jobs like automotive service technician, service writer/advisor, service manager, instructor/professor and auto company representative sound like they may appeal to you? Have you completed at least an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or General Educational Development (GED) or equivalent? If you answered yes to these questions, you may have what it takes to apply for the Chrysler Apprenticeship (officially known as Automotive Service Technician Co-op Apprenticeship – Partnered with Chrysler Canada Inc.) at Centennial College.

Now is a great time to obtain Chrysler apprenticeship training as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job growth in Automotive Service Technology to grow by 14 percent from 2006 through 2016. When applying to Centennial College’s offering, please note that you may also be required to present a resume and transcript for faculty review. In addition, future Chrysler technicians may be required to fill out a questionnaire and attend an interview. Note that English proficiency and satisfactory results in a program admission session will also be considered during the admissions process.

Once students are accepted into the Chrysler Technician undertaking, they experience both in-school sessions and on the job training at a Chrysler dealership. This works by seeing students spend the first eight months of the program in school, eight months in co-op as a registered apprentice and a final eight months in school. Altering between on-campus and off-campus learning ensures that students are well prepared for the field and its challenges. By spending the first eight months at Ashtonbee Campus, the province’s largest transportation training centre, students are able to apply the skills they have learned during their employer session. By coming back to the school after their employer training is over, they are able to apply what they have learned in the field to the second portion of their program. It’s an ideal combination.

As part of the in-school curriculum, students train on automobile assemblies in fully-equipped campus automotive labs. They focus on Chrysler product component design and repair, as it applies to the apprenticeship curriculum. In addition, they take courses in automotive trade business, English and general education that will help prepare them for employment opportunities in a dealership administrative role. Specific courses included in the Chrysler apprenticeship, include: Work Place Practices & Procedures, Engine Systems, Drive Train Systems, Suspension/Steering & Brakes, Electrical/Electronics & Emissions, Occupational Health & Safety; College Communications; Autobody Estimating and more.

Once students graduate, they can take on a number of roles that include automotive service technician, service writer/advisor, service manager, instructor/professor and auto company representative. As a Chrysler technician duties include: diagnosing problems using Chrysler diagnostic equipment; performing repairs and preventive maintenance on engines, transmissions, electrical systems, brakes and tires.

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.

Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technicians Are In Demand

Did you know that as a refrigeration and air conditioning technician you will be in high demand in areas such as technical support, maintenance and installation, design, and sales and service? With today's residential central air conditioning systems up to 35 per cent more energy-efficient than those that were typically installed in the 1990s, the skills needed to fulfill these positions are evolving, as is the training one must undertake to be successful. At Centennial College, students can complete the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician offering, which takes two years to complete.

These Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning technicians are first and foremost responsible for making, installing, repairing and servicing residential, commercial and industrial cooling and heating systems. As part of their job, refrigeration and air conditioning technicians measure, cut and connect piping using welding and brazing equipment; recharge systems with refrigerant gases as required; connect rooftop units to gas, test and balance systems and connect electrical systems; adjust computerized controls; use computer software to calculate loads, and work on large machines. Some work in building maintenance, others specialize in repairing small, portable refrigeration and freezing units.

All of these skills are acquired through Centennial College's Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning courses, which result in an Ontario College Diploma credential. The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning courses are facilitated from Progress Campus, where students partake in courses such as Ethics in Technology and Environment; Acts, Regulations and Procedures; Electrical Fundamentals; Mechanical Cooling Cycle; Pipe Joining & Installation for Cooling; Systems Design and Installation; Air Conditioning and Distribution Systems and many mothers. In addition, a Capstone Project rounds out in-class training. This final project encompasses elements of everything the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning technician students have learned throughout their time in the program. A faculty member supervises this project.

As a result of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning courses, students develop skills in: maintaining, sizing and selecting equipment for air conditioning and refrigeration application; the development of refrigerants; development of equipment to meet the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) standards; efficiency standards for heating equipment; installation and service techniques; among others. Upon graduation from Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician program, students may obtain employment as heating technicians or through affiliated trade apprenticeships in plumbing, pipefitting, electrical, sheet metal or refrigeration. Apprenticeship is required after graduation, for those who wish to become tradespersons.

Applicants interested in attending Centennial College's Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Courses, are required to complete an application process. As part of this process, applicants must have at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older). In addition, they must have completed English 12C or U, or skills assessment, or equivalent; and Math 11M or U, or 12C or U, or skills assessment, or equivalent.

Reliable Continuing Education Options at Centennial College

Sometimes, numbers tell the strongest story. That is the case with Centennial College's School of Continuing Education. Consider that nearly every year, 22,000 students attend the School's 160 programs that feature 1,200 courses. Among these 22,000 students, there is a 97 per cent learner satisfaction. This high rate of satisfaction is thanks to a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, Centennial College's Continuing Education option includes part-time, evening, weekend, online and alternative format courses — all of which are designed to help students improve their skills, further their education and pursue a variety of interests. Secondly, the school carters to a wide range of people — from those who have taken a break to education to professionals looking to upgrade their skills to keep up with technology. Thirdly, all course and programs foster a mature learning environment with instructors who are well equipped to relate to students and ensure that they are being respected in every step of their college education journey.

Among the specific Continuing Education areas of study are: Part-time Health Studies, Business, Computers and Information Technology, Early Childhood Education, Engineering Technology, Media and Design, Retirement Communities Management/Long Term Care Management, Food Service Worker, Addiction Studies, Transportation, and more.

As previously mentioned, there are both in-school and Distance Learning options. The more traditional Continuing Education option is to attend classes on campus. This works well for students who enjoy class discussions, projects and do better learning what face-to-face interaction with an instructor. These students attend courses a few times a week, often during the evenings.

Meanwhile, independent learners who excel from studying alone may prefer the Distance Learning option of Centennial College's School of Continuing Education. Under this umbrella, there are two choices. The first is taking Print Based Course, which usually take six months to complete. A print-based course offered through Continuing Education consists of lessons, written assignments, exams and the various tools for success. Upon registration, participants will receive a Registration Confirmation Letter, Proctor Information Form, Student Guide and all of the educational materials required to complete the course. A more modern Distance Learning option consists of online courses, which is a form of instructor-led study enabling students to work through course material and assignments in their own time and space, with 24- hour access to the online classroom. In most cases, both delivery methods require students to attend the campus towards the end of their class to write a continuing education final exam.

Those interested in attending a Continuing Education program or course should be advised that each undertaking has its own prerequisites and it's best to check each individual program's page to ensure that students have the necessary requirements to apply. Within certain programs there might be qualification requirements and costs for external accreditations, designations, certifications or recognitions. These are set by the granting bodies and not by Centennial College. In order to qualify for any of those external accreditations, designations, certification or recognition, students and graduates will need to follow the processes and meet the applicable requirements listed on the websites and materials of those external bodies.

Heavy Equipment Courses Take Two Years To Complete

Did you know that you can become a Heavy Duty Equipment Technician in just two years? It is possible with the Heavy Duty Equipment Technician (Co-Op Apprenticeship) at Centennial College, which not only prepares you for the field but also results in an Ontario College Diploma. The best part is that all you need to be considered for acceptance is the possession of at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or General Educational Development (GED) or equivalent; satisfactory results in a program admission session; experience and mechanical aptitude; a resume and English proficiency.

The Heavy Duty Equipment Technician program is presented as having the ideal balance between practical application and theory thanks to its combination of on-the-job, co-op training at a heavy equipment work place and in-school curriculum.

As such, during the first eight months of the offering, students study at Centennial College’s Ashtonbee Campus. Here, they attend specific Heavy Equipment courses such as Trade Practices, Engine Systems, Drive Train Systems, Brake Systems, Electrical Systems, Fuel Systems, Fluid Power Systems. As you can see, Heavy Duty Equipment courses focus on applied mechanics, vehicle dynamics as well as component design and repair, as it applies to the apprenticeship curriculum. In addition, students take courses in advanced electrical/ electronics, logistics, plus hoisting and rigging that is only available at Centennial. To off-set the Heavy Equipment courses, students also experience business and professionalism courses such as:  Occupation Health and Safety, College Communications, Organizational Behaviour, Global Citizenship, Fixed Operations Management and more. Because the Heavy Duty Equipment Technician program is offered out of Ashtonbee Campus, Ontario’s largest transportation training centre, students get to learn by fixing actual heavy duty equipment vehicles using tools that are used in the field.

After their eight months on campus, students of the Heavy Duty Equipment Technician program spend eight months at a heavy equipment facility. During this time, they apply their knowledge, network and get to know professionals in the field. After completing their eight on-the-job months, students return to the college to complete their entire Ontario apprenticeship in-school curriculum.

Many students of the Heavy Equipment Courses offering end up staying on as full-time employees at their co-op placement upon graduation as they enter the apprenticeship aspect of their careers. Among the responsibilities of these professionals are: checking bulldozers, cranes, graders and other heavy construction, agricultural, logging and mining equipment for proper performance and inspect equipment to detect faults and malfunctions; adjusting equipment and repairing or replacing defective parts, components or systems; testing repaired equipment for proper performance and to ensure that work meets manufacturers’ specifications; and much more.