Tag: MAP

Did you know that both employers and students benefit from the Canadian Tire-sponsored Automotive Service Technician training at Centennial College? For students, it is an opportunity to learn new skills and move up on the automotive industry. Meanwhile, John Morin, Service Manager from a Canadian Tire store explains how this undertaking benefits employers. “The benefits from an employer’s standpoint are that all the classroom training is complete,” he says. “We have a technician who is far more advanced in theory, more confident in his or her abilities and now just requires practical experience. We are able to adapt our manpower situation where we do not have a need to hire additional staff for an eight-week period (and possibly have to lay them off when the student returns to work). We have the benefit of having additional staff for the busy summer months and the new hire can attend school in the fall. This gives us a crop of well-prepared people who can advance quickly to a licensed technician.”

But how are all of the benefits actually applied with the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship? First and foremost, the training provided is more in-depth and in-school sessions are longer than that of traditional apprenticeships. As such, students are taught by spending 32 weeks partaking in in-school training and then heading to on-the-job experience at one of Ontario’s over 190 Canadian Tire stores, for four weeks. That means that by the time students reach their employer sessions, they will already have knowledge of the field thanks to the combination of theory and practical skills they are taught at Centennial College’s Ashtonbee Campus. This location is the largest transportation training centre in the province and includes tools, real cars and a lab environment. The generic tools on which, students practice are supplied by Canadian Tire to ensure confidence and comfort once they graduate and become employed.

In addition, while in school, Automotive Service Technician Training students attend courses that are part of a provincial automotive curriculum and satisfy the knowledge necessary to become a licensed technician. These courses are: Drivetrian Sytems, Electrical/Electronic & Emmission Systems, Engine Systems, Work Practices and Procedures, Suspension/Steering and Brake Systems

To apply for this Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship, students are required to have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or GED or equivalent. They should also be employed by a Canadian Tire dealership or selected through an interview process. For this modified apprenticeship, candidates may apply directly to Centennial College. As space in the undertaking is limited, acceptance is based on successful completion of all entry requirements. 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.

Completion of the Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship will see graduations comfortable with: maintaining and repairing cars, vans and pickup trucks by fixing engines, changing brakes, checking windshield wipers and fluid levels, and replacing mufflers, hoses, belts and plugs, you may want to consider.

Numbers dont lie: Honda is the worlds largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 14-million internal combustion engines each year. That means many of the cars on the road contain Honda engines. In addition, two years ago Honda became the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the United States, and the sixth largest in the world. With such impressive facts, it is a wise idea for those interested in the automotive world to become technicians with Honda.

Adding to that is the fact that opportunities at dealerships such as Honda are increasing, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting job growth in Automotive Service Technology to grow by 14 per cent from 2006 through 2016. The professionals employed by these dealerships have a variety of tasks, including: diagnosing problems using Honda diagnostic equipment; performing repairs and preventive maintenance on engines, transmissions, electrical systems, brakes and tires. Honda technicians also conduct vehicle inspections. But in order to enter the field, proper training must be acquired. Thats where Centennial College comes in. It offers an Automotive Service Technician Honda Apprenticeship, which consists of thorough but efficient training.

In order to apply for this Honda technician training program, you must already have 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 may apply directly to Centennial College, and if successful obtain, an employer and register as a MAP apprentice with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The application for the Honda technician training can be completed online. It should be noted that acceptance is based on successful completion of all entry requirements and space is limited.

Centennial Colleges one-year Honda Apprenticeship focuses on Hondas engines, parts and latest technologies. That training, which also includes Acura specialization, is more in-depth with longer in-school sessions than traditional apprenticeships. In total, you spend a solid 32 weeks in school and 32 weeks in the field, for a total of 64 weeks. During this time, you alternate between Centennial and your employer every eight weeks.

Within the school sessions, there is a major emphasis on electronics and the diagnosing of computerized control systems, with the opportunity to learn other aspects of vehicle technology. Ontarios largest automotive training facility, Ashtonbee Campus, is home to the Automotive Service Technician Honda program. As such, you learn to 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. Please note that students in the Centennial College Automotive Service Technician Honda program may be eligible for Employment Insurance during the in-class training.

However, the real practical experience occurs during the programs apprenticeship feature. During this time you are employed by a Honda dealership and are actually compensated for you work.