Future Truck and Coach Technician Obtain Well-Rounded Training at Centennial College
Those who are interested in attending auto mechanic courses that will
lead to a career as a Truck and Coach Technician should consider
attending Centennial College’s Truck and Coach Technician
(Co-op Apprenticeship), which combines on-the-job experience and
in-class lessons. Interested parties must meet a few requirements to
apply. First and foremost, students must possess an Ontario Secondary
School Diploma (OSSD) or General Educational Development (GED) or
equivalent. In addition, they must have the English 12 C or U or
equivalent or skills assessment. They may also be required to present a
resume and questionnaire that describes their experience and aptitude.
Successful applicants must be eligible to work in Ontario and have an
Ontario driver’s license. Lastly, applicants of these auto mechanic
courses must be employed in the automotive service technician trade.
The
Truck and Coach Technician program is focused on giving students the
flexibility they need to succeed. As such, although the program
traditionally takes two years to complete, students may study using
other formats to obtain their Ontario College Diploma. The traditional
format that will see students complete their Truck and Coach
Technician’s auto mechanic courses is called day-release. Students who
choose this format spend one day of the five-day working week on campus.
They do this for 32 weeks through the school year, experiencing between
a six and eight hour school day. Another option to completing the Truck
and Coach Technician program completion is block release. Students who
opt for this format attend schooling three times for three advancing
phases.
Whichever format they choose, students study in modern,
up-to-date lab with practical teaching aids and are guided by
experienced faculty members through the auto mechanic courses. In
addition to labs, the campus at which the Truck and Coach Technician
program is housed, Ashtonbee Campus, is the biggest transportation
training centre in the province. As such, this campus contains tools of
the trade as well as real vehicles on which students may practice their
applied mechanics, vehicle dynamics as well as component design and
repair skills as they apply to the apprentceship curriculum.
There
are also various levels of auto mechanic courses such as Engine
Systems, Brake Systems, Electrical Systems, Fuel Systems, Truck and
Coach Logistics, Preventative Maintenance, and more. Each level
introduces more advanced theories and techniques. In addition, students
are taught the business side of the Truck and Coach Technician field
with topics such as organizational behaviour, trade practices and fixed
operations management. The supplementary courses are exclusive to
Centennial prepare the graduate with advanced knowledge in the areas of
applied electrical/electronics and vehicular tracking/communication
systems.
Once students grasp a variety of concepts, they work as
registered apprentices at industry locations. This allows them the
opportunity to apply what they learned on campus. They then return to
Centennial College to complete the “in-school” requirements.
Graduates, aside from becoming Truck Technicians,
may go on to have careers as service writers/ advisors, service
managers, college teachers/ industry teachers and truck or coach company
representatives.