Centennial College

Did you know that both the Centennial College Toyota Technician training apprentice and his or her employer benefit from the offering? That's because students of the Automotive Service Technician Toyota Training (as it is officially known) not only end up with a certificate (and ability to work as automotive service technicians, service writers and advisors, service and parts managers, trainers and professors or automotive manufacturer specialists), they may also be eligible for up to $4,000 in various grants and tax incentives. While they are in school, students of this Toyota Technician training may also be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) and while they are with their employers, they are fully compensated. Meanwhile, employers are eligible for up to $45,000 over four years in various federal and provincial tax incentives. They also gain a Toyota-dedicated employee that has future potential.

Those who wish to partake in the Toyota technician training are required to have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) or equivalent. In addition, they should be employed by a Toyota dealership. 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. Students may apply to a maximum of three programs at Centennial College. As with any college program, there are a limited spots within this Toyota technician training. When space permits, additional applicants who may not be employed by Toyota are selected through an interview process.

The Toyota technician training takes a total of 64 weeks to complete. During this time, students alternate between employer sessions and time on-site at the Ashtonbee campus. This location is actually the largest transportation training centre in the province. As such, students experience an environment that mimics a real-life workshop, complete with tools and Toyota vehicles that have been donated to the program on which students get to practice.

In-school Toyota technician training offers eight weeks more worth of material in greater depth than the traditional apprenticeship curriculum. It includes: diagnosing problems using Toyota diagnostic equipment and performing repairs and preventive maintenance on engines, transmissions, electrical systems, brakes and tires. Students also become familiar with conducting vehicle inspections. The five specific courses technician students complete on campus are: Drive Train Systems, Electrical/Electronic & Fuels, Engine Systems, Work Practices and Procedures and Suspension/Steering and Brake Systems. Meanwhile, during employer sessions Toyota technician training, students apply what they have learned in school to the real word. The practical and theoretical knowledge they obtained will serve them well as they learn to deal with customers and network with technicians employed by Toyota who know what the company is looking for in its employees.