1. 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

2. 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.
Summary: Both the in-school apprenticeship curriculum and an
Ontario College diploma are completed concurrently in the Truck and
Coach Technician program.
Author Details: Klaudia is the author of this article, which describes
the options that Truck and Coach Technician and auto mechanic
courses program students have during the program and upon
graduation.
Keywords: truck technician, auto mechanic courses, truck and coach
technician