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Some people who want to become automotive service technicians may be limited in obtaining an education because they cannot afford to take time off work from their current automotive position to advance their education. At Centennial College, students don’t have to choose. With the post-secondary’s automotive service technician training, there is an earn-while-you-learn approach. That makes it possible to learn while still making a living. How? First, during the three eight-week in-school sessions of the automotive service technician apprenticeship, students may qualify for income support through Employment Insurance Canada benefits or training allowance. Meanwhile, there are also five periods of 1,800 hours with an employer during which students are fully compensated for their work. In addition, if that time period doesn’t fit their schedule, students can complete the program by attending one day a week for three years or two evenings a week for three years.

To apply for this automotive service technician training, students have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent and be employed as an apprentice. However, they cannot apply directly to the college or ontariocolleges.ca for admission. For general information about apprenticeship registration, students are asked to contact the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Once they have gone through the application process and been accepted, students will discover a program that puts the emphasis on ensuring they obtain a good working knowledge of all of a vehicle’s systems: engines, electrical/electronics, fuels, transmissions and drivelines, steering, suspension and brakes. This occurs through the provinces largest transportation training centre, Ashtobee Campus. This facility houses workshop labs that simulate a real life environment and include tools of the trade and entire cars and car parts that have been donated to the school, on which students practice. Leading the students are professionals from the field who can offer one-on-one instruction as well as share their own experiences. More specifically, during their in-school sessions students learn car systems by attending the following automotive service technician training courses: Drive Train Systems, Electrical/Electronic & Emission Systems, Engine Systems, Work Practices and Procedures, and Suspension/Steering and Brake Systems.

After learning about a certain aspect of being an automotive service technician, students spend time with an employer showcasing their skills, encountering customers and practicing in a real-life setting. Upon graduation from Centennial College, students have the potential to be hired by their apprenticeship employers, full-time. In fact, more than other industry, the automotive service technician field looks for apprentices and workers who enter the sector having already experienced hands-on situations. Positions for those with automotive service technician training can be found in: vehicle and parts manufacturers, dealers, garages and service stations, retailers, governments, corporations with their own fleets as well as in self-employment.

With the increase in number of social networking users, the Internet has added up another potential arena for marketing online social networking sites. Especially for automotive business, where branding will be the major marketing objective, advertising in social media is not worth ignoring. Here are some benefits of advertising in social networking sites for automotive businesses:

Reaches wider audiences
We are now in an era where an account in social networking site is as important as having a mobile. Facebook alone has 175 million users logging into the site each day. When you place your ad in a social networking site, it is more likely that your ad is watched by a large number of visitors.

Moreover, users are becoming more offended with traditional advertisements as they seem to invade their privacy. The ads in social networking sites may not seem intrusive as they mingle with the flow of conversations in them.

Improves traffic
The effectiveness of target-based advertising has long been recognized by businesses. It is much easier to promote your auto dealership to niche consumer base through wide number of options such as forums, marketplaces and groups on social networking sites. Such targeted online ads are more likely to increase click-through rates of your ads, from potential consumers. Thus, advertising in social networking sites will not only improve your landing page traffic, but also is more likely to convert the traffic into leads.

Builds good reputation
More and more consumers are turning to social networking sites for advice on purchasing their car. There are many credible automotive forums, blogs or groups on sites like Facebook, which have already built their reputation by helping many such people seeking advice. These conversations are re-visited and referred by many others who require similar advice. When your ad is displayed among those conversations, chances are more that you can build good brand reputation out of it.

Highly interactive
Interactive advertising has become one of the popular online advertising techniques today. The best option available for interactive online advertising is social networking sites. Unlike advertising in traditional media, advertising in social networking sites enables auto dealers to interact with their customers.

Post offers and discounts: There are certain social networking sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, Scoutmob, etc. that have become popular these days by allowing businesses to post offers and discounts at faster pace. They already have gained much popularity among consumers, thus leaving enough chances of increasing your advertising ROI.

Your social media marketing campaign can turn more effective, when supported by social networking advertisements. As the ads belong to the same platform that the users are using, it is more likely to get them to subscribe or sign up to your messages. This further helps you achieve your marketing goals easily.

Get feedback instantly: Social media enables two-way interaction between you and your consumers. Queries and feedback related to cars or services from consumers will reach you instantly. However, it is not likely that the feedback is positive always. But responding appropriately and quickly even to a negative feedback, will prove you more credible in the market.

You will require an effective social media strategy to gain success here the major reason most auto dealers do not succeed with it. Since the competition is less, there are more chances that you can use it to your advantage with the help of an experienced social media strategist.

If you are one of those auto dealers, who are still struggling to get enough ROI out of their advertising campaign, the problem might be with the advertising space you are investing in. It is then the right time to move to social networking sites for promoting your auto dealership.