Diploma of Automotive Management

The Diploma of Automotive Management is a 30-week qualification for people who want to run the business side of an automotive workshop, dealership or service centre. You study how a repair business actually makes money: quoting and costing jobs, managing parts inventory, rostering technicians, handling customer complaints, reading profit and loss statements, and keeping up with workplace health and safety and environmental rules that apply to workshops. There is also a strong focus on leading a small team, because most automotive businesses in Australia are small to medium enterprises where the manager is also the person solving problems on the floor.

How the qualification is structured

This is a diploma, so it sits above a certificate IV and below a bachelor degree on the Australian Qualifications Framework. At 30 weeks it is delivered as a compressed, full-time course rather than the three years a bachelor degree takes. You complete a set of units of study, each with a credit point value, and you need to pass all of them to graduate. Delivery is typically a mix of classroom or online theory and practical assessment tasks, and some providers build in a work placement or simulated workplace project so you can apply what you learn in a real service environment. Assessment is competency-based: you show you can do the task, not just describe it.

What you actually learn

Expect units covering financial management for a workshop, marketing and customer service, human resource basics, supply chain and parts procurement, and compliance with Australian automotive industry regulations. You will practise preparing budgets, analysing job profitability, negotiating with suppliers and writing quotes that hold up. Group work and case studies drawn from Australian workshops are common, and you will often present your findings to a small panel or class. The point is to leave with a portfolio of management tasks you have already done once under supervision.

Who it suits

This diploma suits three groups. First, experienced mechanics or service advisors who are being asked to step into a supervisor or manager role and need the business skills to match their technical ones. Second, people already working in automotive administration, parts or dealership front-of-house who want a formal qualification to move up. Third, international students who want an Australian qualification in a practical industry and are looking at the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream as a way to gain Australian work experience after graduating. While you study, a student visa generally lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight, which many students use to get part-time work in a dealership or repair shop.

English requirements for international applicants are set by the provider and by the Department of Home Affairs for the student visa itself. Check the official CRICOS entry and the provider page for the exact IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Cambridge score you need, and confirm tuition, intake dates and unit details directly with Imagine Education Australia.

• Automotive service manager or workshop manager in a repair business or dealership
• Service advisor handling bookings, quotes and customer relationships
• Parts and inventory manager for a workshop, parts distributor or dealership
• Assistant manager or team leader in an automotive retail or service operation
• Fleet maintenance coordinator for a logistics, government or utilities organisation
• Small business owner or operator of an automotive repair or detailing business

These roles sit across Australia's automotive retail, repair and maintenance industry, dealership groups, fleet operators and aftermarket parts suppliers. The diploma also gives you credit towards further study, such as a bachelor degree in business or management, if you want to keep going.