Diploma of Automotive Management

The Diploma of Automotive Management is a one-year qualification for people who want to run the business side of a workshop, dealership or automotive service operation. You study how a repair business actually makes money: quoting and costing jobs, managing parts inventory and suppliers, rostering technicians, dealing with customers, and keeping the books straight. There is also the compliance side, workplace health and safety, environmental rules for waste oil and chemicals, and the consumer law that applies when a customer disputes a repair.

How the qualification is structured

As a diploma, this sits at the middle of the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree and above a certificate IV. Australian diplomas are usually delivered over two semesters, though some providers run three trimesters across the year to let students finish faster. You enrol in individual units of study, each carrying a set number of credit points, and you need to pass the required units to graduate. Assessment is typically a mix of assignments, practical workshop-based tasks, case studies and exams. Because the course is hands-on, many diplomas like this include a work placement or industry project where you spend time in a real automotive business applying what you have learned. Confirm the exact unit list, placement hours and credit point structure with North Melbourne College before you enrol.

What you actually learn

Expect to come out able to read a profit and loss statement for a workshop, price a job so it covers labour and parts, manage a small team of tradespeople, and handle a difficult customer without escalating the problem. You also pick up the administrative skills that automotive businesses need daily, job scheduling, warranty claims, supplier negotiation and basic marketing. These are the skills that separate a good technician from someone who can run the place.

Who it suits

This diploma suits people already working in the automotive trade who want to move into supervision or ownership, and also people from a business or retail background who want to specialise in the automotive sector. It is not a trade qualification, you will not come out as a licensed mechanic. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and after graduating you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia. Check the current rules with the Department of Home Affairs. Tuition fees are published on the CRICOS register under course code 091693A, check the official page for the exact figure and intake dates.

• Automotive service manager, running the day-to-day operations of a workshop or dealership service department, managing staff, scheduling and customer complaints.
• Workshop supervisor, overseeing technicians, ordering parts, and making sure jobs are done on time and to standard.
• Parts and inventory manager, controlling stock levels, dealing with suppliers, and keeping the parts department profitable.
• Service advisor, the person customers talk to first, quoting jobs, explaining repairs and handling bookings.
• Fleet coordinator, managing maintenance schedules and costs for company vehicle fleets in logistics, mining or government.
• Small business owner, many graduates eventually run their own mechanical repair or automotive retail business.

These roles exist across Australia in new car dealerships, independent repair shops, national chains, fleet operators, and the mining and transport industries. The diploma also gives you credit toward further study, such as a bachelor degree in business or management, if you want to keep going.