Diploma of Automotive Management

The Diploma of Automotive Management is a one-year qualification for people who want to run an automotive business rather than spend their days under a bonnet. You will study how workshops operate as businesses: job costing and quoting, parts and inventory control, staff rostering, customer service, workplace safety, and the compliance side of running a registered automotive business in Australia. Expect units on financial reporting, marketing, and leading a small team. Assessment is mostly practical, case studies, simulated workshop scenarios, and projects based on real business problems.

How the qualification is structured

As a diploma, this sits at AQF level 5. It is normally delivered over one year of full-time study, across two or three study periods depending on the provider. You complete a set number of units of study, each carrying credit points, and there is usually a work-based project or supervised placement in an automotive workplace where you apply what you have learned to an actual business. Some providers offer part-time or online delivery for people already working in the trade.

What you actually learn

You will learn to read a profit and loss statement for a workshop, price a repair job so it makes money, manage a parts store, handle difficult customers, and keep a workplace compliant with WHS and fair trading rules. You also look at how to recruit and keep good technicians, and how to market a business in a competitive local market. The skills are practical and transferable to any small business, not just automotive.

Who it suits

This suits qualified mechanics or automotive technicians who want to move into a supervisor or manager role, or who want to open their own shop. It also suits people already working in an automotive business, service advisors, parts interpreters, workshop coordinators, who need formal management training. International students should note that while you study you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and after graduating you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. English entry is typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with equivalents accepted. Confirm all details, including tuition, on the official CRICOS page.

• Workshop manager or service manager in a mechanical repair business
• Automotive service advisor
• Parts and inventory manager
• Small business owner or operator in the automotive repair sector
• Fleet maintenance coordinator
• Dealership service department supervisor
• Automotive retail or aftermarket sales manager

Employers include independent mechanical workshops, dealership service centres, fleet operators, automotive parts retailers, and mobile mechanic businesses across Australia.