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. It sits at the diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree. You study how a repair business actually makes money: job costing and quoting, parts and inventory control, staff rostering, customer service and complaint handling, workplace safety, and the compliance rules that apply to motor vehicle repair in Australia. Expect a mix of classroom work and practical tasks built around real workshop scenarios.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are made up of units of study, each carrying credit points. A full-time diploma usually runs over two semesters, or the equivalent trimesters, and the Diploma of Automotive Management is delivered over one year. Assessment is generally a mix of written tasks, case studies, group projects and practical exercises rather than a single final exam. Some providers include a work placement or industry-based project, which is where you see how a service manager handles a busy Monday morning. Confirm the exact unit list, delivery mode and placement requirements with Strathfield College or Jacaranda College before you enrol.

What you learn

You come out able to prepare an estimate and explain it to a customer, manage a parts store so jobs are not held up, read a profit and loss statement for a workshop, roster technicians against workflow, and keep the business on the right side of work health and safety and consumer law. The focus is on management and administration, not on repairing vehicles, so you do not need to be a qualified mechanic to do well.

Who it suits

This diploma suits people already working in the automotive trade who want to move into a supervisory or front-of-house role, and people with no trade background who want to work in service advising, parts management or dealership administration. International students should note that a Student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight while your course is in session, and graduates may be able to apply for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream if they meet the requirements. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 110141E. English requirements are set by the college and by the Department of Home Affairs for the visa, so check both.

• Service advisor or service manager in a dealership or independent workshop
• Workshop supervisor or team leader
• Parts and inventory coordinator
• Automotive service administration officer
• Fleet maintenance coordinator for councils, transport companies and hire firms
• Assistant manager in a tyre, smash repair or dealership business
• Small business owner or operator in the automotive repair sector

Hiring industries include motor vehicle dealerships, independent repair workshops, fleet operators, parts wholesalers and automotive retail chains across Australia.