Dealerships offer career opportunities in diverse fields

If you are a student weighing your career options, or looking to transition to a different industry, the retail automobile industry is worth serious consideration.

From Windsor to Ottawa, from Thunder Bay to Toronto, car dealerships across the province are in need skilled workers in accounting, human resources, marketing, sales, automotive tech/collision repairs and management.

For those with the right education, skill set and work ethic, the career opportunities at dealerships are endless. (Dealerships are also equal opportunity employers with ethnically diverse workforces and customer bases.)

Many dealerships positions require some post-secondary education, and several post-secondary schools across Ontario offer excellent automotive courses and programs in a broad range of disciplines, including Automotive Service Technician, Automotive Business, Marketing, Automotive Engineering and Technology to Motive Power Service & Management.

Throughout Ontario, dealerships have partnered with post-secondary schools, such as Centennial College, Durham College and the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College in Barrie. Most dealers offer co-op work opportunities, where students learn about the auto industry and gain practical, hands-on experience.

One someone has embarked on a career at a dealership, there are ample opportunities for advancement. Many men and woman have started working in one department (i.e., sales, service), only to segue into a new career in a different department.

In the years ahead, the retail car industry will continue to offer challenging, well-paid careers for those who are willing to work hard and who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.

If you are exploring career options for yourself or for your children, check out the opportunities that exist in the retail auto sector. Often parents steer their children towards traditional careers in banking, medicine, law, engineering and teaching, to the exclusion of the auto sector. Children should be made aware of all career possibilities in all fields, so that they can make informed decisions about their future.

For more information about career opportunities in the retail automobile industry and about post-secondary schools, visit ontariocolleges.ca (type ‘Automotive Parts and Service Programs at Ontario Colleges’ into the search bar), attend local job fairs in your area, or contact your local new car dealership.