Diploma of Automotive Management

The Diploma of Automotive Management at InTech Institute of Technology is a one-year qualification for people who want to run the business side of a workshop, dealership or parts operation rather than spend their days under a hoist. You'll study how automotive businesses actually make money: quoting and costing jobs, managing parts inventory, rostering technicians, dealing with suppliers, and keeping customers coming back. Expect units in business administration, financial record keeping, workplace safety, and leading a small team, all framed around the automotive trade.

As a diploma on the Australian Qualifications Framework, this sits between a certificate and a bachelor degree. It's delivered over one year of full-time study, usually across two or three study periods depending on intake, and is made up of units of study with set credit points. Assessment is typically a mix of practical tasks, case studies and written work rather than long exams, and many diploma courses build in a work placement or simulated workshop component so you finish with something to show an employer. Confirm the exact unit list, credit points and placement hours on the official InTech page and the CRICOS register entry (course code 091685A).

You'll come out knowing how to read a profit and loss statement for a service department, write a quote that doesn't lose money, manage a parts store, handle a difficult customer complaint, and apply Australian workplace health and safety rules. Those are the skills that get people promoted from technician to service advisor, and from service advisor to workshop manager.

This course suits three groups: qualified mechanics and auto electricians who want to move into management, people already working in automotive admin or parts who want formal recognition, and international students looking for a shorter, trade-focused business qualification. If you're an international student, you'll need to meet the English requirement, typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for a diploma, or an accepted equivalent like TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge C1 Advanced, and the Department of Home Affairs sets its own separate English threshold for the Student visa. While studying you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and on completion you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Check current rules with Home Affairs and the official course page.

• Workshop manager or assistant manager, running day-to-day operations at a mechanical repair shop, dealership service centre or fleet workshop.
• Service advisor, the person between the customer and the technicians, quoting jobs and managing bookings.
• Parts and inventory coordinator, ordering, storing and controlling stock for a dealership or parts distributor.
• Automotive service administrator, handling invoicing, warranty claims and supplier accounts.
• Small business operator, running your own mobile mechanic or specialty repair business.
• Fleet coordinator, managing vehicles, servicing schedules and costs for a company or government fleet.

Hiring industries include automotive retail and repair, dealership groups, transport and logistics fleets, mining and construction fleet operations, and automotive parts wholesaling. These roles exist in every Australian city and most regional towns.