Vehicle Technician (Canada)

OVERVIEW
You will be a member of a team responsible for maintaining, repairing and overhauling large and small Canadian Forces (CF) land vehicles and related equipment in order to keep them in top condition.

MAIN BENEFITS
• Training provided for approximately 30 months
• Opportunities for advancement

WHAT THEY DO
Vehicle Technicians inspect, repair, overhaul and modify all types of automotive equipment and components. They repair, adjust and modify automotive systems as well as power equipment such as electrical generators and fuel-fired heating devices. They use and maintain basic and specialized tools, basic garage hydraulic, mechanical and pneumatic equipment, as well as oxyacetylene welding equipment. Vehicle Technicians recover all types of vehicles used in land forces with standard tow trucks and specialized tracked and wheeled recovery vehicles. They must be able to drive all types of vehicles, from small jeeps to tank transporters. They also take part in land operations and, when necessary, fight as infantry soldiers (which includes using personal weapons, reconnaissance and section-level tactics).

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Vehicle Technicians should enjoy precision work on engines and mechanical equipment. Good hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity are important attributes. Physical strength, resourcefulness and office skills are also desirable.

TRAINING
The first stage of training for all new recruits is the 13-week Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) course at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.

Upon successful completion of the BMQ, Signal Operators go to a Military Training Centre for the Soldier Qualification (SQ) course, which takes four weeks to complete.

Upon completion of SQ, Basic Military Occupational (MOC) Training for Vehicle Technicians begins, with driver training at the Canadian Forces School of Administration and Logistics at in Borden, Ontario. Driver training for Vehicle Technicians covers a wide range of commercial and military-pattern vehicles up to a 3-ton capacity. The Vehicle Technician MOC course takes about 30 weeks to complete and is conducted at the Canadian Forces School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (CFSEME) at CFB Borden, Ontario.

EMPLOYMENT
Upon successful completion of MOC training, Vehicle Technicians are posted to a unit on a Canadian Forces Base for about 18 months of on-job training (OJT), which is similar to a civilian apprenticeship program. During the OJT period, they practice and build on what they learned during MOC training.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Vehicle Technicians who are posted to a base usually work indoors, in well-lit, heated workshops. During field training and on field operations, they usually work in a temporary or improvised shelter or outdoors, where they may be exposed to extreme environmental and weather conditions for extended periods of time.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCEMENT
Vehicle Technicians may be posted at a Canadian base or station, including in the Arctic, or be deployed on missions all over the world. Opportunities for advanced and specialty training are available as your career progresses. For those who demonstrate the required ability and potential, there are countless opportunities for advancement, promotion and advanced training.

Source: http://jobs.canada.com

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