What parts technicians make
Median
$54,000
Lower end
$40,000
Upper end
$83,000
Job Bank's national median is $26 an hour, about $54,000 a year at 40 hours a week, with a low of $19.17 and a high of $40.
Parts Technician
Find, order, stock and sell the parts that keep vehicles and machines running. A Red Seal trade you can do without getting greasy.
- Typical pay
- $54,000a year
- Time to qualify
- 2 to 3 yearspaid while you train, from day one
- Demand
- Limited
- Licence needed
- Nono licence to hold
Click through it
Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Counsellors: send it to a student from your own email in one click.
How to start as a parts technician in Ontario
An apprenticeship: you are hired by a sponsor, paid while you learn on the job, and go to class for a few weeks at a time. Every fact here is from Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) and the Ontario government. See every Ontario trade side by side
Parts Technician (trade 240P)
Licence to work
Not needed, but the certificate helps
Red Seal
Yes: work anywhere in Canada
Training
6,000 hours, about 540 in class
To start
Grade 12, age 16 or older
You are paid from your first day. Over the 5,460 hours on the job, even at the minimum wage you would earn at least $98,007 before tax while you train, and most sponsors pay more as your skills grow.
The trade on Skilled Trades Ontario's site(opens in a new tab)
The steps
- Check you can start: you are at least 16, allowed to work in Canada, and have the school grade the trade asks for.
- Find a sponsor: an employer, or a group of employers such as a union, that will train you. This is the step most people find hardest.
- Apply to Skilled Trades Ontario: online if you are 18 or older, on a paper form a parent signs if you are 16 or 17. Your sponsor signs too.
- Sign your training agreement. You get a wallet card to carry at work, and your skills are signed off in a logbook as you learn them.
- Work and go to class. Most of the time is paid work; every year or so you spend 8 to 12 weeks in class at a college. Where the trade has an exam, you write it at the end.
Where sponsors come from
- Your guidance counsellor, and the youth apprenticeship, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) or dual credit programs at your school. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Employment Ontario: over 700 offices with free one-on-one help, and it matches apprentices with sponsors (1-800-387-5656). Source (opens in a new tab)
- Job Bank's apprenticeship job search for Ontario. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Unions and trade associations for the trade, college career centres and local companies. Source (opens in a new tab)
Still in high school? In Grade 11 or 12, with at least 14 credits and age 15 or older, you can start an apprenticeship through co-op placements and earn credits at the same time. Ask your school's OYAP recruiter, guidance counsellor or co-op teacher. Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)(opens in a new tab)
Not ready to find a sponsor? Free pre-apprenticeship programs (up to a year at a college or community agency, tools and books covered, with a work placement) get you ready and in front of employers. Employment Ontario helps you apply. Pre-apprenticeship training(opens in a new tab)
The money
Ontario sets no percentage of full pay for apprentices. Your sponsor agrees your wage with you, and it can never be below the minimum wage: $17.95 an hour from 1 October 2026. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Canada Apprentice Loan (opens in a new tab): Up to $4,000 in interest-free loans. Red Seal trades only. Government of Canada page (opens in a new tab)
- Employment Insurance (EI) in class (opens in a new tab): You may get EI while you are away from work in class. Your college seat letter gives you the EI reference code to apply. Government of Canada page (opens in a new tab)
- Apprentice Development Benefit (opens in a new tab): Up to $500 a week while in class if you do not get EI or it is below $500, plus travel and childcare help.
- Ontario Tools Grant (opens in a new tab): $400 to $1,000, depending on the trade, after your first level of class and a year registered.
Where to study to become a parts technician in Canada
Programs in the fields this career usually comes through. Each has its own page: what it takes to get in, the courses you need and what it costs.
Colleges
Or jump to a part
Quick answers
How much does a parts technician make in Canada?
The median pay is about $54,000 a year. Across everyone in the job it runs from about $40,000 at the lower end to about $83,000 at the upper end. The source is listed under Sources at the end of this page.
How long does it take to become a parts technician in Canada?
2 to 3 years, on the usual route, and you are paid while you train from the first day.
What does it cost to become a parts technician?
$450 to $2,800 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.
Do you need a licence to work as a parts technician in Canada?
No. There is no licence to hold, though many employers still ask for training or a certificate.
What is the job outlook for a parts technician in Canada?
Limited demand nationally, from government outlook data. Demand varies by region, so check your area.
Or read the whole thing here
Parts Technician salary in Canada
What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Where pay is highest
$40.17 an hour
The Job Bank median in the Northwest Territories, the highest in Canada
Alberta ($30.29) and BC ($30) are next. Ontario's median is $27 and Quebec's is the lowest, at $24. Running a parts department, at a big dealership or a mine site, is the usual way up.
What it costs to get there
- In-school training (Ontario: 540 hours over the apprenticeship)
- $400 to $800 per block. Ontario pays the Level 1 classroom fee for classes from January 2026
- Tools
- Almost none; a computer and a scanner are supplied
- Certificate of Qualification and Red Seal exam
- Free on your first try in Ontario once your apprenticeship is complete, then $150 plus HST (harmonized sales tax) for each retry. Other provinces set their own fee
- Canada Apprentice Loan
- Up to $4,000 per school block, with no interest
Roughly, all in
$450 to $2,800
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
This is a paid apprenticeship, so there is no tuition year to save up for. The low end is somebody whose employer covers the classroom blocks and who buys little more than safety boots. The certification exam at the end is free on your first try in Ontario once your apprenticeship is complete. The high end is paying for every in school block yourself, the exam, and a few small items of gear. The shop supplies the computer and the scanner, which is why this is one of the cheapest skilled trades to enter.
The cheapest Red Seal trade to enter. No tool chest, no steel-toed budget beyond boots.
Benefits
Commission on parts sales
Common at dealerships and wholesale counters.
Health and dental
Standard at dealer groups and equipment dealers.
Staff pricing
On parts and often vehicles.
Indoor, regular hours
Rare in the trades.
How to become a parts technician in Canada
The exact path from high school to qualified.
The path to becoming a parts technician, step by step
A Red Seal apprenticeship, about 3 years in Ontario. Manitoba and Yukon call the trade Partsperson.
- 1
High school diploma
Grade 12
Math, business and any automotive course. OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) can start you early.
- 2
Get hired
Weeks
Dealership parts departments, auto parts chains, truck and equipment dealers. Many hire counter trainees with no experience.
- 3
Register the apprenticeship
Days
Skilled Trades Ontario calls it Parts Technician (240P). Most provinces use the same name.
- 4
Work and study
2 to 3 years
Ontario: 6,000 hours, 5,460 on the job plus 540 in school. Other provinces run 3 periods of roughly 1,500 hours.
- 5
Certificate of Qualification and Red Seal
After your hours
Pass the exam. The Red Seal endorsement works across Canada.
High school courses that help you become a parts technician
Math
Pricing, margins, inventory counts.
Business or accounting
A parts department is a retail business inside a dealership.
Automotive or shop
You need to know what the part does.
Computer courses
Catalogues and inventory systems are all software.
English or French
Talking to technicians, customers and suppliers all day.
Time and money, at a glance
- Years to Red Seal
- 2 to 3
- Total out of pocket
- $450 to $2,800
- Paid while training?
- Yes, from day one
- Exam required
- Yes, Certificate of Qualification with Red Seal
Voluntary, but the Red Seal opens doors
Nobody needs a licence to sell parts, so the trade is voluntary everywhere. Plenty of people work a parts counter for years without a ticket. The Red Seal still matters: equipment dealers, mines and unionized shops often require it, and it is the usual step toward parts manager.
Quebec route. In Quebec? The route is different. 1 more card.
The path in Quebec
Quebec has a public vocational diploma for the job, taught in school with work placements, instead of a registered apprenticeship.
- 1
Secondary IV courses
From age 16
The DEP (Diploma of Vocational Studies) needs a high school diploma, or age 16 with Secondary IV language, second language and math. From 18, the general development test is another way in.
- 2
DEP 5347, Conseil et vente de pièces d'équipement motorisé
About 11 months
Motorized equipment parts advice and sales: 1,095 hours on engines, electrical systems, drivetrains, parts lookup, inventory and customer service, with work placements. In French only, in about ten regions.
- 3
Cost of the program
While you study
The École professionnelle de Saint-Hyacinthe charges no admission or registration fee, and about $640 for materials and learning guides for the whole program.
- 4
Get hired at a parts counter
Weeks
Car and truck dealers, parts stores and equipment dealers. Quebec's vocational training portal lists an average of $24.50 an hour for parts attendants.
- 5
Red Seal, if you want it
Any time after
The Red Seal list of provincial trade names has no Quebec entry for this trade, so ask Services Québec whether you can write the exam from Quebec.
What helps you get ahead as a parts technician
Things you don't need, but that help.
Where the work can lead
Heavy equipment or truck parts
Bigger parts and bigger inventories than car dealerships.
Mine and oil sands warehouses
Camp rotations, running a large inventory.
Parts manager
Runs the department, earns a share of profit.
Supply chain and purchasing
Parts experience leads naturally into buyer and logistics roles.
Nice-to-haves
Forklift ticket
Cheap one-day course, used daily in the warehouse.
Driver's licence
Parts delivery is often the first job.
Mechanical curiosity
Techs trust a partsperson who understands the repair.
Patience and memory
Thousands of part numbers and a technician waiting at the window.
What being a parts technician is really like
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
What a parts technician does day to day
Open the parts counter at 7:30am. Technicians line up with work orders: look up the part by vehicle identification number, pull it from the shelf or order it for tomorrow. Receive the morning delivery, check it against invoices, shelve it. Quote a wholesale customer, chase a back-ordered part, run a cycle count on one aisle. Phone and computer all day, with a forklift in between.
The honest pros and cons of being a parts technician
The good
- Red Seal trade with no tool chest and no grease
- Indoor, regular hours
- Cheapest trade to enter
- Leads into management, purchasing and logistics
The hard parts
- Retail counter pay is modest
- Technicians and customers get impatient when a part is wrong
- Lots of lifting and standing in the warehouse
- Some dealerships expect Saturdays
Work life
- Typical hours
- 40 a week, some Saturdays
- Remote work
- None
- Physical demand
- Moderate
- Unionized
- Sometimes, at mines, transit and large dealers
Similar paths
- Automotive Service TechnicianDiagnose and fix cars and light trucks. Paid from day one, but you buy your own tools.
- Logistics CoordinatorPlan how goods get from a factory to a shelf, and fix it when a shipment goes missing.
- Procurement SpecialistBuy what a company or government needs, at the best price, without breaking the rules.
Things nobody tells you about being a parts technician
Things people don't tell you.
A Red Seal without a wrench
Parts technician is a Red Seal trade alongside electricians and welders, but the tools are a computer, a scanner and a forklift. It is the closest thing to an office job in the skilled trades.
The number is 17 characters
Every vehicle has a 17-character vehicle identification number, and a partsperson uses it dozens of times a day to find the exact part for that build. One wrong character and the wrong part shows up.
How a parts technician compares
Every list is built from the same numbers shown above, so you can see where this career sits next to the others.
More skilled trades careers in Canada
Vehicles and equipment first, then the rest of the field. See every career in skilled trades.
- Agricultural Equipment TechnicianFix the combines, tractors and sprayers that feed the country. A Red Seal trade with a Job Bank median of about $77,000 a year.$77kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Aircraft Maintenance EngineerInspect and repair aircraft, then sign them safe to fly. A Transport Canada licence, not a university degree.$81kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Auto Body RepairerStraighten, weld and rebuild crashed vehicles. Compulsory trade in Ontario, paid by insurance work.$56kTypical pay3 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Auto Glass TechnicianWindshields, side glass and the cameras behind them. Trained in months, in demand every winter.$56kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Avionics TechnicianThe electronics that fly the plane: radios, navigation, autopilot, wiring. A 2-year diploma and a Job Bank median of about $84,000 a year.$84kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Bicycle MechanicFix, build and tune bikes and e-bikes. No licence, a short course or shop training, and busy summers.$52kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Heavy-Duty Equipment TechnicianKeep excavators, haul trucks and loaders running at mines and job sites. Job Bank's median is about $77,000 a year.$77kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
- Marine MechanicOutboards, sterndrives and boat systems. A short apprenticeship and a summer spent at the marina.$62kTypical pay2 to 3 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
Where these numbers come from
- Job Bank: Parts technician, wages (updated Nov 2025)
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Parts Technician (240P)
- Red Seal Program
- Government of Canada: Canada Apprentice Loan
- Inforoute FPT: DEP 5347 Conseil et vente de pièces d'équipement motorisé
- École professionnelle de Saint-Hyacinthe: parts advice and sales program
- Red Seal Program: Parts Technician
- Quebec government: the Red Seal program
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Finish an apprenticeship (first exam free, $150 plus HST after)
- Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development: Level 1 classroom fees covered from January 2026 (memo, PDF)
Last checked October 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students. How every figure on this site is sourced and checked.