Diploma in Architectural Technician (Co-op)

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

The four-year Bachelor of Building Science (Honours) degree program is designed to give you a broad knowledge base related to building environments. It covers all facets of building design, construction, human comfort and sustainability. It is Canada`s only Bachelor of Building Science program.

The small class sizes of the program allow you and your peers to form tight-knit working groups and build effective communication skills necessary to succeed in the industry. You will send approximately one third of your time working in the labs, developing your skills. You also have the opportunity to gain industry experience from the site visits, professors who are actively working in the field, and two mandatory paid cooperative education (co-op) terms.

As a student in the program, you learn skills specific to architecture, construction methodologies, building enveloped, sustainability and other areas such as:

• Science and engineering principles, professionalism and methodologies
• Fundamentals of mathematics, technical writing, computer applications
• Building frames and structures, geotechnical engineering, and materials science
• Sustainable design, botany, renewable energy, urban planning and building information modeling
• Business fundamentals, project planning and management, research and leadership skills

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Integrate sustainable building practices and alternative energy solutions and present options that balance client specifications, site conditions, and human factors.
• Use sound, acceptable engineering principles for the solution and documentation of situations encountered during the construction or rehabilitation of buildings.
• Communicate effectively with all project stakeholders.
• Read, interpret, and, with direction, modify documents related to building plans, including working drawings that involve structural, electrical, and mechanical features.
• Formulate strategies for the efficient and effective commissioning and operation of buildings and building systems.
• Evaluate the practical applications of primary and secondary theoretical research related to existing and emerging construction methods and materials.
• Analyze, test, and comment on the functionality of alternative structural, mechanical, and electrical solutions proposed for integration in both new projects and renovations.
• Contribute to the on-going economic viability of construction and engineering projects through the application of principles of estimating, accounting, and cost controls.
• Facilitate partnerships and productive interactions within project teams that involve knowledge-workers and skilled trade workers.
• Ensure work, activities, and practice are in compliance with established ethical and professional standards, as well as local, provincial, and national legislation.
• Adapt to changes in employment requirements through the development, implementation, and updating of professional and personal development plans.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

If you have a recognized Advanced Diploma in Architectural Technology or Civil Engineering Technology, you may be eligible to enter the third year of study. If you have a recognized Diploma in Architectural Technician, Construction Engineering Technician, or an Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology you may be eligible to enter into the second year with advanced standing. See the Bachelor of Building Science (Honours) Entry into Level 5 and Bachelor of Building Science (Honours) Entry into Level 3 bridging programs for details.

The two-year General Arts and Science Ontario College Diploma with a concentration in Aviation Management program provides you with the knowledge and skills to become a commercial pilot.

Learn the required level of proficiency necessary to complete the Transport Canada Pilot License written examination (CPAER) and practical flight test. Some classes take place at the Ottawa Flying Club, Rockliffe Flying Club and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, providing all the skills needed to start your career.

Industry-professional instructors also teach you practical skills such as fuel handling, aircraft handling, and winter operations. Learn about cockpit resource management, maintenance skills and dispatching. Acquire a background in business and management, which prepares you for various facets of the aviation industry.

Experience up to 200 hours of flight experience at an Algonquin College approved flying partner. It is a non-funded activity that costs $70,000 over the two years and is subject to change without notice.
In your final semester, you can elect to take a course in either Instructor Rating, Float Rating or Initial Aeroplane Type Rating, each of which will help you specialize for future employment opportunities.

Earn a flexible diploma that shows you are aware of all areas of business, and that you also have specialized education in accounting.

Accounting is one of seven majors available to Business Administration students. This three-year Ontario College Advanced Diploma program starts with three semesters, learning a variety of essential business skills, before ultimately deciding on a major.

The program prepares you for a challenging and rewarding career in the accounting industry. Accounting is often referred to as the backbone of business - businesses need skilled accountants to monitor financial accounts in order to operate effectively and efficiently.

This program enables you to provide businesses with the complete and accurate financial picture they need to thrive.

Study all major areas of accounting including:

• Financial accounting
• Managerial accounting
• Taxation
• Financial management

Practise recording financial transactions, preparing/presenting financial statements, reports and other documents, and using current accounting software.

You may find employment in both the public and private sectors in roles such as:

• Accounting assistant
• Accounting associate
• Accounting clerk
• Junior financial analyst
• Junior staff accountant 

There are opportunities in a variety of work environments, including:

• Accounting firms
• Small and medium-sized businesses
• Service organizations
• Government departments
• Financial institutions 

The Environmental Management and Assessment Ontario College Graduate Certificate program adds depth to your existing expertise in the environmental management and assessment field. Highly skilled and environmentally aware professionals are constantly being sought out by employers in the field. This program enhances your knowledge of environmental sciences.

Gain essential knowledge and skills by studying a range of disciplines throughout this program, including:

• Ecological conservation
• Project management
• Environmental policy and reporting
• Contaminant control
• GIS and environmental map design

Take courses in hydrology, environmental modelling and environmental policies. Courses are offered on evenings and weekends.
Field experiences throughout the program give you integrative skills that employers of this expanding field are looking for.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term. Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability.

Graduates of this program may be employed in a number of fields including:

• Ecology research and reporting
• Water and wastewater monitoring
• Site assessments
• Cost proposals
• Pollution prevention and control
• Regulatory compliance
• Policy development

Cooperative education (Co-op)
Cooperative education (Co-op) allows students to integrate their classroom learning with a real-world experience though paid work terms. Two academic terms prior to the cooperative education work term, students are required to actively participate in and successfully complete the self-directed co-op online readiness activities and in-person workshops.

Students must actively conduct a guided, self-directed job search and are responsible for securing approved program-related paid co-op employment. Students compete for co-op positions alongside students from Algonquin and other Canadian and international colleges and universities. Algonquin College`s Co-op Department provides assistance in developing co-op job opportunities and facilitates the overall process, but does not guarantee that a student will obtain employment in a co-op work term. Co-op students may be required to re-locate to take part in the co-op employment opportunities available in their industry and must cover all associated expenses; e.g., travel, work permits, visa applications, accommodation and all other incurred expenses.

Co-op work terms are typically 14 weeks in duration and are completed during a term when students are not taking courses.

International students enrolled in a co-op program are required by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to have a valid Co-op/Internship Work Permit prior to commencing their work term. Without this document, International students are not legally eligible to engage in work in Canada that is a mandatory part of an academic program. For more information, please visit www.algonquincollege.com/coop.

The language skills you need for the life you want

The General Arts and Science - English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Ontario College Certificate program is an academically-oriented English as a Second Language (ESL) Program designed for International and Domestic students whose first language is not English.

Improve your academic English language skills for college and job success in a dynamic multicultural setting. Upon successful completion of the program, you obtain an Ontario College Certificate, which provides a pathway into post-secondary studies by satisfying the language requirements for entry into most programs offered at Algonquin College.

The EAP Placement Test determines your starting point in the program, ranging from low-intermediate to low-advanced language skills. As you move through the program, you actively participate in a variety of large and small group activities that provide engaging opportunities to practice the four language skills of:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

This one-year Drawing Foundations for Animation and Illustration Ontario College Certificate helps you to develop the strong drawing skills that are necessary for your evolution as an artist, to further your education in various creative visual art programs.

Expand your potential, using a wide variety of digital and traditional mediums to build creative works, while discovering your strengths and preferences along the way. Immersed in a studio environment, you explore life drawing, sculpting, and character, environment and creature design. You also create appealing environments that encompass a sense of character and a lived-in feel using proper perspective, texture and detail. Sculpting and painting with digital tools and software solidifies your understanding of the properties of light, value and colour and their influence in a 3D environment.

You have the opportunity to research and explore your abilities and interests in:

• Animation
• Comic books
• Book illustration
• Concept art
• Graphic novels
• Gaming
• Anime

The General Arts and Science Concept Art Foundations is a one year Ontario College Certificate with the graduates receiving a certificate in general Arts and Science-One year with a concentration in Concept Art Foundations and revolves around the students exploring a blend of traditional theory and digital image creation techniques to create concepts, characters and environments for the entertainment industry. 

The course is delivered via a mix of online video tutorials and classroom training in smaller groups to allow the students a chance of receiving the required hands-on training. The curriculum of the program makes sure that the students get the necessary individualized feedback and support in the production of a professional portfolio in concept art and digital imaging.
 

The one-year Business Intelligence System Infrastructure (BISI) Ontario College Graduate Certificate provides you with specialized knowledge and skills to support the corporate use of Business Intelligence (BI), Data Visualization, Data Science, Cloud Services, and Agile Project Management. Research and evaluate current BI trends and theory as you specialize your career.

A technical program, BISI is ideal for students who have existing degrees or advanced diplomas in Computing Science, Engineering, Business, Mathematics or a similar relevant business-science- technology field.

BISI provides you with hands-on experience in:

• Database design, implementation and SQL
• Data warehouse design and development
• Data modelling and rendering
• Operating systems and programming fundamentals
• Data science essentials
• Cloud fundamentals
• Agile project management
• Selected current topics

As a student in this program, you collect, analyze, design, build, integrate and manage systems in order to facilitate data-driven decision-making. Use current versions of in-demand, enterprise grade software to access multiple data sources, including complex databases and data warehouses, for application and/or enterprise Cloud/Hybrid/on-premises solution delivery.

Undertake a project, as part of a small team, to use and build upon your acquired knowledge and skills while addressing client requirements. An optional paid cooperative (co-op) work term opportunity exists at program end for qualified students that meet employer requirements.

BISI graduates may work in the public or private sector. They have the knowledge and skills to become Business Intelligence Systems specialists liaising with IT technical support and subject matter experts, as well as Technical Business Analysts designing, developing, and implementing responsive data models. In some situations, the graduate`s previous field of study opens specialized opportunities in emerging markets.

Based on the foundational knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program, BISI graduates may choose to pursue various certifications, in areas like:

• IBM Cognos CA and related disciplines
• Tableau data visualization
• Cloud foundations
• Python programming

The two-year Early Childhood Education Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to become an educator of children in a variety of early learning settings. Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to work with families and other professionals to support children`s learning and development.

This program provides you with the ability to create, implement and assess play-based curricula while building stimulating child-centred environments. Benefit from both theoretical and hands-on learning opportunities. You have three field placements during the program that focus on children from birth to age 12. These real-world experiences allow you to integrate theory with professional practice in early learning programs.

You assist in providing guidance to children while planning, implementing and evaluating programs. Through your placements, you gain valuable hands-on skills and experience to help you understand the diverse roles, settings, and responsibilities of an Early Childhood Educator.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Create learning contexts to enable, build and maintain caring, responsive relationships in partnerships with children, families and communities that value and respect social, cultural and linguistic diversity including Indigenous peoples’ worldviews and Francophone identity.
• Co-create, facilitate and reflect upon inquiry and play-based early years and child care programs and pedagogical approaches to support children’s learning, holistic development and well-being following children’s capabilities, interests, ideas and experiences.
• Co-design and maintain inclusive early learning environments to value and support equitable, accessible and meaningful learning opportunities for all children, their families and communities in a range of early years and child care settings.
• Collaborate with children, families, colleagues, agencies and community partners to create, maintain, evaluate and promote safe and healthy early learning environments to support independence, reasonable risk-taking and healthy development and well-being.
• Use observation strategies to identify children’s strengths and challenges and to ascertain when children and families might benefit from additional support or community resources.
• Use professional communication in interactions with children, families, colleagues, employers, the regulatory body, government authorities and children’s service agencies to meet legal and ethical standards of the early years sector.
• Act in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations, College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, agency policies and procedures and principles of evidence-informed practice and reflect upon their impact on one’s own role in early years and child care settings.
• Identify, report and document when a child is in a situation of perceived risk for, or actual neglect or abuse, in accordance with legislation, the College of Early Childhood Educators Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, policies and procedures.
• Create and engage in partnerships with families, communities, colleagues, inter-disciplinary professionals, authorities and child service agencies to advocate for quality early years and child care programs and services.
• Engage in reflective practice and continuous professional learning in accordance with principles of lifelong learning, evidence-informed practices in the early years sector and requirements of the College of Early Childhood Educators.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment an environmental stewardship.

The two-year Business - Management and Entrepreneurship Ontario College Diploma program provides you with the knowledge and skills for a successful career in management or ownership of a small or medium-sized enterprise.

This program has a strong focus on business trends, developing an entrepreneurial mindset, and innovation in a digital economy. It encourages your creativity, strategic thinking and originality, as you cultivate the skills to start up and run a small business.

Explore your talents and creativity through hands-on projects that can be customized to your interests. Learn about business concepts and how to:

. Develop a good business idea . Create a business model . Validate your business through market research . Manage people and resources . Understand financial information . Gain customer attention and sell . Create a digital presence . Launch a business

Create a start-up idea that you develop and enhance throughout the program. Complete multiple team-based projects, including the creation of an online store as well as the presentation of a comprehensive business plan.

Our campus is the ideal place for an entrepreneur. Faculty consists of entrepreneurs and business owners who continue to keep up with trends in their areas of specialization. You have access to the Discovery, Applied Research and Entrepreneurship (DARE) District, our entrepreneurship and innovation centre, and several other business supports and competitions. Activities such as the AC Market, B-ME Grill and Wolves Den provide you with opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning.

Upon graduation, you are ready for a variety of career paths. You may start a business, manage an existing business, continue your education or find a career in:

• eCommerce
• Marketing
• Digital marketing
• Visual merchandising
• Store planning
• Professional sales
• Social media
• Marketing research
• Purchasing
• Retail
• Customer service and management