Advanced Diploma in Manufacturing Engineering Technology in Welding and Robotics (Co-op Optional)

at Conestoga College - Cambridge Campus Canada

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance - Food Processing program is a two-semester, full-time graduate certificate program designed for students having a previous degree or advanced diploma in science, food or engineering, and who want to be prepared for a career in the food processing industry in the area of food safety and quality assurance. The program offers a suite of courses designed to enhance skills and knowledge gained in previous education stages for direct applicability in the food processing environment with respect to food safety and quality assurance. The Food Safety and Quality Assurance program is unique in Ontario because students apply their learning in Conestoga's pilot plant facility, enabling learners to incorporate theoretical knowledge in quality assurance and food safety to the practical environment of food manufacturing. Upon completion, graduates will have practical experience in food safety applications in the industrial processing environment, a strong understanding of Canadian and international food safety regulations, HACCP principles, and knowledge of the inter-dependence between cleaning and sanitation principles, food safety concepts and quality assurance and quality control elements typical of the food processing sector.

Program Outcomes

• Apply scientific concepts of chemistry and microbiology to the development, monitoring and maintenance of food safety and quality assurance systems specific to the food processing industry.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of practical applications of food safety and quality assurance system elements in a real food manufacturing environment, across the logistics chain from the farm to the consumer.
• Analyze law and regulations applicable to food processing from the perspective of food safety and quality assurance and their effects on operational activities in a food manufacturing facility.
• Create and modify food safety and quality assurance system components such as policies, procedures, and instructions, based on scientific principles and in line with pertinent regulations and laws, using clear communication and appropriate terminology.
• Recommend means to mitigate and control risks through cleaning and sanitation, traceability, HACCP, Good Manufacturing and Good Agricultural Practices, and other quality assurance and food safety elements based upon food safety risk assessments of food manufacturing activities.
• Recommend changes to processes and procedures by employing food safety and quality system audit tools (i.e. GFSI, ISO) that inform compliance of food processing operations to laws and regulations.
• Collect, prepare and test food and environmental samples using appropriate laboratory techniques.
• Analyze, interpret and report on the results of sampling programs and studies relative to food safety and quality assurance processes to draw conclusions and make recommendations that align with regulations and established industry practices.

• ARCHITECTURE – building planning, design, occupancy, to the adaptive re-use of buildings.
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT - based on construction management with strong links to PMI content.
• SUSTAINABILITY - from design to facility operations from core initiatives such as LEED, Green Globes, BOMA BEST, and ASHRAE to ideas of net zero buildings.
• FACILITY MANAGEMENT - the impact on a business of design, construction and operations of facilities.
• TRANSFERABLE SKILLS - APFM program of study offers a high level of highly transferable job skills.
• TRANSFERABLE SKILLS - APFM program of study offers a high level of highly transferable job skills.APFM is a dynamic four-year, paid co-op degree, delivered at the honours level. Students are able to write the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam in year three and graduates are eligible to apply for Project Management Professional (PMP) certification after related work experience and writing the PMP exam. This program is accredited by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and graduates are eligible to become Certified Facility Managers after three years work experience. This program is the only one of its kind in Canada, highlighting both project management and facility management. In a unique project-based learning environment, students learn and apply their knowledge to real-world projects using creativity and critical problem solving. Students will gain strong foundations in architecture, construction, basic engineering, and business management with comprehensive insight into project and facility management. Additionally, they will be exposed to liberal arts disciplines and practical applications for the business enterprise. Graduates entering the workforce will have unsurpassed highly transferable skills in leadership, teamwork, and individual initiative in addition to their discipline-specific knowledge and practical skills. The opportunity exists for students who have completed a related advanced three-year diploma program to bridge or transfer into the third year of this program.

Embedded Systems Development (ESD) is a four-semester graduate certificate program including a one-semester exploration of career management or an optional co-op in the embedded systems industry. The program is aimed at providing the student with a solid understanding of the embedded systems industry, gaining hands-on skills in the development (design and implementation) of both hardware and software for embedded systems.The program integrates a hands-on, practical approach to augment theoretical knowledge a student may already have coming into the program. Applied projects and lab work help prepare graduates for a career in embedded systems development. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term instead of the Guided Career Management course. 

This unique program provides extensive hands-on work with welding automation and robotics systems including: GMAW (MIG) and spot-welding applications, CAD/CAM applications with CNC thermal cutting, and off-line robotic simulation programming applications. The curriculum builds on welding technology background with broader knowledge in manufacturing methods and industrial automation. This program has a common first two years with the Welding Engineering Technology - Inspection program. The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) conditionally recognizes this program as meeting all the academic requirements for certification in the Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) category. The optional co-op stream includes four consecutive four-month work terms.

Applying to the Co-op Stream
All applicants apply to the non co-op program. Students will be informed of the application deadline and process to apply for the Co-op Stream. Labour market conditions determine the number of co-op seats in optional co-op programs. Every student who meets academic eligibility requirements may not be admitted to the co-op stream.
To be considered for the co-op stream, students will be required to achieve an overall 60% unweighted average (with a maximum of one dropped or failed course) in all Level 1 and 2 program courses. If an applicant has a lower overall average, their application will be decided upon on a case-by-case basis, based on one or more of: course performance, a possible interview, and number of acceptances already granted. Courses in which exemptions were granted or PLARs achieved will be ignored in calculating the average (with the exception below).
Students seeking to transfer with advanced standing into the co-op option from other programs (e.g., Welding Techniques #1193 or Welding and Fabrication Technician #0046) will be considered; however, transfer credits for Technical Mathematics I and Technical Mathematics II will be weighted with a 20% penalty and all of the other requirements above will apply.

Co-op Information
Co-op programs add value to your education. Earn while you apply what you learn in a real workplace environment. See the Co-op webpages.
The College cannot guarantee co-op employment. All co-op students are required to conduct an independent co-op job search in addition to the supports and services provided by the Department of Co-op Education.
Students are responsible for their own transportation and associated costs in order to complete work term requirements. Work locations may not always be readily accessible by public transportation.

The Environmental Building Sciences program is a one-year graduate certificate designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage indoor environmental conditions throughout the building life cycle encompassing the identification, testing and remediation of problems in the building environment. Students will study building sciences, sustainability and energy management for building design and control, environmental legislation, air and water quality, assessment for communication of risk, hazardous materials assessment and abatement, sampling and testing methodologies, and project management and technical report writing. The program is experiential in nature with the incorporation of exercises, case studies, and practical laboratories in building sciences. In the final term, students will participate in a major project to address a present-day building environmental issue. It was developed in consultation with representatives from the environmental industry. For more information, contact the Program Coordinator at [email protected]. This program is available to be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. Courses will be scheduled in the afternoon and early evening to facilitate students who wish to take the program on a part-time basis while currently employed.

Graduates from the Electronics/Computer/Telecommunications Engineering Technician/Technology programs work with electronic, computer and communications equipment and systems. They are technical experts and problem solvers. Many of our graduates report that they enjoy the creative aspects of the job and seeing projects come to life. The three programs have the same first year. At the end of first year, students may switch programs if they desire. Graduates of the Electronics Engineering Technician program are able to assemble, install, maintain, test, troubleshoot and calibrate electronic circuits and systems. Their strong hands-on skills, backed up by solid electronics knowledge, enable them to take on many roles in the industry. The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) recognizes this program as meeting all the academic requirements for certification in the Certified Technician (C.Tech.) category.The Electronics Engineering Technician program has been recognized by the Royal Canadian Navy and now qualifies for Canadian Armed Forces skill recognition. Students who graduate from this program will receive advanced standing as a Weapons Engineering Technician in the Royal Canadian Navy (subject to successful enrolment in the Canadian Armed Forces).

This program is built on the newly identified Communication Infrastructure Engineering (CIE) discipline, which is defined by the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) Council at a high level as the systems-level architecture, design, and management of trusted networks for mission-critical and safety-critical applications, including those that support other critical infrastructures. If you are interested in combining elements of the more traditional disciplines of Communications Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering to achieve Cyber-Security from an Engineering rather than an Information Technology perspective, this program is the right choice. This Bachelor of Engineering - Cyber Systems Engineering program focuses on real-time systems, communications, networks, and risk management.

In the Welding and Fabrication Technician diploma program, students will develop the broad base of knowledge and skills required for the layout, preparation, forming, fitting, joining, and inspection of welded fabrications.
Students will have the opportunity to study in the outstanding modern facilities at the Cambridge campus, where they will spend much of their time developing and applying their skills in a well-equipped, full-sized welding and fabrication shop. Students learn to follow metal fabrication projects from the computer-aided engineering drawing (CAD) stage, through the cutting and forming processes of piece parts, to the fitting, welding and inspection of fabrications. Students also have the opportunity to use conventional and computer numerical controlled (CNC) fabrication equipment programmed through the use of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software.

Students will also have the opportunity to develop welding skills with the common arc welding processes such as Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW or stick), Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW or MIG), Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW or TIG). Opportunities to challenge welding skills qualification tests as required by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) and or the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) will be provided. (Extra fees payable to these external weld testing authorities will apply; these tests are optional.)

This unique program addresses the demanding and rewarding field of welding inspection and quality assurance through metallurgical analysis, destructive testing of welds and non-destructive evaluation methods for quality control and assurance. Students will learn to combine theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a variety of operational areas such as selection and application of welding processes, troubleshooting of welding equipment, the operation of welding robotics and automation. Students will also have the opportunity to study in outstanding facilities where considerable time will be spent in applying welding engineering technology inspection theories and skills in well-equipped welding and metal-testing laboratories. The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) conditionally recognizes this program as meeting all the academic requirements for certification in the Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) category.

Note:- The optional co-op stream includes four consecutive four-month co-op work terms.

Graduates from the Electronics/Computer/Telecommunications Engineering Technician/Technology programs work with electronic, computer and communications equipment and systems. They are technical experts and problem solvers. Many of our graduates report that they enjoy the creative aspects of the job and seeing projects come to life. The three programs have the same first year. At the end of first year, students may switch programs if they desire. Graduates of the Electronics Engineering Technology program are able to design, build, test and repair a communications system or any part of one. Their very strong electronics knowledge and skills enable them to take on many roles in industry. They have particular strength in digital signal processing, as well as with circuits operating at microwave frequencies. Since embedded computer chips can replace electronic components, graduates are able to implement a given circuit function either in software or with physical parts. Graduates have a strong mathematical background and interpersonal communication skills. Since the program is approximately half lab work and half theory, graduates have a particular advantage in the practical implementation of systems, software and circuits. The optional co-op stream includes four consecutive four-month work terms.The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) recognizes this program as meeting all the academic requirements for certification in the Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) category.The Electronics Engineering Technology program has been recognized by the Royal Canadian Navy and now qualifies for Canadian Armed Forces skill recognition. Students who graduate from this program will receive advanced standing as a Weapons Engineering Technician in the Royal Canadian Navy (subject to successful enrolment in the Canadian Armed Forces).