Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance - Manufacturing and Management

at Conestoga College - Waterloo Campus Canada

The program prepares students to enter into a career in the residential and light commercial construction sector. Students will learn how to apply technical skills to solve a number of construction and renovation challenges. Year 1 of the program focuses on the interior and exterior construction of residential and light commercial buildings. Year 2 of the program focuses on renovation of existing structures, project planning, and construction of common outdoor structures. Graduates will be productive, well-trained and aware of the hazards and safety requirements on construction sites. A graduate of this program may be exempt from the Level 1 Apprenticeship In-school training should they choose to pursue a General Carpenter Apprenticeship.

Take a creative journey to discover the essentials of web site design. In today’s ever-changing digital landscape, business requires experienced individuals capable of adapting to a variety of technical needs and challenges. You will explore the skills needed to work with the foundations of what makes up the majority of web technologies and interactive user interfaces. Through the creation of various projects, you will develop your design capabilities through a structured, hands-on approach. Students will create several web sites based on client needs that will include the initial stages of layout, wire-framing, prototyping, applying industry best practices, and accessibility standards.

This program will teach the practical and scientific knowledge needed to understand small-scale artisanal cheese production as well as larger scale manufacturing. It offers a whole system perspective on cheese making, from animal husbandry and welfare, forage and feed, dairy production, and milk quality. The program covers both the science and art of cheese making by exploring raw and pasteurized milk theory, cheese microbiology, coagulants, curdling mechanisms, and starters. In-classroom theory sessions as well as hands-on and observational cheese making, will focus on the production of lactic, hard, soft, and traditional cheeses. After learning to make cheeses, focus shifts to affinage, with attention to ripening cultures, climate control, rind treatment, and handling throughout the aging process.

Customers today want all information to be accessible on a website and they want that information fast. This four-semester Ontario College Graduate Certificate program is designed to provide hands-on, comprehensive training for those who desire to work in the field of web-centric business application development. The primary focus of the program is on user-centered design supported by extensive back-end programming and front-end use of graphic design, multimedia, video, animation, and e-commerce applications to facilitate a fully functional website. Students will apply human interface guidelines, standard-based structures, and design and development principles to create accessible, usable, and captivating web experiences geared to today’s marketplace.

Technical communicators are vital to companies that employ exceptional writers, editors, researchers, and information designers to make technical information accessible. This Ontario College Graduate Certificate will provide you with the skills to design, create, illustrate, and produce content while using authoring tools to manage technical documents on multiple platforms. You will have access to cutting-edge software, and you will study at Conestoga’s newly renovated Waterloo campus in the heart of what CBRE (Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis) research has identified as Canada’s fastest-growing tech sector. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term.

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. Not every student who meets academic eligibility requirements will be admitted to the co-op stream.
• To be considered for admission to the co-op stream, students are required to achieve a minimum overall 80% session weighted average with no dropped or failed courses.
• International students will require work permits to utilize the co-op job board for job search and to accept employment. Students are currently experiencing longer than usual wait times for work permits. Please be advised that there will be no co-op program service fee refunds after the program withdrawal for refund date. Students that have not received their work permit and choose to remain in co-op after the program withdrawal for refund date do so at their own risk and will not be refunded. If you are concerned about receiving your work permit in time to achieve co-op employment, please discuss your situation with your co-op advisor as early as possible.

This program provides students with an overview of the hospitality and tourism industry along with entry-level management skills for this very diverse and integrated industry. Students will receive a broad base of business and entrepreneur skills ensuring a strong understanding of financial, customer service, marketing, and the human resources aspects of the industry. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term.

Program Outcomes

• Support an industry and workplace service culture by adopting a positive attitude and professional decorum, accommodating diverse and special needs, and contributing as a team member.
• Deliver customer service and solutions that anticipate, meet and/or exceed individual expectations, as well as organizational expectations, standards and objectives.
• Use marketing concepts, market research, social networks, sales strategies, relationship management skills and product knowledge to promote and sell tourism products, services and customer experiences.
• Apply business principles as well as basic accounting, budgeting, financial and administration skills to support the effective management and operation of a variety of organizations delivering tourism products and services.
• Comply with relevant organization and workplace systems, processes, policies, standards, legal obligations and regulations, and apply risk management principles, to support and maintain efficient, safe, secure, accessible and healthy tourism operations.
• Use appropriate technologies to enhance the quality and delivery of tourism products, services and customer experiences, to measure the effectiveness of tourism operations and to participate in tourism development.
• Keep current with tourism trends and issues, and interdependent relationships in the broader tourism industry* sectors to improve work performance and guide career development.
• Use leadership, teamwork, conflict and relationship management skills and tools, as well as knowledge of organizational behaviour, employment standards and human rights to contribute to a positive work environment.
• Respond to issues and dilemmas arising in the delivery of tourism products, services and customer experiences by using and promoting ethical behaviour and best practices of corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability
• Organize new tourism products for clients based on an analysis of local and international destinations to establish connections with industry leaders.
• Examine economic, political, social, global and intercultural factors that influence the management of travel services, marketing strategies, customer retention and sales programs.

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 admission to the co-op stream, students are required to achieve a minimum 70% session weighted average, with no dropped or failed courses during the term that occurs two terms prior to the co-op work term.

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.

This two-year program focuses on the restaurant and hotel sectors and is designed to provide students with balanced training that combines theory and practical experience in the specific skills involved in people management, hands-on preparation, customer service, and financial controls needed in the hospitality industry. Optional co-op terms can be completed in a restaurant, hotel, catering or other approved food and beverage facility either locally or across Canada. In addition, courses such as communication, computer skills, marketing, and nutrition ensure graduates are well rounded to meet the demands of industry. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term.

This program is designed for graduates of technical degrees or diplomas to explore further studies across the realm of energy management. You will gain an understanding of various technologies and means of power generation through simulated software and theoretical studies. In this program, you will have the opportunity to explore how core technologies in gas and steam are combined with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Theoretical calculations in thermodynamic heating systems are compared with actual field measurements in heating systems to provide you with ample practice opportunities in applied utilities management strategies, where energy management and conservation strategies are assessed as part of utilities optimization. The program helps you develop leadership skills, and the ability to manage complex industrial processes and teams effectively to meet business goals. You will study quality assurance and process and project management with a focus on meeting challenges in an industrial environment from operational and strategic perspectives. During your final semester you will participate in a capstone course where you will work in teams to collaborate, plan and execute a full energy consumption analysis and develop a proposal for energy efficiency improvements for a company incorporating studies and methods you have learned over the prior three semesters.

Companies that embrace modern information technology must deal with very large amounts of data. This "Big Data" often shows patterns and trends on which to make good business decisions. To support Business Analysts, students in this program focus on the collection, processing and presentation of these large data sets. Developing skills in solution development, database design (both SQL and NoSQL), data processing, data warehousing and data visualization help build a solid foundation in this important support role. Through applied learning techniques such as problem-based learning, students will be able to apply their learning to real world problems. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term.

Computer-aided design or CAD programs are utilized in just about every business today to keep a company on the cutting edge of technology. These popular CAD programs are being used in the manufacturing, design, and architectural areas. In this program, a strong emphasis is placed on creating and altering CAD drawings from blueprint/schematic drawings. Completion of the program will give students the skills required for entry level positions as a draftsperson in organizations that include mechanical, design, or architectural areas. It will also enhance the existing skill sets of students to increase employability. This program will be delivered at the same time each weekday over two semesters to support progressive learning.

Program Outcomes

• Communicate clearly and concisely in written and oral form using appropriate formal and informal vocabulary and formats.
• Demonstrate professional conduct which adheres to current professional standards and expectations.
• Interpret and prepare various types of drawings and other related technical documents that support development, manufacturing and installation in sectors such as mechanical, design and architecture.
• Use current and emerging technologies, such as CADD, to support the implementation of projects.
• Contribute to the application of quality control and quality assurance procedures to meet organizational standards and requirements.
• Complete all work using best practices in workplaces to maintain standardization and ensure industry compliance.