Graduate Certificate in Virtualization and Cloud Computing

at Conestoga College - Waterloo Campus Canada

The Early Childhood Education Fast Track (International) program is designed for international students whose first language is not English. Students with international credentials in education or related fields will build on their existing knowledge and experience in order to develop skills and knowledge necessary to work as early childhood educators. Graduates of the Early Childhood Education Fast Track program will be eligible for registration with the provincial College of Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) which will provide employment opportunities in child development centres, kindergarten classrooms, licensed early years programs, and community agencies. This program is enhanced with specific language courses that focus on professional and practice skills for the Canadian workplace. Through interactive classroom learning and integrative field placement experiences, students will develop skills that will enable them to work in collaboration with families, colleagues and communities for the purpose of designing, implementing and evaluating inclusive play-based early learning programs. Building on a thorough understanding of child development and principles of responsive practice, students will work in partnership with college-operated child development centres, kindergarten classrooms, licensed early learning and care programs and community agencies in order to integrate classroom theory and practice in meaningful and engaging ways.

In this two-semester program, you study and practice carpentry skills related to the interior and exterior construction of residential and light-commercial buildings. The focus of the program is to provide graduates with the skills to gain entry-level employment in residential and commercial construction. The program provides students with safety training (general and specific) and skills development in a number of the construction areas. Graduates may be eligible to enter directly into the second year of the Carpentry and Renovation Technician diploma program.

Developed in collaboration with industry leaders, this two-year program in Baking and Pastry Arts Management focuses on advanced pastry and baking training, as well as the management skills required to work successfully in this fast-growing industry. This program is designed to help students start a career as a baker or pastry chef. It will include practical, theoretical and hands-on training in areas of baking, cake decorating, sanitation and safety, and pastry shop management, as well as advanced techniques practiced in this ever-evolving industry. Students will spend extensive time in the College's state-of-the art labs and teaching facilities developing and expanding on the core skills of the industry. These include: artisan breads and breakfast pastries; wedding cakes; chocolates and confections; plated desserts; classic and modern tarts, entremets and petits fours; laminated dough and viennoiseries; ice cream and sorbets; artisan sugar confections. In the classroom, students will acquire the technical knowledge of ingredient function, formula balance, and modern technology as it relates to this field. On the business side, students will learn the key skills that are necessary to run a successful operation including: cost control and forecasting; labour relations and leadership; sales and marketing and small business development. Students have the option of participating in an industry-based co-op, further refining their knowledge and skills with real-world experience which will provide a true advantage. Additionally, interested students may have the opportunity to travel to an international location in collaboration with college partners for what can be a life-changing experience. The optional co-op stream includes one 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.

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 of 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 is not an option for Level 3 transfers.

This program is designed for graduates of engineering degree or diploma programs wanting to expand their knowledge into the applications of AC and DC power for motion and propulsion. In this program you will be provided with opportunities to work with simulation software to enhance your knowledge of AC/DC motors, transformers, inverters, batteries and chargers as well as programmable logic controllers. These types of technologies are typically found in electric drives operating throughout industrial manufacturing and primary industries such as pulp and paper, metals and mining, power generation, elevators, escalators as well as moving walkways and electric transportation systems. The program will help you develop leadership skills, as well as the ability to manage complex industrial processes and teams effectively in order to meet business goals. It includes quality assurance, 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 develop a project of your choosing to solve a problem related to one of your studied areas. By the time you graduate, you will have an understanding of advancements in manufacturing processes, communications, human resources and safety practices so you can effectively contribute in today's industrial sector.

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.

Information Technology is an ever-changing field with two of these new areas of expertise being Virtualization and Cloud Computing. Organizations have started to replace physical computers (servers and desktops) in their organizations with ‘virtual machines’. The virtualization strategy allows companies to replace existing hardware driving cost savings and reduction of infrastructure support. Furthering this, companies are also starting to purchase or lease cloud services as a means of provisioning services without any onsite installations of hardware. In order to help organizations succeed, specialist skills in these fields are required. This two-semester Ontario College Graduate Certificate program concentrates on hands-on experiential practices and techniques commonly employed in Virtualization and Cloud Computing. You will gain valuable skills and knowledge in systems, infrastructure services, cloud technologies, as well as systems architecture methodologies. Graduates will have the skills required to move into more senior IT and Data Centre positions.

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.

This program is designed to help students start a career as a baker or pastry chef. It will include practical, theoretical and hands-on training in areas of baking, baking equipment usage, baking and pastry fundamentals, food costing, cake decorating, sanitation and safety and pastry management. Under faculty guidance, working individually and as part of a team, students will develop core skills in specialized areas, including: chocolate and confections, wedding and specialty cakes, tarts and pastries, plated desserts, artisan breads and breakfast pastries, petits fours, laminated dough and viennoiseries, ice cream and sorbets.

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 prepares graduates for an exciting career in the field of Information Technology Infrastructure support and administration. Graduate employability is significantly enhanced by in- depth training in a broad range of business, computer and people skills that are in high demand across many industries. Rapid problem solving through the application of critical thinking is an emphasis throughout the program.
Program focus is on the practical application of skills and knowledge to install, configure and troubleshoot workstation and server computers, networks and cloud environments, including standard infrastructure services such as database and messaging systems. Practical work is completed on industry standard hardware and software encountered in the workplace. An optional co-op work term is included to enhance education. Through their education in this program, students will gain a solid foundation to challenge industry certification exams in the areas of operating system support, networking and virtualization should they so choose. The optional co-op stream includes one co-op work term.