Diploma in Office Administration - Health Services

at Durham College - Whitby Campus Canada

Electricity powers our world and is present all around us, providing light, power, air conditioning, and refrigeration. This program focuses on commercial and residential electrical installation. It will provide you with basic skills in electricity and electrical system installation and ensure you become familiar with the relevant tools and materials required in this field to successfully understand, install and test basic electrical systems for a specified number of applications. Graduates will meet the Ministry of Labour’s Working at Heights training requirement.

The Electrical Techniques program focuses on residential installations and will provide you with the basic skills to successfully install grounding/bonding for a specified number of applications.

You will learn to assist in the interpretation and preparation of electrical drawings and related documents and how to analyze and solve simple technical problems related to basic electrical systems by applying mathematics and science principles. The use of diagnostic equipment, tools, and computers will help you solve basic electrical problems and gain a better understanding of the industry.

Under the supervision of a licensed electrician, as a graduate, you will

• Test and troubleshoot electrical and electronic circuits, equipment, and systems
• Ensure health and safety standards and best practices are applied in the workplace

If you successfully complete this program, you may be eligible to challenge the basic level exemption test for the electrician apprenticeship trade.

Destination marketers are multidisciplinary professionals who specialize in identifying, developing and executing strategies to drive socio-economic success for locations and attractions around the world.

In this program, students learn how to uphold service and quality standards throughout the customer lifecycle; develop a digital and social media presence and marketing plans that align with business goals and strengthen brand recognition; cultivate partnerships and relationships; explore entrepreneurial opportunities in destination marketing; and conduct powerful market research and customer analytics to guide the development of effective tourism products and experiences.

Graduates will lead and support business development initiatives that build a destination’s reputation in order to attract tourists, investors and skilled professionals. Equipped with a broad base of skills and knowledge, they help destinations realize significant economic impacts that contribute to job creation, community sustainability and improved quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

Civil engineering influences every aspect of our physical environment or infrastructure. Civil Engineering Technologists plan, design, construct, maintain and recycle the structures in our communities such as roads, bridges, highways, airports, pipelines and tunnels. These systems keep our transportation systems operating, water flowing and gas and electricity supplied to consumers. It is one of the most established engineering disciplines and by far one of the busiest.

In this program, you will be exposed to modern civil technologies and develop skills in computer assisted design and drafting (CAD), geographic information system (GIS), building information modelling (BIM), and safe working principles in accordance with various Canadian civil engineering codes, quality control standards and regulations.

You will also have two options to gain valuable experience in the workplace and will either complete a field placement or participate in the co-operative education (co-op) option of the program. Students can also access membership to the Toronto Construction Association.

Civil Engineering influences every aspect of our physical environment or infrastructure.

Civil Engineering Technologist students will be exposed to modern civil technologies and develop skills in computer assisted design (CAD) and drafting, Geographic Information System (GIS), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and safe working principles in accordance with various Canadian Civil Engineering Codes, Quality Control Standards and Regulations.

Graduates of the Civil Engineering Technology program will be able to carry out design and technical functions related to a broad range of civil engineering fields including structural, municipal, highway and transportation engineering, water resources, geotechnical engineering, environmental protection and infrastructure rehabilitation. Skills learned in class will be honed through co-operative education or field placement options.

Co-operative education (co-op):

The best way to succeed in your field is to immerse yourself in it! Co-op is an excellent way to build your professional network, explore career paths and apply in-class teachings to real work situations. Co-op is a model of education that integrates academic learning with workplace learning in fields relevant to our students’ academic and personal goals. Similar to an academic course, work terms are a mandatory component of this form of experiential learning.

Students in the Civil Engineering Technology Advanced Diploma program will be invited to apply to the co-op option during their first academic semester. Entrance to the co-op option is limited and the processes for securing a work term are competitive. Students who qualify for co-op will be eligible to complete a four-month, paid work term between the second and third semesters of their program. After academic semester 4, students will be eligible to complete two consecutive work terms before returning to campus to complete their final academic semesters 5 and 6 before graduating.

Supports are available through the Co-op office to assist students with securing their work terms. In addition, the Co-op office is in contact with co-op students and their employers during the work terms to help with any questions.

With access to a national historic site and a one-of-a-kind living lab that provides students with legacy opportunities to complete campus projects, this program will help you graduate with the creative, entrepreneurial, and professional skills needed to be an industry leader. The art, science and business of horticulture are the focus of this program, ensuring students learn the skills required to create landscapes, renew historical gardens, enhance communities and express their creativity while learning the complexities involved in a broad range of professional environments. In addition, the dynamic, hands-on opportunities to experience the many aspects of the industry will make a difference as you work towards becoming a professional horticulturist. 

Gain knowledge and hone your skills in landscape construction, nursery management and soil and plant nutrition so you are prepared to work in creating and developing dynamic residential lots, business locations and communities. A growing interest in landscaping, gardening and urban agriculture is prompting more people to spend money on these enjoyable diversions and opening new opportunities for graduates.

You will also have access to an unmatched learning environment, with more than 50 per cent of learning time focused on hands-on activities offered at the college’s W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, a unique field-to-fork-focused learning environment, and Parkwood National Historic Site, which provides access to historic gardens and greenhouses, further the understanding of different concepts and designs you will face upon graduating.

You will focus on:

• Aspects of growing plants outdoors, indoors and in a greenhouse environment.
• Disease and pest management.
• Landscape construction.
• Landscape design fundamentals.
• Nursery management.
• Parks and turf management fundamentals.
• Plant propagation.
• Retail store operation.
• Small equipment operation and safety.
• Soil and plant nutrition.

Note: Primary location Whitby (some courses may be delivered at Parkwood Estate in Oshawa)

Don’t know if you want to provide heat, water or energy? Build machines or keep them running? Get a taste of the trades and see what suits you best! In this program, you will gain exposure to and experience in a variety of areas designed to help you choose a skilled trade or apprenticeship program. To assist you with firmly establishing a career within the skilled trades you will be introduced to:

• Automotive
• Carpentry
• Electrical
• Industrial maintenance
• Machining
• Plumbing
• Welding
• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) essentials

In addition, you will have an opportunity to rotate through different trades and gain hands-on, practical knowledge through theory and shop work in order to make a knowledgeable and well-informed decision on your future career goals.

Whether you find yourself at a dairy farm or in a nuclear power plant, your knowledge and skills of electricity, safety and installation methods will give you the ability to install, maintain and troubleshoot the motor controls and wiring systems that allow businesses to operate. Having physical control of temperature and pressure systems ensures that staff are comfortable and safe, and that work is completed effectively and up to code. Graduates will meet the Ministry of Labour’s Working at Heights training requirement.

As an Electrical Technician student, you will learn the fundamentals of electrically based technologies and how to assemble, install, test and calibrate electrical testing equipment.

This program will focus on the skills required to install and maintain current industrial, electrical and electronic systems, including programmable logic controls, and enable you to develop troubleshooting and problem solving skills through theoretical and extensive hands-on training.

Topics include:

• Electrical theory
• Instrumentation
• Motor controls
• Canadian Electrical Code
• Blue Prints
• Electronics
• Building systems (fire alarms, data networks, security, etc.

Hands-on instruction will account for up to 35 to 45 per cent of class time. If you successfully complete Year 1 and choose to leave at that time, you will receive an Ontario College certificate in Electrical Techniques.

Guided by a field-to-fork philosophy, this program prepares students to be leaders in the rapidly evolving food sector. Working in a one-of-a-kind environment, you will learn to create the wholesome, locally produced, farm-fresh food in demand by today’s consumers, and how you can contribute solutions to communities looking to feed cities in creative and sustainable ways. In addition, you will experience how agri-tourism brings urban residents to farming and will have an enhanced awareness of local food production.

With more than 50 hours of your time spent in the labs and fields of the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, you will gain a unique hands-on opportunity to become familiar with the concepts that are critical to the food and agricultural industry, all within the context of a field-to-fork philosophy. You will learn in our fields, greenhouses, hoop house and state-of-the-art food chemistry and processing labs, while planning for, planting, tending to and harvesting more than 50 different varieties of produce, berry bushes, herbs and more.

Through the development of your own value-added food products, you will have a greater knowledge and understanding of the opportunities that come with food production. Whether you are interested in a career with a food company, managing a food operation, developing your own food product or owning a greenhouse or production farm, you will gain critical skills in modern farming concepts and food processing to position you as an industry leader.

The Food and Farming program will offer you a hands-on opportunity to become familiar with the concepts of food production. You will focus on:

• Plant propagation
• Soil and plant nutrition
• Fruit and vegetable production under field, greenhouse, garden and container conditions
• Product development
• Food processing including niche processing of local foods
• Food and agriculture regulations
• Disease and pest management
• Business practices including product branding, entrepreneurship and marketing.

It will be offered at the Whitby campus, home of the college’s new Centre for Food. This incredible new learning centre will undergo further expansion to include orchards, agricultural fields, greenhouses and more. Students will also utilize the specialized laboratories at the college’s Oshawa campus and participate in several field trips through the year.

A career in the carpentry and renovation field blends physical hands-on work, skillful precision and creativity. Successful candidates enter a world of opportunities leading to a variety of rewarding career paths in custom home building, renovation, construction, and general contracting, including self-employment. With the construction and renovation industry steadily growing across Canada, job prospects are expected to remain strong for decades. Market researcher BuildForce Canada projects a need for 44,600 new carpenters in Canada, 12,000 in Ontario alone, over the next 10 years. 

Graduates of this program will enter the work force with a competitive edge thanks to a strong knowledge and understanding of structural renovations, sustainable construction theory and energy-wise construction techniques, as well as foundational business theories and strategies to complement their technical training. Students also have the opportunity to complete a co-operative education (co-op) or field placement, which provides invaluable real-life, hands-on work and industry experience that prepare graduates for successful careers. Graduates will meet the Ministry of Labour’s Working at Heights training requirement.

CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION (CO-OP)
The best way to succeed in your field is to immerse yourself in it! Co-op is an excellent way to build your professional network, explore career paths and apply in-class teachings to real work situations. Co-op is a model of education that integrates academic learning with workplace learning in fields relevant to our students’ academic and personal goals. Similar to an academic course, work terms are a mandatory component to this form of experiential learning.

Master the art of food and flavour in our Culinary Management program. You will explore locally grown food, experiment with ethnic and contemporary cuisine, and develop your skills in the culinary arts, while learning valuable management skills that will take your career to the next level. Significant focus is placed on lab/kitchen time, encouraging students to develop their techniques and products, much of which they are able to take home and enjoy. Graduates are sought after by a broad range of employers because of their unique skills, which include artisan meat cutting, cheese production, baking, canning and preserving.

The Culinary Management program is offered at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF), which is guided by a field-to-fork philosophy and sustainable business practices in all activities. This incredible learning centre provides access to a demonstration theatre; state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and meeting spaces; Bistro ’67, a full-service, green-certified teaching restaurant; and growing fields just steps from the labs.

The Culinary Management program is offered at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF), which is guided by a field-to-fork philosophy in all activities. This incredible learning centre provides access to a demonstration theatre; state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and meeting spaces; Bistro ’67, a full-service, green-certified teaching restaurant; and growing fields just steps from the labs.

You will learn to provide accomplished culinary planning, preparation and presentation for a variety of food-service environments. With a strong emphasis on skill development, theory, service and managerial training, you will become equipped with the skills and industry knowledge required to succeed. This program will foster ongoing personal growth and learning in the areas of self-management, interpersonal skills, professional ability and industry awareness.

In addition, you will gain knowledge about the diverse needs of today’s diners and consumers and focus on locally grown and produced foods. Hands-on experience in culinary, pastry and restaurant demonstration labs and classrooms will help you to develop essential skills related to a la carte cuisine, pastry, desserts and baking, ethnic cuisine, contemporary cooking and more.

The Culinary Management program will foster ongoing personal growth and learning in the areas of self management, interpersonal skills, professional ability and industry awareness including:

• Applying cost control techniques to food-service operations
• Effective marketing to promote the successful operation of a hospitality business
• Developing ongoing personal and professional strategies and plans to enhance culinary leadership and management skills

Students in this program will benefit from working and learning in Bistro ’67, a full-service, green-certified teaching and learning restaurant operated by staff and students.

Health offices are increasingly complex, driven by technology and requiring strong administrators at the helm. As a student in this program, you will learn medical terminology and have a general understanding of anatomy and physiology. You will understand procedures required to operate a medical office and will be able to transcribe a wide range of medical data. You will understand the latest hospital information systems and know how to use them. You will learn from professionals who are current in their field and will have the opportunity to enhance your resumé with real-life work experience.

Classes in this program are offered in a compressed format on three consecutive days each week.

This program is designed to develop the skills required to perform administrative support in a wide variety of medical environments. You will gain a practical understanding and knowledge on topics including:

• A basic understanding of anatomy and physiology
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Medical billing
• Medical ethics
• Medical office procedures
• Medical terminology and transcription
• Electronic medical record software
• Patient management

With the medical field constantly changing and computers bringing new concepts and approaches to office procedures, you will receive training in computerized medical records systems, computerized Ontario Health Insurance Plan billing systems and other office equipment technology applications. This program will help you become a skilled and specialized professional that is comfortable with the latest technology and able to compete effectively in the workplace.