Certificate in Heavy Mechanical Trades Foundation

at Northern Lights College - Dawson Creek Campus Canada

This program consists of Foundation Heavy Mechanical Trades training in addition to Level 1 Apprenticeship Technical Training. Upon completion of this program, students will choose a specialty apprenticeship path in their fourth year of Heavy Mechanical Trades.

The new Heavy Mechanical Trades program includes the following four trades:

• Truck and Transport Mechanic (Commercial Transport Vehicle Mechanic): Diagnose, repair and service the mechanical, electrical and electronic components of highway buses and trucks. This includes the fuel, brake, steering and suspension, transmission, emission control and exhaust, and cooling and climate control systems. Mechanics work for commercial transport vehicle dealers, garages and service stations, and may specialize in one or more of these systems.
• Heavy Duty Equipment Technician: Overhaul, repair and service heavy equipment used in construction, forestry, materials handling, landscaping, and land clearing such as graders, loaders, bulldozers, shovels, tractors, trucks, forklifts, drills, and wheeled and tracked vehicles. Working from manufacturers' specifications, they identify and repair problems in structural, mechanical, or hydraulic systems. Heavy Duty Equipment Technicians also work on buses and large trucks. 
• Diesel Engine Mechanic: Install, repair, and maintain all internal combustion diesel engines and components as used in transport, construction, and marine. 
• Transport Trailer Technician: Maintain, rebuild, overhaul, recondition, repair and diagnostic troubleshoot commercial truck trailers.

There is a two-week Practicum work placement in this program where students will get the opportunity to showcase their skills to a potential employer.

The Associate of Arts Degree – AHCOTE (AAA) is awarded to students who complete two years of planned coursework at Northern Lights College. The AAA prepares students for entry into the Alaska Highway Consortium on Teacher Education (AHCOTE), the teacher-training program offered at NLC. Credits may also be applied toward a degree.

The AAA is offered as part of the University Arts and Sciences program, which provides university-level learning opportunities that reflect the intellectual and creative modes of inquiry practiced in the Arts and Sciences.

NLC's Associate of Arts Degree (Health Studies) prepares students for entry into health-related degree programs, with an emphasis on the University of Northern British Columbia's Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program. The two-year Associate Degree (Health Studies) provides broad coverage across the Arts and Sciences while introducing students to nursing as a career and meeting UNBC's core prerequisite requirements in the social sciences, English, Indigenous studies, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, psychology, and statistics.

The University Arts and Sciences program serves individuals and communities by providing university-level learning opportunities that reflect the intellectual and creative modes of inquiry practiced in the Arts and Sciences.  A wide variety of first- and second-year courses enable learners to pursue numerous credential and career options, and to engage in personal enrichment. 

The Associate of Arts Degree enables students to focus on disciplines in the humanities and/or social sciences.  This provincially recognized credential is designed to provide a well-rounded educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and further study.

For students intending to pursue further studies, the Associate of Arts Degree comprises the first two years (60 credits) of a four-year degree program (120 credits). All 60 credits comprising the Associate Degree receive full block-transfer at universities throughout British Columbia. Accordingly, the Associate of Arts Degree enables students to complete half of a degree program while remaining in their home community.

Students transferring to universities may still be required to meet specific first- and second-year requirements for certain degree programs, so advance planning  is recommended. Where viable, Associate Degree students are encouraged to select courses that also satisfy Flexible Pre-Majors.

The University Arts and Sciences program serves individuals and communities by providing university-level learning opportunities that reflect the intellectual and creative modes of inquiry practiced in the Arts and Sciences.  A wide variety of first- and second-year courses enable learners to pursue numerous credential and career options, and to engage in personal enrichment. 

The Associate of Arts Degree enables students to focus on disciplines in the humanities and/or social sciences.  This provincially recognized credential is designed to provide a well-rounded educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and further study.

For students intending to pursue further studies, the Associate of Arts Degree comprises the first two years (60 credits) of a four-year degree program (120 credits). All 60 credits comprising the Associate Degree receive full block-transfer at universities throughout British Columbia. Accordingly, the Associate of Arts Degree enables students to complete half of a degree program while remaining in their home community.

Students transferring to universities may still be required to meet specific first- and second-year requirements for certain degree programs, so advance planning  is recommended. Where viable, Associate Degree students are encouraged to select courses that also satisfy Flexible Pre-Majors.

The Business Management program promotes conceptual and technical skill development in business through a one-year Certificate program, a two-year Diploma program, and a Post-Degree Diploma program.

The Post-Degree Diploma program is available to both international and domestic students. For international students who already hold a three-year degree in commerce or business administration, the Post-Degree Diploma is an effective bridge to further North American business studies or to pursue employment in North America.

International and domestic candidates with three- or four-year degrees in fields beyond commerce and business management (such as computing, engineering, health, etc.) would also benefit from the program. For such students, the Post-Degree Diploma is a capstone program that augments existing technical skills and education in other fields.

The Post-Degree Diploma alone does not meet the typical educa­tion requirements for a Master’s Degree program (or MBA) in Canada. Students planning to study at a Master’s level in Canada should ensure that their prior education (a three or four-year degree) meets the educational requirements for their intended program.

Esthetics training includes theory and hands-on training in facials, body massage, body treatments, aromatherapy, reflexology, makeup artistry, waxing and tinting.

In Nail Care Technology, students learn theory and application of manicures, pedicures and artificial nail enhancement. Also integrated are the basic principles of anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, electrotherapy, and sanitation procedures to support the applied learning required for the certificate. Students are introduced to the knowledge and skills necessary for running a salon or spa.

Cosmetologists provide personal care services that include caring for people’s hair, skin and nails. Professionals employed in the cosmetology industry include hairstylists, barbers and estheticians. This diploma program takes students through the Esthetics group of skin and nail treatments, and Hairstylist training. The Hairstylist and Esthetics programs are each approximately 32 weeks in length and are combined with a professional portfolio at the end which to make up the 2-year diploma in Cosmetology. 

Hairstylist and Esthetics both begin every September. Once a student completes one of the programs, they can proceed to the next in the second year (the order is not important). 
Both programs have large practical components where students will spend time working in the NLC salons. Students will have theory, salon operations training and hands-on salon client days where they practice the skills they are learning in class. 

Esthetics includes training in facials, body massage, body treatments, aromatherapy, makeup artistry, waxing and tinting.
Hairstylist training covers the Industry Training Authority (ITA) certified apprenticeship programming including haircuts, styling, shampoo and scalp treatments, as well as chemically treating hair using colour and permanent wave solutions. 

Throughout both these two programs, students will be working on their professional portfolio and at end they will produce a capstone project which will combine the two disciplines into a final project.

The University Arts and Sciences program at Northern Lights College (NLC) serves individuals and communities by providing university-level learning opportunities that reflect the intellectual and creative modes of inquiry practiced in the arts and sciences.  A wide variety of first and second-year courses enable learners to pursue numerous credential and career options, and to engage in personal enrichment.

A Humanities Certificate is awarded to students who complete 30 credits of planned courses, with an emphasis on the Humanities. The certificate is intended to prepare students for continued university-level studies leading to a Bachelor's Degree

A Diploma in Criminology will be awarded to students who complete the equivalent of two years of required first and second-year courses at Northern Lights College. The diploma is intended to prepare students for entry-level employment positions and for continued studies in academic and professional programs. Relevant areas of work and additional education include Corrections, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Forensic Studies, and Law Enforcement.