Certificate in Machinist

at Saskatchewan Polytechnic - Regina Campus Canada

Machinists are in high demand in western Canada—from the oil patch to power utilities, from manufacturing facilities to mines, mills and chemical plants. The job demands both problem-solving and creativity to machine parts to blueprint specifications.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Machinist certificate program can fast-track you into the workforce, and give you a head start on apprenticeship. You’ll need good computer skills, math skills and be comfortable working in industrial settings.

Machinist is a one-year certificate program offered in Saskatoon and Regina. You’ll learn on a variety of machine tools in Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s well-equipped shops including lathes, mills, drill presses, surface grinders, CNC lathes and machining centres. You’ll also learn online, blended training for the CNC course, and participate in an industry-based work experience.

Experienced instructors who understand the demands of industrial workplaces, from maintaining workflow to working safely, will help you build knowledge and skills in:

• Blueprint reading, technical drawing, precision measurement
• Communications and applied math
• Computer numerical control (CNC)
• Drilling machine operations
• Grinding and sawing operations
• Heat treatment processes
• Lathe operations
• Materials selection
• Milling machine operations

More than ever, advances in computer technologies are making our world a smaller place. The computer industry continues to provide us with faster and more robust networks and devices that keep us all connected. This growth is ensuring that there is a strong demand for the technicians that can design, build, maintain, and repair the computer automation systems that produce global innovations.

Are you passionate about computers and technology? Do you have an interest in how smart devices and the Internet work? Are you finding yourself reviewing the newest and latest technology? If so, Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Computer Automated Systems Technician diploma program at Regina Campus will immerse you in the latest computer and automated technologies.

Hands-on labs and courses that focus on the computers, automated systems, and using industry-standard software and equipment, will give you the confidence to be successful in the fast-paced and evolving computer automated industry.

You will build a solid foundation in:

• Computer hardware
• Customer service
• Windows operating systems
• Linux operating systems
• Simulation and prototyping software
• 3d modeling
• 3d printing
• Data collection
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Python programming
• Application Programming Interface (API) integration
• Computer networks
• Device and network security
• Wireless technologies
• Electronic communication technologies

In Saskatchewan, 4 out of every 10 people currently working in management are over the age of 55. Retirement is looming for nearly half our management workforce. This reality presents an opportunity for those with the right combination of skills, experience, and education.

The new Bachelor of Applied Management (BAMgt) degree program provides journeypersons and non-business diploma graduates with a unique opportunity to leverage existing education and experience into a bachelor's degree with only two years of additional study.

The BAMgt degree is designed to meet the emerging need for qualified managers by providing you with two years of course credit towards the four-year bachelor's degree. The program provides theoretical knowledge and technical training through applied learning opportunities. You will build knowledge and skills in a wide range of leadership and management disciplines including accountancy, human resource management, business communications, strategic management, leadership development, business analytics, finance, change management, risk management, commercial law, and economics.

Do you like working on cars? Want to get into the workforce quickly? Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Auto Body Technician program could be a great fit for you. The program prepares you for work in auto body shops, auto dealerships and private garages.

The job involves bending, standing and lifting heavy equipment. But it’s also creative work—a good eye for colour and detail will ensure your skills are in demand.

Auto Body Technician is a one-year certificate program offered on campus in Saskatoon and in Regina.

Note: The Regina (January) delivery of this program is marketed almost exclusively to international students with a study permit, although it may be available to domestic students as well. 

The program gives you a solid foundation in the knowledge and skills you’ll need to work in motor vehicle body repair and refinishing. You’ll get practical training in:

• Basic and advanced metal work;
• Basic and advanced painting;
• Benchwork and safe working procedures;
• Door servicing, glass installation and electrical systems;
• Front sheet metal and plastic material repair;
• Industry communications and math;
• Welding.

There’s a lot of technology at work in today’s commercial and institutional buildings, from energy efficient boilers to complex HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, air conditioning). Building systems require regular, skilled maintenance—mechanical and technical. That’s why building systems technicians are always in demand. It’s a job that requires good problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Building Systems Technician is a one-year certificate program offered at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Regina Campus. You’ll receive comprehensive training in maintaining and operating electrical, ventilation, refrigeration and water treatment systems.

Most courses include practical activities to develop your troubleshooting skills. Time in a working facility will give students a real life experience during the second semester work placement. It’s a great way to use what you’ve learned in class and labs in a real-world setting. It’s also a way to develop contacts for possible future employment.

Certification Opportunities
Industry certifications are important to your career mobility and earning power. So, in addition to developing your knowledge and skills, Saskatchewan Polytechnic helps you prepare for industry certification exams. You’ll have an opportunity to write the Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan (TSASK) exams:

• 5th Class Power Engineering (5th Class Power Engineering qualifies the certificate holder to operate equipment at the Fireman Boiler Operator level)
• Refrigeration Engineer (Refrigeration Engineer qualifies the certificate holder to operate equipment at the Refrigeration Plant Operator level)

The University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic jointly offer a collaborative program: the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN)
As a Student in the SCBScN program, you will begin your nursing education in Year 1 with opportunities to work directly with patients and clients. SCBScN is accredited by the Canadian Association of Nursing (CASN). This means that your nursing program meets national standards of excellence in nursing education.

If you’re interested in a hands-on trade, check out Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Welding program. We’ll get you started on a career that offers a lot of options, great mobility and excellent pay.

Welders are in high demand—in oil and gas, mining, manufacturing and construction. You need to be good with your hands and enjoy working with tools. You also need to be a problem-solver and a team player who’s able to follow instructions.

Welding is a one-year certificate program offered at all four Saskatchewan Polytechnic campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon. Build knowledge and skills in operating welding equipment and performing basic welding operations. You’ll get hands-on instruction in:

• cutting processes
• gas metal arc, gas tungsten arc, shielded metal arc welding
• general shop practice and shop safety
• operating fabrication equipment
• oxy/acetylene fusion welding
• quality assurance
• using blueprints

Power engineering technicians help keep power plants running safely and efficiently. A shortage of certified technicians means job opportunities have never been better. You could work in the oil patch, mining, manufacturing, energy, health and other industries. It’s a physical job that requires manual dexterity and good vision, as well as problem-solving skills and a knack for working with machinery.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is Saskatchewan’s primary provider of power engineering certification. We offer two levels of training: the one-year Power Engineering Technician certificate program and the two-year Power Engineering Technology diploma program.

The one-year Power Engineering Technician certificate program is offered at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Regina Campus, and at Southeast College, (Estevan), Great Plains College (Swift Current), Parkland College (Yorkton), and Carlton Trail College (Humboldt). You’ll study Fourth Class interprovincial standardized material, which will prepare you to challenge interprovincial Fourth Class examinations.

You’ll receive practical training in boiler operations, maintenance techniques and tool use. You’ll develop troubleshooting skills in practical labs, get boiler firing time in the power lab and industry work experience in your second term.

The balance of hands-on labs, work experience and exam preparation makes Saskatchewan Polytechnic graduates productive on the job from day one—something employers look for when hiring and promoting.

Certification Opportunities:-

Power engineering is divided into levels of skill and training called classes (First Class is the highest level). You progress from one class to another through a combination of work experience, course completions and rigorous interprovincial exams.

As a Power Engineering Technician graduate, you’ll be prepared to challenge:

• TSASK (Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan) interprovincial (standardized) Fourth Class exams, and
• TSASK provincial Refrigeration Engineers Certificate exam, which allows you to operate larger refrigeration plans in Saskatchewan

If you’re detail oriented, self motivated and want a unique career in the health-care industry, consider Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Health Information Management program. You’ll learn how to collect, organize and manage large amounts of health information, all while meeting privacy standards.

You could work as a health information management practitioner, coordinator or analyst with health regions as well as public and private health agencies-hospitals to cancer clinics and government agencies. Your unique skill set can also open doors to jobs with police forces, educational institutions, law offices, insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms.

Learn from experienced instructors as you build knowledge and leadership skills in:

• Data collection, coding and quality;
• Electronic health information management (e-HIM);
• Information privacy, security and confidentiality;
• Interpretation and analysis of health data;
• Patient access to health information;
• Records and systems management; and
• Transition to the electronic health record.

Work Experience
The program includes two work-based practicums: one in first year, one in second year. It’s a chance to apply your new knowledge and skills in an actual health agency setting. By the time you graduate, you’ll already have 15 weeks of real-world experience - something you can highlight to potential employers.

Diploma to Degree
Use your Saskatchewan Polytechnic diploma to transfer into the third year of a four-year Kinesiology, Health Studies or Arts degree program at the University of Regina or First Nations University of Canada.

Computer systems technologists solve computer-related issues for businesses, government agencies, utilities, law enforcement agencies, health services providers, educational institutions and more. It’s a career that demands a unique blend of skills—computer literacy, technical know-how and communications savvy—but also lets you specialize in areas that interest you the most, including programming, software design, mobile application programming, data communications and web design.

The two-year Computer Systems Technology diploma is available full time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatoon campus, with a number of courses also available through distance and/or continuing education. Comprehensive technical training gives you a solid foundation of theory and hands-on lab practice in:

• Designing, installing and managing local area networks
• Developing computer programs in various programming languages
• Developing interactive web pages with multimedia components
• Developing proficiency in several common computer application packages
• Installing and configuring computer hardware and software
• Performing systems analysis and design
• Programming apps for mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.)
• Providing end-user technical support services
• Troubleshooting and repairing hardware problems