Post-Graduate Certificate in Cloud Computing and Blockchain

at Saskatchewan Polytechnic - Regina Campus Canada

Metal fabricator-welders are in high demand—in the oil patch, mining, manufacturing and construction. It’s a trade that requires a high level of skill and a comprehensive knowledge of industrial welding and joining processes. The payoff is high wages and good career mobility.

It's a great way to jump into the workforce … in either the welding or steel fabrication trade.

Fabricator-Welder is a one-year, dual certificate program offered at Regina and Saskatoon campuses. You’ll learn from experienced instructors how to interpret drawings and use different welding processes and metal forming machinery. Working in Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s well-equipped shops, you’ll be trained in:

• Benchwork and trade safety
• Communications, trade math and print reading
• Layout, template development and fitting
• Gas metal arc and gas tungsten arc welding
• Oxy-fuel processes and plasma arc cutting
• Rigging and electric overhead crane operation
• Shielded metal arc welding
• Shop management

You’ll also fabricate several projects, complete your Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) welder qualification tests and participate in a one-week work experience.

Are you interested in design and website development, interactive media, digital marketing, computer graphics? Do you have a creative mind, good problem-solving skills, enjoy working with computer software and hardware?

With technology literally reinventing the way we do things (think mobile, 3D printing, social media), now is a great time to turn your interest into a career. Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers a two-year Interactive Design and Technology (IDT) diploma program.

The Interactive Design and Technology program is offered full-time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Regina Campus and Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatoon Campus, with some courses available online through distance learning.

In the first year, you'll get an overall foundation in:

• Professional practices
• Design principles and processes
• Web page design and development
• Raster and vector graphic creation and editing
• Writing for social and interactive media
• Photography, audio and video

In the second year, you'll build your skills in:

• Management principles, analytics and usability studies
• Self-promotion and digital marketing
• Interactive authoring
• Customizing Content Management Systems (CMS)

Design
You will learn the skills needed to create interesting and effective graphic solutions for websites and interactive media.

• Contemporary graphic design styles
• User interface design
• Advanced raster and vector graphic skills

Technology
You will develop competence in building and implementing dynamically driven custom websites such as electronic catalogues and e-commerce solutions.

• Database design, database management systems (DBMS) and Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Server-side scripting, methods, functions
• Client-side scripting and asynchronous web applications

Parts management technicians make sure the right parts are available in the right place at the right time. You have to like variety, be good at organizing things, be able to handle large volumes of information, and have good people and computer skills.

The Parts Management Technician program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic provides the skills you need to work in wholesale distribution centres and in automotive, truck, agricultural, industrial equipment and recreational equipment dealerships.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's one-year Parts Management Technician certificate program is offered on campus in Saskatoon. The entire program is also offered online through distance learning. Combining classroom theory with practical assignments and labs, you’ll learn how to serve different customers, dispense parts and sell related goods. You’ll get practical training in:

• All types of parts
• Maintaining a clean, orderly display and storage area
• Maintaining pre-determined inventory levels
• Parts applications and locations
• Parts purchasing and storage
• Using a computerized inventory control system
• Using parts manuals, catalogues, and electronic catalogues

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's one-year Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate program gives you the knowledge and skills you need to work in a variety of child care settings. You can take the program in Prince Albert, Regina or Saskatoon , through regional colleges around the province, or through distance learning wherever you live.

The ECE program integrates current research on early childhood education into all of your courses. You’ll develop strong communication, observation and documentation skills. You’ll receive well-rounded training in:

• Child and adolescent development
• Child guidance techniques
• Role of early childhood educators
• Role of play in programming
• Values and practice of early childhood education
• Programming for creative arts, language, cognitive, social and emotional development

The emphasis on observation and documentation is market-driven—these are essential to building positive relationships with families, and employers are eager to hire grads with well-developed skills.

Working with Children

You’ll interact with young children throughout your program, thanks to Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s partnerships with community and campus child care centres. Saskatoon students also have access to a unique learning opportunity—10% of all your courses are based on work in our Early Childhood Demonstration Centre.

At the end of your first and second semesters, you’ll also participate in practicums (i.e., 4 weeks and 6 weeks), in a child care or preschool setting. This real-world learning gives you a competitive edge in the workforce.

Want to Open More Doors?

When you graduate, you’re eligible to apply to become a licensed Level II Early Childhood Educator (ECE). Many child care centres and preschools only hire licensed ECEs. You can also go on to earn a diploma in Early Childhood Education with one more year of study. Or, you can transfer some of your credits to the University of Regina’s Bachelor of Education degree program in Elementary Education.

Part-time students may take the following courses prior to admission, but must apply and be accepted to the program thereafter, in order to graduate and receive a credential: COMM 291, ECE 106, ECE 142, EMPL 180, HUMD 100, and HUMD 183.

Licensed practical Nurses are a vital part of today's health care team - in acute hospital care, long-term care and in the community. They provide compassionate, professional nursing care to individuals throughout the human lifespan, infants to seniors. If this sounds interesting to you, explore Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Practical Nursing program. In just two years, we’ll help you develop into a competent, confident nurse capable of making a positive difference in the health and well-being of individuals, their families and our communities.

Practical Nursing is a two-year diploma program offered at Sask Polytech Saskatoon Campus, Regina Campus, and Prince Albert Campus, with online distance learning options. Onsite labs and community-based clinical practice education experiences let you apply nursing knowledge, theory and skills in a variety of environments.

The program is a sequential 6-semester program allowing the concepts from one semester to be built on in subsequent semesters. The 6 semesters run over 76 weeks, over a 2-year period. Classes are designed to meet diverse learning styles.

Our experienced faculty help you grow into a competent, confident nurse capable of bringing a holistic, humanistic approach to patient care. You'll study:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Foundations of health
• Pharmacology
• Health assessment through the lifespan
• Long-term and rehabilitative care
• Medical and surgical care
• Obstetrics and pediatrics
• Mental health and addictions
• Community
• Sociology

Instructional methods include seminars, observational experiences, pre- and post-clinical conferences, small group presentations, lectures, demonstrations, role-playing, storytelling, discussion, reflective thinking and writing, and simulation lab experiences.

Opportunities for critical reflection about caring-based practice, development of employability skills and understanding the role and scope of practice of the licensed practical nurse (LPN) are blended into the program's learning activities.

The clinical practice education courses are integrative in nature, and, as such, the evaluation of your performance in the clinical setting involves evaluating the application of the theoretical concepts learned in all other courses. This is what ultimately determines your progress toward achieving the competencies of the beginning practical nurse.

Information technology, business software, mobile platforms—information systems are reinventing the way we do business. Computer-savvy people with programming and development skills are in demand in the business world. When your skill set includes training in business solution development, you’re a hot commodity.

Business Information Systems (BIS) is a two-year diploma program offered full-time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Moose Jaw Campus. It includes four academic semesters and a six-month paid co-operative education work term.

The Business Information Systems program starts with a solid foundation in business basics with a focus on information technology functions and learning how to use them to develop meaningful business solutions. This includes training in:

• Software development languages (Visual Studio.NET, Java, COBOL);
• Computer hardware, networking and operating systems (Windows, Unix and Linux);
• Data gathering, modeling and database management systems (Oracle, SQL Server 2000);
• Retrieval techniques of databases and programming languages (SQL, PLSQL, ADO.NET, JDBC); and
• Target platforms, including Windows application development, networked software development, web application development (XHTML, JavaScript, ASP, Java).

You’ll use cutting edge technology in servers, programming and mobile apps. You’ll have opportunities to develop or enhance actual production applications, and build hands-on skills in systems analysis, design methodologies and project management.

There is a mandatory six-month paid Co-operative Education work term between Semesters 2 and 3. Semesters and co-op work term time patterns are listed in Courses below.

If you want to study more than one post-graduate program at Sask Polytech, you have the option to apply for a post-graduate bundle. With one application you can apply and be accepted into both post-graduate programs.

Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics

The goal of the program is to prepare internationally-educated graduates with degrees in information and communications technology for the fields of data analysis and machine learning. Humans have always wanted to better understand the massive amounts of currently available and newly gathered data and what that means for future potential.

Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics is the power to analyze and learn about large amounts of data from multiple sources and detect patterns to make future trend predictions. Business and industry benefits from predictive analytics to make decisions about production, marketing and development.

You will study:

• cost and benefit estimation for process change
• conversion of business questions into data mining problems
• enterprise data architecture and associated technologies
• strategies to leverage the popular data science language Python
• importance of business intelligence to the modern enterprise
• application of artificial intelligence (AI) application programming interfaces (APIs) to business applications
• application of algorithms to make predictions that form the foundation of machine learning
• ethical issues surrounding big data
• emerging application of AI to common business areas

Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in Saskatchewan. Our past, present and future is built on innovators and creators--people who want to run their own business, carve their own career path and build a future for their family. The new one-year Entrepreneurship post-graduate certificate will give you the skills, the knowledge, even the beginnings of a professional network to launch your entrepreneurial career.

What sets the Entrepreneurship program apart is our focus on relevant, real-world learning. Get the skills you need to effectively manage a business, from the basics of accounting and finance to human resources, communication, marketing and leadership. Learn about social entrepreneurship and purpose-driven businesses, indigenous entrepreneurship and the role of technology in entrepreneurship.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is known for our hands-on approach to learning. This means you will have many opportunities for applied learning, including preparing a feasibility analysis, creating an innovative solution to a problem and developing a business plan for a new venture.

The goal of the program is to prepare internationally-educated graduates with degrees in information and communications technology for the fields of data analysis and machine learning. Humans have always wanted to better understand the massive amounts of currently available and newly gathered data and what that means for future potential.

Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics is the power to analyze and learn about large amounts of data from multiple sources and detect patterns to make future trend predictions. Business and industry benefits from predictive analytics to make decisions about production, marketing and development.

You will study

• Cost and benefit estimation for process change
• Conversion of business questions into data mining problems
• Enterprise data architecture and associated technologies
• Strategies to leverage the popular data science language Python
• Importance of business intelligence to the modern enterprise
• Application of artificial intelligence (AI) application programming interfaces (APIs) to business applications
• Application of algorithms to make predictions that form the foundation of machine learning
• Ethical issues surrounding big data
• Emerging application of AI to common business areas

If you like working with machinery, enjoy solving mechanical problems and are good with your hands, check out Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Industrial Mechanics program. You’ll get the basic knowledge and skills you need to install, repair, overhaul and maintain stationary, industrial machinery and mechanical equipment.

Demand for industrial mechanics - also called millwrights - is high across western Canada. Oil & gas and mining are big employers, but there’s also demand in manufacturing, milling, power generation and chemical plants.

Industrial Mechanics is a one-year certificate program offered at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatoon campus and Saskatchewan Polytechnic Prince Albert campus. Working in well-equipped shops with highly qualified instructors, you’ll get practical, hands-on training in:

• basic math, drafting and blueprint reading
• basic welding, fabrication and installation
• conveyance systems, pumps and pipe fitting
• mechanical components
• preventative maintenance
• using tools of the trade

The post-graduate certificate in cloud computing and blockchain will prepare students for the challenges of evaluating the feasibility, designing, and implementing cloud-based solutions that fulfill the requirements of specific business cases. Additionally, the program content will provide students with the cognitive and technical skills to evaluate blockchain technologies beyond cryptocurrencies. Therefore, they can design and implement blockchain-based solutions.

The program content is based on the expectation that students will have developed necessary digital-literacy skills, such as online research, sharing information to create knowledge, being responsible online, among others, in their undergraduate information and communication technology degree and that the Cloud Computing and Blockchain post-graduate certificate program will enhance their existing knowledge and skills.

Students will study cloud computing in the following fields:

• Provision of cloud computing, storage, and networking resources
• Security of cloud-based solutions
• Migration of on-premises systems and databases
• Design of hybrid architectures
• Monitoring and auditing of cloud-based solutions
• Cost management and business continuity
• Evaluation and design of cloud-based solutions to save costs and optimize resources

Students will also study blockchain technologies in the following fields:

• The role and impact of cryptocurrencies in our economy
• Evaluation and design of smart contracts
• Analysis of the deployment and operational cost of smart contracts
• Analysis and design of solutions that integrate on-chain and off-chain components
• Evaluation and design of blockchain-based solutions to provide high reliability, transparency, and fault tolerance.

The program structure allows students to experience the challenges and pressures of emerging cloud computing demand in such a way that they can develop their critical thinking to propose cloud-based solutions. The program structure also allows students to study blockchain technologies to identify the need to design solutions that integrate blockchain components.