Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management and Assessment (Co-op)

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

Get career-ready cutting-edge skills in our Salon, Spa and Boutique.

By combining hands-on training and theory, the two-year Hairstyling Ontario College Diploma program prepares you for a career as a licensed professional hairstylist in a fast-paced and exciting industry.

As a student, you learn techniques such as:

• cutting
• styling
• permanent waving
• chemical hair relaxing
• colouring
• lightening
• hair additions
   

You also gain skills in salon operations using industry-standard software. By working in the Salon, Spa and Boutique, you have the chance to put your skills into practice on real clients.

Demonstrate your knowledge by developing individualized styling options, prescribing products and practicing safe and hygienic practices. Upon completion of the program, you are granted 1,500 hours towards the 3,500 total hours required to complete your apprenticeship. After completion of these requirements, you write an exam to earn your Red Seal license so you can work as a certified hairstylist.

You may find employment as a:

• Hair stylist
• Colour technician
• Salon manager in salons, day or resort spas, health clubs, cruise ships, or beauty institutes
• sales representative for a manufacturer or distributor

The two-year Fitness and Health Promotion Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to perform the roles and responsibilities of fitness and health consultants who plan, promote and deliver a wide variety of services. These include activity and educational programs that enhance the health, fitness and well-being of individuals and groups in diverse settings.

In this program, you learn the skills and knowledge to live a fit and healthy lifestyle, which, in turn, allows you to help others achieve their own health and lifestyle goals.

Field placements in the program provide on-the-job training. These varied placements allow you to apply the skills and knowledge gained in classes to a workplace setting, as well as gain exposure to potential employers and add to your overall marketability and employability after graduation.

Nationally-recognized certifications in Group Fitness and Personal Training are part of the program, further enabling you to meet the demands of a growing market in fitness and health promotion.

Upon graduating, you may find employment in the fitness industry in a variety of settings. These may include:

• Fitness and health clubs
• YMCA/YWCA corporate
• Recreation and fitness programs
• Public and private fitness programs
• Community institutions for special populations
• Municipal recreation departments

Sharpen your skills in world-class culinary labs

This one-year Culinary Skills Ontario College Certificate program teaches you the cutting-edge skills you need to succeed in the high-growth culinary industry. Learn essential food preparation skills and techniques from industry professionals in Algonquin College`s world-class culinary labs. Topics include nutrition and food theory, food cost control, menu planning and sanitation and safety procedures.

The hands-on experience and knowledge you gain opens many doors for you and helps to shape your career as a professional cook.

Some classes are held in the evening and on the weekend in Restaurant International, Algonquin College`s on-campus fine-dining restaurant, to give you a taste of your career before graduation.

Expand your real-world experience and make industry connections with an 80-hour field placement. With opportunities to participate in community events, culinary competitions and activities, you have many opportunities to refine your skills and gain further experience. You also have the exciting opportunity to experience food and culture abroad in Italy, if you choose to participate in the annual culinary trip.

The skills you gain may open doors to your culinary career as cooks or assistant cooks in:

• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Resorts
• Clubs
• Cruise ships
• Catering companies

Accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC), Dental Hygiene, Dental Hygiene is a three year Ontario College Advanced Diploma and is delivered over two and one-half years. The program strongly emphasizes on preparing graduates to function in a collaborative relationship with the community, healthcare providers and the client. 

The students, through the program, take up the role of a dental hygienist as an advocate, administrator, educator, researcher, clinician and health promoter and learn to offer dental hygiene care in a professional manner to their patients with complicated and diverse oral health needs. As members of a self-regulated profession, dental hygienists are responsible to the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario for their practice decisions.

In the Electrical Engineering Technology Ontario College Advanced Diploma program, you use state-of-the-art facilities to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to enter the electrical engineering field. This program is the continuation of the Electrical Engineering Technician program, and is open to students who already have an Algonquin College Electrical Engineering Technician Ontario College Diploma and meet the admission requirements.

Through a series of theory courses and extensive practical labs, you learn skills specific to becoming an Electrical Engineering Technologist. You expand your knowledge base of the following:

• Electrical principles
• Codes
• Circuitry
• Industrial control systems
• Computer applications
• Machinery
• AutoCAD
• telecommunications
• Electronics
• Instrumentation and robotics

Take on a complex project, either in partnership with an industry client or based on your own research interest, and use project management skills learned in the program to analyze and solve it. Complete your project by creating deliverables, monitoring and controlling project resources, and presenting results both orally and through written presentations.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability.

Electives during this program help you specialize in either automation or utilities.

OACETT (Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists) recognizes this program as meeting the academic requirements for certification in the Certified Technician (C.Tech) category. While a student, you are encouraged to register as an Associate member of OACETT.

Upon graduation, you may find employment in many different areas of the Electrical Engineering Technology field. You may have titles such as:

• Electrical designer
• Electrical technologist
• Electrical engineering technologist
• AutoCAD draftsperson
• Project estimator
• control system designer
• Instrumentation and controls (I&C) technologist
• Building automation engineering technologist
• Telecommunication quality assurance technologist

The three-year Game - Development Ontario College Advanced Diploma program prepares you to enter into the increasingly competitive profession of game development with confidence. This program provides you with hands-on learning and a team-oriented environment that simulates the work setting found in large game studios. Throughout the program, you learn the design and critical thinking skills needed to find employment in the game development industry.

As a student, you learn how to create games of strategy and skill in an applied setting. During your first year, you gain knowledge in basic programming syntax and game development software tools. You enhance your skills with courses in:

• Game design and development
• Traditional and digital imaging
• Authoring
• Animation
• Programming

For your final project, you work with your classmates to conceptualize, design and implement a complete 3D game title. After graduation, you have the skills to demonstrate you are ready to start your career in this highly-competitive field.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Analyze the differences in game genres in order to develop games that meet the needs of specific markets.
• Analyze the history of video games to compare various approaches to game development.
• Support the development of games by identifying and relating concepts from a range of industry roles-programming, design, and art.
• Contribute as an individual and a member of a game development team to the effective completion of a game development project.
• Develop strategies for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance in the games industry.
• Perform all work in compliance with relevant statutes, regulations, legislation, industry standards and codes of ethics.
• Apply conceptual game design elements to support the ongoing iteration, creation, programming, design, and development of games.
• Apply practical game design elements to support the ongoing iteration, creation, programming, design and developing of unique gaming environments, levels, characters, assets and props.
• Apply programming principles and techniques to create operational games or game components.
• Apply artificial intelligence and/or network implementation strategies to support real-time game environments and simulations.
• Utilize game engine functionality at an advanced level to support real-time games and simulations.
• Create original game props, characters and assets based on the concepts and requirements outlined in game design documents.
• Contribute to world building and level design, including using a game engine.
• Conceive, prototype, develop, test and evaluate procedures for the creation, design, programming, production and testing of games in a group environment.
• Test, debug and correct game components to ensure efficient and appropriate game functionality.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The two-year Computer Programmer Ontario College Diploma program prepares you for a career in software development. The program also specializes in program development strategies (using object-oriented modelling), database design and database administration.

Use leading industry software products such as Oracle and CASE tools. Learn about programming languages such as Java, COBOL, SQL and PHP. Study object-oriented analysis and design, operating systems and coding in integrated environments, and learn how to debug, test, and maintain codes.

In your final semester, participate in a software development project working with external clients to gain real-world experience in the programming field.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability. Students who elect to apply to the non co-op version of the program may not have the opportunity to transfer to the co-op version at a later date.

Graduates may work in a variety of different fields, as almost all sectors of industry require programmers. You may be employed as:

• A software programmer
• A web programmer
• A business programmer
• An application programmer

The two-year Broadcasting – Radio Ontario College Diploma program prepares you with the creative production, hosting, and technical operation skills needed for a career in radio broadcasting and podcasting. You gain practical experience working at Algonquin College’s two radio stations – CKDJ 107.9 FM and AIR AM 1700. With the help of a second-year mentor, you are on the air within three weeks of starting the program.

Find your passion in on-air performance, audio production, and creative writing for radio and podcasting. Courses cover all areas of these two industries including:

• On-air performance
• Audio production
• Podcasting
• Voiceover announcing
• Broadcast journalism
• Basic video production and photography
• Creative writing and storytelling
• Promotions and marketing

While working at the campus radio stations, you put the theory you learn into practice. In the first level of the program, you study alongside Journalism and Broadcasting – Television students, building a strong foundation in transferable media skills while exploring these related fields. As well, during your first level, you are scheduled for weekly shows on CKDJ 107.9 FM and AIR AM 1700. The importance of teamwork is a focus while operating both Algonquin College stations. In this program, you are given the opportunity to
work on interprofessional teams with other media programs. In the second year, you will have the opportunity to choose a specialty elective course that aligns with your media interests. Towards the end of the program, you continue to expand and apply your skills during a field placement in the industry.

Turn your interest in mobile development into a career needed across a number of different industries

The two-year Mobile Application Design and Development Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to enter the expanding and evolving fields of mobile web and application development. Design mobile website interfaces across different platforms and devices. Learn how to build native applications for mobile devices and use different technologies and programming languages. Topics covered include:

• User interface (UI) design
• User experience (UX) design
• Responsive web design
• Full-stack web development
• Hybrid mobile application development
• Native mobile application development
• Entrepreneurial business skills

Emphasis is placed on a hands-on approach to developing sites and applications.

In your final semester, prepare for industry by developing a mobile solution for a real-world client. Experience working in teams and participate in the analysis, design, implementation, testing and deployment of your mobile solution.

Upon graduation, you may find work in all levels of government, as well as with start-ups and a wide variety of market sectors including technology, healthcare, business, marketing, finance, education and communications. Some available jobs include:

• Mobile app developer
• Full-stack developer
• UX designer/developer
• Web designer
• Web developer
• Interaction designer/developer
• QA tester

The two-year Business - Marketing Ontario College Diploma program provides learners with a strong theoretical marketing foundation and the opportunity to apply it through hands-on industry projects, assignments and simulation tools. You develop the knowledge and applied skills to succeed in a wide range of marketing and business roles. Additionally, you use computing technology in a collaborative learning environment to learn, develop and apply the technical skills that employers desire.

Learn about how marketing affects the operations of a business - from product conception to launch and delivery.

Explore concepts such as:

• Marketing to the consumer and business marketplace
• Product and pricing strategies
• Marketing planning and decision-making
• Global marketing
• Marketing communications and promotions
• Marketing research
• Professional selling
• Sales management
• Digital marketing and distribution

Complete hands-on assignments that involve case studies, simulation platforms, research assessments and role-playing. You also have the opportunity to work with industry clients in the program, including developing a full marketing plan for a local client.

Cooperative education (Co-op)
Cooperative education (Co-op) allows students to integrate their classroom learning with a real-world experience through paid work terms. Two academic terms prior to the cooperative education work term, students are required to actively participate in and successfully complete the self-directed co-op online readiness activities and in-person workshops.

Students must actively conduct a guided, self-directed job search and are responsible for securing approved program-related paid co-op employment. Students compete for co-op positions alongside students from Algonquin and other Canadian and international colleges and universities. Algonquin College`s Co-op Department provides assistance in developing co-op job opportunities and facilitates the overall process, but does not guarantee that a student will obtain employment in a co-op work term. Co-op students may be required to re-locate to take part in the co-op employment opportunities available in their industry and must cover all associated expenses; e.g., travel, work permits, visa applications, accommodation and all other incurred expenses.

Co-op work terms are typically 14 weeks in duration and are completed during a term when students are not taking courses.