Diploma in Horticulture Technician

at Durham College - Whitby Campus Canada

Be part of one of the fastest-growing industry segments in the world. Hotels, resorts, restaurants, cruise ships, casinos, entertainment venues and conference centres are all benefiting from an increasing number of travelers from around the globe. Learn the essential operational skills and management techniques that employers value in this vibrant business. Explore the diverse career paths that are available to you, as you unleash your passion for customer service excellence and profitable hospitality business operations. The world of accommodation, food and beverage, travel and tourism is yours to discover.

The program focuses on the management of hotel, restaurant and tourism enterprises and is designed to provide you with a thorough foundation of the professional skills required to begin a career in these sectors. Given the hands-on nature of the hospitality industry, all courses are designed to provide you with active learning opportunities including labs for food and beverage preparation and service and front desk operations, along with numerous case studies and simulation exercises. Built on three key themes – profitable business management, exemplary customer service and an appreciation of sustainable hospitality management practices – each course will take you on an exploration of the various business aspects of the hospitality service industry, including:

• Catering
• Customer service
• Event planning
• Financial and human resource management
• Food service
• Hotel operations
• Marketing
• Restaurant operations
• Entrepreneurship

Teamwork, effective decision-making, critical thinking and leadership skills are explored in Year 1 and also emphasized throughout the second year of the program. You will also participate in a capstone course in Semester 4 designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply the skills you have acquired throughout the program as you operate a full-service hotel through a robust simulation program.

To develop a better affiliation with industry and further your skills, you will be invited to apply to the co-op option during your first semester. Qualified students will complete a four-month, paid work term in the summer between the second and third semesters of the program.  Students can also choose to complete an 80-hour field placement to gain work experience during their fourth semester.

The Hospitality - Hotel and Restaurant Operations Management program is offered at the Whitby campus, home of the college’s new W. Galen Weston Centre for Food. This incredible new learning environment provides access to state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and meeting spaces all designed to offer you the best possible learning experience.

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.

Students starting in the Hospitality - Hotel and Restaurant Operations Management Diploma program in September 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.

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. Upon completing the work term, co-op students return to campus to complete their final two academic semesters of the program before graduating.

This three-year program will prepare you for a career in multiple aspects of automation technology, spanning the electrical and mechanical engineering boundaries. It primarily focuses on industrial automation and its associated control systems, programming, design and documentation. Students in this program are the primary users of the world-class Integrated Manufacturing Centre (IMC) and Industrial Programming laboratories which provide our graduates with an edge upon graduation. For a preview of the extraordinary, industrial grade IMC laboratory, view these 360-degree video links.

As part of the industrial world leader Fanuc Robotics Certified Education training program, all graduates from Electromechanical receive Fanuc Robotics' HandlingTool Operations and Programming Level 1 Certification. Key automation technology career opportunities are available in several application areas including:

• Custom machine builders and integrators
• Building automation integrators
• Conveying and sortation systems specialists
• Food and beverage processing companies
• Nuclear Operations
• Commercial HVAC integrators
• Cosmetics industry control systems
• Automated machining companies
• Boiler control and burner management
• Punch press control systems
• Water Treatment Plant automation
• Electrical cable manufacturers
• Process Instrumentation and Control
• Renewable energy applications
• Sterilization process equipment manufacturers
• Automotive maufacturers
• Technical sales (device application)

As a graduate, you will specialize in designing, analyzing, troubleshooting, modifying, maintaining and repairing automated electromechanical equipment, components, systems and subsystems. In addition, you will be able to:

• Apply communication, documentation, computer applications and teamwork skills to support the engineering activities of an organization
• Assist with project management
• Conduct quality assurance functions
• Manage customer service quality-control
• Perform purchasing.

A superior, modern training facility, the IMC is a world-class, industrial-grade, automated facility that houses major equipment components including:

• Rockwell Automation Programmable automation Controller hardware
• Allen Bradley Human Machine Interface screens
• Automatic identification (bar code scanners and Radio Frequency ID)
• Industrial networks (including Ethernet IP)
• Fanuc Industrial robot arms
• Fanuc Roboguide 3D Simulation software
• Variable Speed Drives (motor control)
• Material handling systems
• Process instrumentation and control hardware, software, and networking
• Vision cameras
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software for remote monitoring and control

Please note: You will be required to purchase safety shoes and glasses in order to participate in many laboratory settings on campus.

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.
• Students in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology Advanced Diploma program will be invited to apply to the co-op option during their second 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 two four-month, paid work terms totalling 840 hours. Work terms are scheduled between semesters three and four and four and five of the program.
• 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.

In today’s skills-specific job market there is a demand for construction workers with the knowledge and skills to work in the evolving building construction industry. This program will provide foundational skills to transition into the current construction industry with a strong knowledge of the Ontario Building Code, latest edition. You will gain expertise in energy-efficient, sustainable and environmentally responsible homes built with up-to-date materials and low carbon footprint, including Net Ready and Net Zero designs. This is a great opportunity for energetic students to join the booming construction industry. Graduates will meet the Ministry of Labour’s Working at Heights training requirement.  Students will 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.

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 student's academic and personal goals. Similar to an academic course, work terms are a mandatory component to this form of experiential learning.

Crane operators are highly trained specialists who are in equally high demand. This program is the only one of its kind offered in Ontario and is designed to help students pursuing a crane operation apprenticeship to stand out and get a head start in a competitive field. Using leading-edge training simulations, you will learn the tools of the trade, rigging and hoisting methods and essential safety measures that will help you play a key role on any construction site. Graduates will meet the Ministry of Labour’s Working at Heights training requirement.

Executive assistants are administrative professionals who contribute to the effectiveness of an office in an important way. They manage projects and budgets, make travel arrangements and manage events, prepare communication and take on a collection of essential tasks. Excellent at time management, project management and multi-tasking, they are critical to any organization. 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 two-year diploma program is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge required of an executive office assistant. You will gain extensive practical understanding and knowledge of office concepts; business operations and procedures; current computer software; and how to collaborate on various management activities.

You will develop your skills through various learning methods such as group and individual projects, discussions, lectures, case studies and office simulations.

Emphasis is placed on the practical demands of the job including:-

• High-level word processing skills
• Preparing professional documents with accuracy
• Developing presentation, Internet, email, project management, spreadsheet and database skills in a network environment
• Interpersonal and human relations
• Meeting deadlines
• Organizing activities

If you choose to pursue this option, you should enjoy working on computers and interacting with others. In addition, you must be willing to work to develop a professional level of ability in business skills.

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.

Want to get one step closer to an independent career in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration? Perhaps you want to be the one to call the shots on a job site? The Gas Technician 2 program will give you additional knowledge in code requirements, propane fundamentals, system testing and troubleshooting so that you can challenge the Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA) for a license that will get you one step closer to a rewarding career.

Through theoretical and practical workshop experience, you will receive training in:

• Applicable code requirements
• Natural gas and propane fundamentals
• Pipe and equipment installation practice
• System testing and troubleshooting of a variety of residential and light commercial appliances used for both heating and hot water
• Introduction to metal fabrication
• Oil technician license

Accredited by the Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA), the Power Engineering Techniques – Fourth Class program is designed to introduce you to theoretical and practical aspects of power generation and plant operation. Theory taught in class will be applied through experiential learning in Durham College’s state-of-the-art registered Power Plant and electrical labs where students will learn to operate and maintain equipment in a safe and efficient manner while also gaining valuable hands-on experience. Students who successfully complete this program qualify for a nine-month reduction in steam time. In addition, students who pass their two TSSA tests and successfully complete three months of industry experience qualify for their Fourth Class Operating Engineer certificate of qualification.

A diploma from the Automotive Technician – Service and Management (Motive Power Technician) program is your key to a world of opportunity in a high-tech, challenging industry. Learn the theory of mechanical procedures in a hands-on environment, guided by experienced, trade-certified professors. Graduates of this program can go on to specialize in high-demand areas of motive power including automotive, truck and coach, off-road equipment, marine and small engines, stationary equipment and diesel engines. This program also includes the essential business skills to help you find the right job with the right employer. Graduates are eligible for exemption from the Level 1 and 2 of the in-school requirements for AST 310S apprenticeship training.

This program will give you the skills and training required to pursue a variety of careers in the transportation and automotive fields. As a graduate, you will be prepared to enter the motive power trades with highly skilled trade qualifications and essential business communication, marketing and interpersonal skills. Successful completion of this program will enable you to:

• Create work orders related to the motive power trade and industry
• Diagnose motive power engines, electrical/fuel systems, motive power drive line, directional control systems (steering, suspension and brakes) and air conditioning
• Search and find parts/service information from manuals and computerized systems
• Apply proper disposal, storage and handling practices as they pertain to environmental legislation
• Understand management principles such as business structure, accounting, human resources management and parts/supply management
• Students wishing to challenge apprenticeship exemption exams are required to pay an examination fee.

The Event Planning program is ideally suited for organized and detail-oriented individuals, who naturally take the lead in groups and projects and thrive in a high-energy, creative environment. Students are prepared for a career that offers incredible versatility and spans almost every industry. They learn how to design, plan and execute a wide array of corporate, community and social events while developing a strong business acumen through experiential learning in our W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (WC) event space.

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.

Students in the Special Events Management 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.

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. Upon completing the work term, co-op students return to campus to complete their final two academic semesters of the program before graduating.