Diploma in Horticulture Technician

at Durham College Canada

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.

Grab a wrench and jump into the high-demand skilled trade field of plumbing. This one-year certificate program will provide you with skills sought by employers and position you at the front of workers competing for entry-level jobs in the plumbing industry, including apprenticeships.

Working with our experienced professors, you will gain valuable theoretical knowledge and receive practical hands-on training in the basics of residential and commercial plumbing and hydronic heating system designs and installations.

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.

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.

Don’t know if you want to provide heat, water or energy? Build machines or keep them running? Get a taste of the trades and see what suits you best! In this program, you will gain exposure to and experience in a variety of areas designed to help you choose a skilled trade or apprenticeship program. To assist you with firmly establishing a career within the skilled trades you will be introduced to:

• Automotive
• Carpentry
• Electrical
• Industrial maintenance
• Machining
• Plumbing
• Welding
• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) essentials

In addition, you will have an opportunity to rotate through different trades and gain hands-on, practical knowledge through theory and shop work in order to make a knowledgeable and well-informed decision on your future career goals.

Destination marketers are multidisciplinary professionals who specialize in identifying, developing and executing strategies to drive socio-economic success for locations and attractions around the world.

In this program, students learn how to uphold service and quality standards throughout the customer lifecycle; develop a digital and social media presence and marketing plans that align with business goals and strengthen brand recognition; cultivate partnerships and relationships; explore entrepreneurial opportunities in destination marketing; and conduct powerful market research and customer analytics to guide the development of effective tourism products and experiences.

Graduates will lead and support business development initiatives that build a destination’s reputation in order to attract tourists, investors and skilled professionals. Equipped with a broad base of skills and knowledge, they help destinations realize significant economic impacts that contribute to job creation, community sustainability and improved quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

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

Civil engineering influences every aspect of our physical environment or infrastructure. Civil Engineering Technologists plan, design, construct, maintain and recycle the structures in our communities such as roads, bridges, highways, airports, pipelines and tunnels. These systems keep our transportation systems operating, water flowing and gas and electricity supplied to consumers. It is one of the most established engineering disciplines and by far one of the busiest.

In this program, you will be exposed to modern civil technologies and develop skills in computer assisted design and drafting (CAD), geographic information system (GIS), building information modelling (BIM), and safe working principles in accordance with various Canadian civil engineering codes, quality control standards and regulations.

You will also have two options to gain valuable experience in the workplace and will either complete a field placement or participate in the co-operative education (co-op) option of the program. Students can also access membership to the Toronto Construction Association.

Civil Engineering influences every aspect of our physical environment or infrastructure.

Civil Engineering Technologist students will be exposed to modern civil technologies and develop skills in computer assisted design (CAD) and drafting, Geographic Information System (GIS), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and safe working principles in accordance with various Canadian Civil Engineering Codes, Quality Control Standards and Regulations.

Graduates of the Civil Engineering Technology program will be able to carry out design and technical functions related to a broad range of civil engineering fields including structural, municipal, highway and transportation engineering, water resources, geotechnical engineering, environmental protection and infrastructure rehabilitation. Skills learned in class will be honed through co-operative education or field placement options.

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 of this form of experiential learning.

Students in the Civil Engineering Technology Advanced 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. After academic semester 4, students will be eligible to complete two consecutive work terms before returning to campus to complete their final academic semesters 5 and 6 before graduating.

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.

A machine can do many amazing things, but it can’t take care of itself. This program allows students to develop skills in the theory and practice of machine fabrication and maintenance procedures including the installation, service, repair and overhaul of industrial machinery. Graduates are eligible for exemption from all of the in-school requirements for IMM 433A apprenticeship training. Graduates will meet the Ministry of Labour’s Working at Heights training requirement.

This program will prepare you to become a maintenance mechanic or technician by exposing you to the manufacturing, production and maintenance needs of several different industries. You will develop skills in the theory and practice of machine fabrication and maintenance procedures with an emphasis on the installation, service, repair and overhaul of industrial machinery.

Successful completion of this program will enable you to:

• Work safely while performing maintenance functions in manufacturing or processing environments.
• Select, align and install a variety of mechanical power transmission components.
• Build pneumatic and hydraulic circuits following a schematic.
• Use precision measuring tools.
• Troubleshoot equipment and operate common machine tools (drills, mills, lathes and grinders) to repair or remake machine components.
• Inspect and repair centrifugal pumps and valves.
• Plan and safely perform rigging and hoisting operations.
• Join metals using oxy-acetylene and electric arc welding techniques.
• Read and interpret mechanical, electrical and fluid power prints and schematics.
• Use applied math to perform a variety of trade-related calculations.
• Design and interpret a conventional electrical relay ladder logic control diagram at a beginner’s proficiency level.
• Design and interpret a programmable logic control diagram using offline programming techniques at a beginner’s proficiency level.
• Explain the operation of AC/DC motor control systems.
• Wire up and test elementary circuits using the various devices described above.

Students wishing to challenge apprenticeship exemption exams are required to pay an examination fee.

Co-operative education (co-op)

The best way to succeed in your field is to immerse yourself in it. Students will be invited to apply to the co-op option during their first year and entrance is competitive. Qualifying students will be eligible to complete a four-month, paid work term.

This program is unique in Ontario: our well-equipped microbiology, chemical analysis, pharmaceutical and food processing facilities provide our students with hands-on experience in the methods and instrumentation used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, natural health product, cannabis and food science industries.  Our students learn the theory of and perform experiments mirroring industry procedures and protocols to ensure they are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to work in these high-demand industries.

During placement, students have the opportunity to gain experience at partner organizations, including food manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, analytical testing facilities and ingredient suppliers.

Graduates are employed in both the public and private sectors including:

• Bakeries, confectioners, pasta and snack food manufacturers
• Brewers, winemakers and beverage manufacturers
• Dairy, meat, seafood and canning processors
• Food additives and flavour manufacturers
• Government agencies
• Packaging, ingredient, and equipment suppliers
• Pharmaceutical, cosmetics and consumer health products manufacturers
• Research establishments and universities
• Third party testing labs

This program has broad career prospects and a graduate may become a(n)

• Analytical Chemist
• Instrumentation technologist
• Microbiologist
• Food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic manufacturing technologist
• Food product development technologist
• Food safety technologist
• Pharmaceutical technologist
• Quality assurance technologist
• Quality control technologist