Certificate in General Arts and Science - College Exploration

at Niagara College - Welland Campus Canada

Do you have an aptitude for meticulous work and the desire to be part of the integrated health care team that provides oral care to individuals of all ages?
As a dental assistant you will play a key role in a dental practice, and will have the knowledge and practical skills needed to help patients achieve their oral health goals.

Program Highlights:

• Over 400 hours of hands-on, experiential learning in Niagara College’s new, state-of-the-art, fully operational dental clinic and labs.
• Unique interprofessional education experience in both classroom and clinical environments.
• Gain practical experience in a dental office field placement and combine theory with real-world experience.
• Accredited by the Commission of Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC).
• Graduates are eligible to write the entry to practice National Dental Assisting Examination Board (NDAEB) exam followed by certification by the Ontario Dental Assistants Association after successful completion of the NDAEB exam.

This program builds upon the foundation of mental health begun in pre-registration health care disciplines. It explores current issues and trends in mental health in Canada, current best practices in nursing and other health care professions for providing optimal care to clients with diverse mental health disorders across the lifespan, legal and ethical aspects of mental health care and the interdisciplinary approach to health care.

Program Highlights:

• Access to the Co-Curricular Record program, in which individuals gain recognition for student engagement, leadership and co-curricular activities pursued outside of the classroom.
• Experiential learning with standardized patients.
• Access to international student specific advisement and transition supports through the International Division

Do you want to make a solid contribution to the structural development of industry facing a shortage of qualified skilled trade workers?

As a welding technician, you work closely with engineers, are skilled at determining the cutting, fitting and welding sequence, and have a thorough understanding of manufacturing codes and standards across a wide variety of industries.

Program Highlights:

• Hands-on experiential learning in a state-of-the-art, full-size weld shop and fabrication lab, and accredited Canadian Welding Bureau and Technical Standards & Safety Authority test-centre facility.
• Gain practical experience taking metal fabrication projects from engineering drawings through cutting and forming stages to welding processes.
• Gain an understanding of industry standard inspection procedures.
• Shares a common first year with Niagara College Welding Techniques 1 year certificate.

Are you looking for a career that combines your meticulous nature with a career in the pharmaceutical industry?
As a Pharmacy Technician you will be an important member of the health care team who is patient focused and responsible for delivering safe and accurate drug distribution in many health care settings.

Program Highlights:

• Hands-on, experiential learning via state-of-the-art community and hospital lab facilities featuring a simulated community pharmacy and sterile product room.
• Gain knowledge of the latest pharmaceutical products, practices, and drug distribution systems through a nationally accredited program.
• Unique interprofessional education is focused on patient-care delivery and includes approximately 360 hours of practical field placement experience.
• Graduates are eligible to write the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada licensing exam and if successful, may become Regulated Pharmacy Technicians with the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
• Program positioned to meet the requirements set by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA), Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association (CPTEA) and the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

Do you have a strong background in math and science and want to explore a career creating advanced equipment using light?
As a Photonics Engineering Technician graduate you will possess the skills to build, install, test and maintain optical or fibre-optic equipment, including lasers, to create innovative devices for use in the manufacturing, medicine, and telecommunications industries.

Program Highlights:

• Niagara College offers Ontario’s only Photonics Engineering Technician program, with graduates in high demand.
• Hands-on experiential learning in Canada’s largest undergraduate photonic labs and teaching clean-room facility.
• Gain advanced skills in precision optics, electro-optics, fibre-optics and laser technologies.
• Graduates may opt for direct workforce entry or complete Niagara College’s Photonics Engineering Technology program with an additional year of study.

Do you have an interest in becoming a skilled craftsperson with a career in a high-demand machining field?
As a general machinist you will have the ability to set up and operate a wide variety of precision metal cutting and grinding machines utilized in this growing sector of specialty machining industries.

Program Highlights:

• Program emphasis on building broad-based knowledge and critical problem-solving skills.
• Access hands-on experiential learning opportunities in current, large-scale facilities and labs.
• Strong job prospects due to a shortage of skilled machinists in the Niagara Region and across Ontario.
• Program is continuously updated to meet current industry standards and enable students to develop highly
• Relevant, market-ready skills.

Are you fascinated by the science of generating and harnessing light, and see yourself creating advanced technology in this area?
No sector of business or industry remains untouched by photonics. Put yourself light years ahead in the job market by equipping yourself with photonics expertise with this advanced college program.

Program Highlights:

• Hands-on experiential learning in Canada’s largest undergraduate photonic labs and teaching clean-room facility.
• Gain advanced skills in precision optics, electro-optics, fibre-optics and laser technologies.
• Final program year includes an eight month photonics applied research project, providing extensive applied learning opportunities and putting graduates in high demand.

Do you see your future in the technology trades but need a little help narrowing down your field?
As a Pre-Technology graduate you will gain a solid foundation in math, physics, and computer applications, and will be ready to pursue further postsecondary studies in a technology or technician program.

Program Highlights:

• Explore areas of interest in technology before committing to a specific field of study.
• Benefit from individual educational support and planning with assistance from an academic student advisor.
• Gain marketable skills with the possibility of receiving transferable credits to other college programs.

Do you enjoy working with robotics and automation and want to make a career out of improving manufacturing processes?

Do you enjoy 3D modeling and 3D printing? Mechanical Engineering Technicians typically setup and program automation equipment, prepare and present technical reports and drawings, use precision instruments for inspection and material testing, and plan, implement and evaluate quality control and quality assurance procedures. The program combines face-to-face learning with industry professionals and hands-on labs with real industrial equipment to give you exactly what successful manufacturers are looking for.

Program Highlights:

• Industrial Automation – robotics, CNC, and PLC programming, and the interconnectivity of these devices.
• 3D modeling and 3D printing – Autodesk Inventor software is used on laptops.
• Manufacturing process design and support – machining, metal forming process, hydraulics, pneumatics, other processes, lean manufacturing.
• Quality inspection and analysis of data.
• Graduates may enter the workforce directly or enter Niagara College’s Mechanical Engineering Technology (Co-op) program with advanced standing after completing bridge courses.

Are you interested in exploring college-level courses of interest before committing to a specific field of study?
Design your own interdisciplinary program to help you determine which postsecondary path to pursue. Rady yourself for further postsecondary education as you prepare to enter the workforce with marketable skills.

Program Highlights:

• Individual educational support and career planning from an academic student advisor.
• Gain marketable skills with the possibility of receiving transferable credits to other college or university programs.
• Complete the one-year General Arts and Science-College Exploration certificate and transfer to the two-year diploma program if desired.