SASKATCHEWAN POLYTECHNIC
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is focused on training the next
generation of heavy construction professionals and leaders
in Saskatchewan and beyond. The School of Transportation
offers certificate and applied certificate programs based on labour
market needs and developed in consultation with industry.
Sask Polytech Heavy Equipment and Truck and Transport
Technician and Parts Management Technician certificate and applied
certificate programs include a work-integrated learning component
so students can gain real-world experience. This blend of
knowledge, skills and experience gives graduates the confidence
they need to enter the workforce ready to work.
Sask Polytech averages 73 enrolments in our Heavy Equipment
and Truck and Transport Technician certificate and applied certificate
programs each year. Motivated students in these programs find
employment quickly after graduation.
Many of the certificate and applied certificate students become
apprentices with the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade
Certification Commission (SATCC). Sask Polytech is contracted
by the SATCC to provide the in-school portion of apprenticeship
training for 20 apprenticeable trades in Saskatchewan including
heavy duty equipment technician, partsperson and truck and
transport mechanic.
Sask Polytech has many supports in place to help students and
apprentices reach their career and leadership goals. We also believe
in recognizing what people know regardless of how they learned
it. Students who have prior education, work experience and/or job
training that relates to their program area may be eligible for credit
that reduces study time and cost.
Sask Polytech has emerged as a leader in bringing online
learning to students and apprentices to provide them with the
flexibility they need to reach their career goals. Sask Polytech has
been a pioneer in developing highly-interactive online learning environments
where students can excel individually and as part of
a learning team led by talented instructors. An example of this is
Sask Polytech’s Applied Trade Math Massive Open Online Course
(MOOC). Since 2015, the MOOC has helped students and apprentices
review and improve their math skills. The MOOC is offered
three times a year for free. Anyone can register for the MOOC at
www.opencoursesstore.d2l.com.
Another resource available to female students is Women in Trades
& Technology (WITT). WITT at Sask Polytech has been dedicated to
increasing the number of women in Saskatchewan trades and technology
for over 30 years. WITT works with instructors, employers,
professionals and non-profits to build curriculum for camps, workshops
and mentorship programs that teach women valuable skills,
encourage women to think about different career options and address
barriers that may limit women in the trades.
Sask Polytech’s Heavy Equipment and Truck and Transport
Technician program head is Brandi McTavish, a heavy duty equipment
technician journeyperson.
“I completed the Heavy Equipment and Truck and Transport
Technician certificate and apprenticeship programs,” said McTavish.
“I am very passionate about this industry and the training the next
generation of heavy construction professionals.”
These are just some of the supports Sask Polytech offers our
Heavy Equipment and Truck and Transport Technician and Parts
Management Technician students and apprentices. Sask Polytech
is also developing more leadership training options for our trades
students and apprentices, including the Leadership Skills certificate
of achievement.
Saskatchewan
Polytechnic is
Leading the Way
By Paul Carter, Saskatchewan Polytechnic Dean for
the Schools of Construction and Transportation
Brandi McTavish, program head of the Heavy
Equipment and Truck and Transport Technician
Program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic
PHOTO: SASKATCHEWAN POLYTECHNIC
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 4 2019 | Think BIG 39
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