Centennial College offers a co-op program to prepare students for jobs as Heavy Duty Equipment Technicians. The program combines in-class learning with an 8-month job placement in the field.

1. Become a Heavy Duty Equipment Technician And Get Your Hands Dirty
We’ve all walked by construction sites, near forests or farms and noticed the
monstrous machines that are used to construct buildings, cut down trees, landscape
and generally shape our cities. But who are the people taking care of the inner
workings of these important vehicles? They’re Heavy Duty Equipment Technicians,
and they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty.
Having the right training to become a technician in heavy duty equipment is
essential. Centennial College offers a two-year Heavy Duty Equipment Technician
Co-op program for those interested in this field. In order to apply, you must present at
minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or General Educational
Development (GED) or equivalent. Non-academic requirements include: satisfactory
results in a program admission session, experience and mechanical aptitude, resumé
and English proficiency.
Once you have been accepted into the Heavy Duty Technician Co-op, you will
experience a combination of in-school training and practical on-the-job experience
through co-op placement. During the 16 combined months of in-school training, you
will take heavy equipment courses in advanced electrical/electronics, logistics,
hoisting, rigging, trade practices, fixed operations management, occupational health
and safety and more. During the school portion of the program, you will also have the
opportunity to train on heavy duty equipment assemblies in fully-equipped heavy
duty equipment labs. Meanwhile, the eight months of practical training sees you at a
heavy equipment facility, working among professionals in the field. Successful
Centennial College students graduate with an Ontario College Diploma.
Aside from the right training, Heavy Duty Equipment Technicians should also possess
some personal qualities that will make them successful in the field. As a tech, you
should like working both in and outdoors with your hands, have the stamina to be on
your feet for long periods of time, use physical strength on the job, like to learn new
things on a consistent basis (as equipment changes frequently) and be able to work
with computers and computerized equipment.
Once you’ve taken the right training and possess the necessary skills, you can be
employed as a heavy duty equipment technician, service writer or coordinator,
service manager, college or industry teacher, or equipment company representative.
As there are a variety of job titles within the field, there are also multiple industries in
which graduates find work. They include: construction, transportation, forestry, mining,
landscaping, land cleaning, farming and more. As a heavy duty equipment
technician, you will have a variety of tasks. One of the most important is to check
bulldozers, cranes, graders and other equipment for proper performance and inspect
them for faults and malfunctions. You will then diagnose the faults using computerized
and other testing equipment. The next step is to adjust equipment and repair or
replace defective parts, components or systems using hand and power tools. Lastly,
the repaired equipment is tested to ensure that it works.

2. −Author By: Jason White
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