Become a Heavy Duty Equipment Technician by Attending Centennial College

Author: jasonw93 | Posted: 20.12.2011

Today’s cities are being built bigger, better, faster and stronger. They’re also being built higher and higher. In order for these cities to withstand natural disasters and other such occurrences, they must be constructed with the proper equipment. That’s where heavy duty equipment technicians and the machines that they work on come in. However, heavy duty equipment isn’t just used to build cities, it is also used in forestry, mining, transportation, landscaping, farming, land cleaning, the military, and much more. Heavy duty equipment technicians are hired in positions such as: service managers, service writers or coordinators, equipment company representatives, or college or industry teachers. Although there are varying titles in the field, there are some duties that many heavy duty equipment technicians share. For example, all of them must know how to check heavy duty vehicles such as cranes, graders and bulldozers for performance, faults or malfunctions. They must also be aware of how problems are diagnosed once they are discovered. This is where using computerized and other testing equipment comes in — just like with today’s car models, heavy duty vehicles and equipment has become highly-technological. After a diagnosis is finalized, heavy duty equipment technicians 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. If, however, one is employed in management, he or she inspects the work of technicians.

At Centennial College in Toronto, students are able to participate in heavy duty equipment courses via the school’s Heavy Duty Equipment Technician co-op apprenticeship. Successful students will earn an Ontario College diploma, will have eight months of practical, on-the-job, co-op training at a heavy equipment facility and complete their entire Ontario apprenticeship in-school curriculum within two years.

In order to apply for the Heavy Duty Equipment program, one 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 students are accepted into the program, they will discover heavy equipment courses such as: Fixed Operations Management (introduces the concepts of Fixed Operations Management in the automotive, truck and coach and heavy duty service industry); Fluid Power Systems (covers in detail hydraulic principles, hydraulic schematics and circuit design, hydraulic actuators, and much more); Engine Systems (covers in detail diesel engine fundamentals, cooling systems, lubricating Systems, and more); and others such as Alternate Fuels, Advanced Electronics Control Systems Diagnosis, and Hoisting and Rigging Technology. Through these heavy equipment courses, students will 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 them employed at a heavy equipment facility, working among professionals in the field. Students will be compensated during their co-op placement.

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