City: Nanaimo
Province/State: British Columbia
College WebSite: http://www.viu.ca/index.asp
Mechanic Programs: Heavy Truck Heavy Equipment
Heavy Equipment and Heavy Truck Program Summary:
This 10 month Entry Level Heavy Duty/Commercial Transport Mechanics Program prepares students with the skills and knowledge they will need to find a position as Heavy Duty or Commercial Transport Apprentice.
The program covers all aspects of highway-type trucks and buses, bulldozers, loaders, excavators and earthmovers, including shop equipment, safety, mechanical reasoning, air and hydraulic brake systems, power transfer systems, gasoline and diesel engine systems, and basic welding.
The program consists of classroom lectures each day with the remaining time spent in the shop. In addition, students can expect to spend at least one hour each night on homework assignments.
Successful completion of the program provides you with an entry-level certification in heavy duty mechanics and commercial transport mechanics and allows you to choose which one of the two apprenticeships you would like to pursue.
Please note that the Heavy Duty Foundation (pre-app) Program is mandatory to completing your apprenticeship. If you do not complete the Foundation program, you must challenge the exam or have your employer complete the Module 1 exemption form, which can be found on the Industry Training Authorities website at www.itabc.ca
Program Contact Details
Apprenticeship Registration Clerk: Kellie Spence
Contact Number: 250-740-6130
Contact Email: [email protected]
Apprenticeship Information: Tanya Reiber
Contact Number: 250-740-6112
Contact Email: [email protected]
Apprenticeship/Journeyperson Information:
Graduates of the certificate program receive credit towards the entry-level technical training of the Heavy Duty Mechanic or the Commercial Transport Mechanic Apprenticeship Programs. VIU offers apprenticeship training in the Heavy Duty Mechanic Trade.
To achieve journeyperson status, graduates of the certificate program must find employment as an apprentice in one of the two trades and complete a four-year apprenticeship to be eligible to write the Interprovincial Exam to become a certified heavy-duty mechanic or a commercial transport mechanic. Having the option to choose between the two careers provides flexibility when entering the job market.
Demand for apprentices in the two trades can vary with the economy; one or the other could provide better job opportunities during different economic conditions. With both certificates in hand, graduates have a broader field of opportunity. Employers look for students with a good attitude towards their work, who are reliable, and who have achieved good marks.
Both the Heavy Duty Mechanic and the Commercial Transport Mechanic Apprenticeship programs consist of 4 years of on-the-job experience combined with in-school technical training in order to become eligible to write the Interprovincial (Red Seal) Examination for journeyperson certification.
For more information on apprenticeship training, please visit the website at www.itabc.ca, contact the Industry Training Centre at 1-866-660-6011, or call Tanya Reiber at Vancouver Island University tollfree at 18889202221 local 6112. Visit VIU’s Trades and Applied Technology Apprenticeship page for more information and schedules.
About VIU
Our main campus is in Nanaimo with a population of 75,000, and district and regional campuses in smaller communities (Parksville/Qualicum, Duncan, and Powell River). Vancouver Island University (formerly Malaspina University-College) is a comprehensive university, which offers Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.), Masters of Science in International Business (M.Sc.I.B.), dual degrees, post-degree diplomas, undergraduate degrees, university transfer programs, two year diplomas, and one year certificates in academic, career, technical, and trades programs.
Vancouver Island University enrols 10,000 Canadian and 800 international students from over 40 countries at its main campus. All students study in small classes taught by experienced and highly qualified instructors. The tuition and living expenses are very affordable. The 110 acre campus features a 294 seat theatre, well equipped, state of the art new library, new Faculty of Management Centre, gymnasium, art studios, science labs, six research centres, a new Centre for International Education, a Museum of Natural History, and the Nanaimo Art Gallery and gift shop. Four hundred new alpine style, on-campus apartment and single room student residences add to the on-campus community. Much of the campus is wireless and the new educational technology centre and media commons provides a new dimension for the use of the latest learning technologies.
Areas of Expertise
Vancouver Island University provides a range of educational opportunities from fundamental literacy skills through four year university degree completion programs and Masters in Business Administration.
A number of programs offered here are unique to British Columbia including fisheries and aquaculture technology, horticultural technology, heavy equipment operation, and resource management officer technology. As a four year institution, Vancouver Island University now offers selected university degrees. Four year degree programs offered include a Bachelor of Arts (with majors in anthropology, English, history, liberal studies, psychology, and women’s studies, and minors in all of the above as well as biology, creative writing, geography, and sociology), a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care, a Bachelor of Arts in First Nations Studies, a Bachelor of Education (concurrent B.Ed./B.A. degree), a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Bachelors of Science in Biology, Computer Science, and Nursing. Vancouver Island University also offers an Arts One – First Nations program.
Specialized training has been provided nationally and internationally on location and on campus.
