Please note the renovation and expansion of the W.J. Elliott Building (Trades Building) at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is set to begin in Summer 2025. As part of this project, relocation efforts will start on May 1, 2025 to ensure readiness for the August 2025 semester. Details may be subject to change as the project progresses. For the most current information, please visit our dedicated webpage to keep you informed throughout the renovation.
Learning from experienced, Journeyperson certified, industry-trained instructors, you will receive hands-on education with exposure to an extensive working shop and tool room.
Building off of the Agriculture and Heavy Equipment certificate, this one-year program will expand on your understanding of the fundamentals of heavy equipment repair as you choose from one of two majors: Agricultural Equipment or Heavy Equipment.
Diploma graduates who meet the academic requirements, specializing in either Agricultural or Heavy equipment, are eligible to write Apprenticeship exams for full technical accreditation towards their specific trade. AIT (Alberta's Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board) recognizes hours in the program for a portion of your on-the-job training hours apprenticeship requirements; hours are trade dependent (details).
You will also be well placed to attain Alberta Journeyperson Status pending the completion of the remaining on-the-job training hours specified by Alberta Industry Trade Board. Olds College of Agriculture & Technology also offers the Agricultural Equipment Technician Apprenticeship and Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship program for prospective students who are currently employed and wish to pursue journeyman status.
Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will receive a diploma in Agricultural and Heavy Equipment, majoring in Agriculture Equipment or Heavy Equipment.
Learn to repair, overhaul and maintain agricultural equipment including tractors, tillage equipment, seeding equipment, and harvesting equipment. You may specialize in service and repair of fuel injection pumps and injectors, engine overhaul, hydraulic systems, power shift transmissions or specific types of equipment (combines, forage harvesters, tractors, etc.). A strong pathway into precision farming systems is also included.
Learn to maintain, repair, and overhaul heavy vehicles and industrial equipment as well as various types of vehicles and equipment including internal combustion engines, tracked equipment, earth moving equipment, rubber tired equipment, on-and-off highway trucks, or towed on-and-off highway trailers.
Transfer Options: Olds College has developed agreements with other educational institutions to allow for transition to Olds College, or to another institution to continue your education. Articulations & Agreements
Out of Province Applicants: Please refer to the Provincial Equivalency Chart for course equivalencies.
International Applicants: Olds College welcomes applications from International Applicants and those who have completed their high school education outside of Canada. Please note, it is still necessary to meet all of the noted admission requirements, including English Language Proficiency.
Please refer to the current Fee Schedule for complete details.
Olds College of Agriculture & Technology offers over 450 awards, valued at $500,000+ in scholarships, bursaries and prizes. Thanks to our industry partners, alumni, and friends of Olds College we are fortunate to offer a generous student awards program to students.
For additional information on scholarships, bursaries and prizes at Olds College, visit Scholarships & Awards.
Entrance awards range from $250 - $1,500 for students applying for the upcoming academic year and have paid the tuition deposit by the deadline.
For information on how to apply for government student loans, financial aid or for help with financial planning, visit our Student Funding page.
For course descriptions and requisites, view the Academic Calendar.
Academic Calendar: Agricultural and Heavy Equipment - Diploma
Olds College of Agriculture & Technology has a solid reputation working with employers in the industry! This directly translates into jobs for our graduates. Opportunities include, but are not limited to:
Visit ALIS to find Occupational Profiles with current wages, industry trends and more!
Find out when your term start and end dates are, so that you know when you are expected to be in attendance. For more information, please review the Program Dates & Fee Schedule.
You will be registered into your classes automatically. This will happen approximately 1 month prior to the start-date for your program. You will be notified once you have been timetabled into your courses. You will be able to see your class schedule in your My Olds College account. If you need to make any changes to your class registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
It is strongly recommended that you come to Olds College of Agriculture & Technology with the following technology:
As part of your student accounts, all students have access to Office 365 for the duration of their time with Olds College. To access this you just need to follow these steps:
This will give you access to the full Office suite on your computer, for both Windows and Mac based platforms.
Agricultural & Heavy Equipment program students are required to have the following:
You will also be required to purchase "tool chips" at a cost of $50. These tool chips allow you to use specialized tools out of the tool room and also include the cost of shop towels and supplies that will be used in the lab classes. At the end of the year, $20 will be refunded if you return all of your tool chips.
Information on other required textbooks and any further supplies will be provided as you attend each class. All books and supplies will be available during the first few weeks of classes in the College Campus Store.
For more information or questions, please contact your Associate Dean, Paul Blankestijn- pblankestijn@oldscollege.ca.
Safety Regulations: Wearing safety equipment and abiding by industry safety standards is mandatory within our program.
Student Clubs: Ag Mech Club
Apprenticeship ILMs: Our program is accredited with Alberta's Apprenticeship & Industry Training Board (AIT) for the Heavy Equipment Technician and Agricultural Equipment Technician trades, therefore we use the Apprenticeship ILMs (Individual Learning Modules) as our reference material for the Agricultural and Heavy Equipment program. Students will also be required to purchase additional textbooks, which they will be told more about on their first day of classes. These modules and textbooks are available at the Olds College Campus Store at 1.800.661.6537 or 403.556.4630.
AIT Technical Training Exams: Students who meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.3 will be permitted to challenge their technical training exam(s). The exam challenge fee is $150.00 CAD and payable directly to AIT.
"The Agricultural and Heavy Equipment Diploma Program is a very good opportunity to become fully introduced into both the agricultural and heavy equipment technician trades that exist in the province of Alberta. The quality of instruction provided by the instructors is outstanding and, when paired with the practical training also provided, it is easy to develop an in-depth understanding of the trade and it’s practices very quickly. The college boasts a wide variety of heavy/agricultural machinery in which students regularly diagnose, disassemble and rebuild as instructed in class. I plan on working in the heavy equipment technician trade upon my graduation, and eventually, start my own heavy equipment repair contracting business to service the western Canadian oilfield. My experience in my program so far has been amongst the best in my life, and I feel very confident about the benefits it provides me."
Dan Theoret, 1st Year Agricultural and Heavy Equipment Diploma student (2017)
