Heavy Equipment Technician

What can you expect from our program?

This program allows you to work with both on and off road equipment, from heavy transport haulers to excavators. Heavy Equipment Technicians repair and overhaul engines, mechanical & power shift transmissions, hydraulics, and basic electrical systems on the largest and most powerful equipment.

What will you learn?

The four year program consists of eight weeks each year. Subject areas are listed below for each in-school technical training period which consists of four eight week training periods, coinciding with years of work related experience.

First period training topics include: safety, tools, material and equipment, Oxy-Fuel cutting, truck and trailer suspension and steering, hydraulic and air brake systems, basic electrical, basic electronics, hydraulics, truck trailer systems and introduction to vehicle inspection.

Second period training topics include: Engine fundamentals, service and repair, diesel fuel injection, electronic diesel engine fuel management, and heavy duty charging and cranking systems.

Third period off-road training topics include: Off road machinery, diagnostics, advanced hydraulics, steering and suspension specific to off-road, power trains specific to off-road, off road accessories and attachments, and electrical & electronic diagnostics.

Fourth period on-road training topics include: On-road, power steering systems, truck and transport power train, air conditioning, antilock braking systems, and a vehicle electrical and electronic diagnostics and failure analysis.

Credential: Apprenticeship

Length of Program: Eight (8) weeks of technical training for each period

Method of Delivery: Olds Campus

Technical Training Intakes:

Period 1: Aug 31 2020, Mar 1 2021
Period 2: Oct 26 2020, Jan 4 2021
Period 3: Oct 26 2020, Jan 4 2021
Period 4: Oct 26 2020, Jan 4 2021

Program Dates: Please visit our Dates & Schedules page to confirm start and end dates of your desired program and confirm campus closures.

Applications Open:

March 2020 Cancelled Apprentices will have priority registration for 2020-2021 technical training intakes between July 7 (8:00 AM MST) and July 9 (11:59 PM MST). Please watch your e-mail for instructions.
Summer & Fall technical training intake enrolment opens online for all remaining apprentices on July 21 (AET, HET, LHAP) and July 23 (Welder) at 8 AM MST.
Winter 2021 technical training intake enrolment opens online for all apprentices on August 25 (AET, HET, LHAP) and August 27 (Welder) at 8 AM MST.

Selection Process for Admission: First Qualified, First Accepted

Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Books, and Supplies: Please refer to the current Fee Schedule for details.

Tuition & Fees: $1,155 / Books & Supplies: $300

*These fees are provided as estimates only for the purposes of budgeting. Please note that this is an estimate for domestic students (international students should refer to the Fee Schedule) and all fees are subject to change.

Admitted Student Information

Program Dates: 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.

Class Registration: 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.

Technology Recommendation: It is strongly recommended that you come to Olds College with the following technology:

A device capable of running Microsoft Office, preferably a laptop

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:

Go to portal.office.com
Enter your Olds College email address and password
Once logged in there is a button on the right that says "Install Office Apps"

This will give you access to the full Office suite on your computer, for both Windows and Mac based platforms.

Materials & Supplies:

The following items are required:

Safety glasses/goggles (preferably not tinted)
Two pair of coveralls (minimum)
CSA approved boots (steel toe)

You will 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, locker rentals 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.

Other Important Information:

Safety Regulations:Wearing safety equipment and abiding by industry safety standards is mandatory within our program.
Apprenticeship ILM:We use the Apprenticeship ILMs (Individual Learning Modules) as our reference material. These modules take the place of textbooks and are available at the Olds College Campus Store at 1.800.661.6537 or 403.556.4630. They are packaged by technical training period.
Employment Insurance:Information on applying for Employment Insurance benefits is provided in your MyTradesecrets account

Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship

What can you expect from our program?

What will you learn?

Program at a glance

What do I need to apply?

Ready to apply? Visit our Admissions page for more info or go to Apply Alberta to submit an online application!

For More Information

Admitted Students