Woodworking Technician - St. Clair CollegeWoodworking Education in CanadaCarpentry and Woodworking Programs -- Community College Programs
PROGRAM WEBSITE
Woodworking Technician - St. Clair College St. Clair College's 2-year Woodworking Technician diploma is primarily designed for individuals interested in pursuing a career, career advancement, and/or further educational opportunities in woodworking. The Program will focus 'on both theory and technical skills' including 'development in materials recognition and selection, machining, finishing and manufacturing to meet a variety of goals in processing wood products.' Graduates will possess 'a wide range of skills including cabinet making and kitchen design, trim carpentry, architectural millwork (doors and windows) and furniture making' as well as the ability 'to program and operate CNC (computer numeric control) machines for repetitive work.' Students will also have the 'opportunities to participate in work placement and co-op.' The Program's 'curriculum parallels apprenticeship standards' for woodworking and thus graduates who decide to pursue an apprenticeship may qualify for advanced standing into the latter. An apprenticeship is a method of learning a trade through a combination of periods of in-class, technical/theoretical education and periods of paid, on-the-job training. During the latter portions of an apprenticeship, the student (apprentice) will work, in an indentured capacity, under the direction of a certified, journeyperson member of the trade one is learning. A journeyperson is an individual who has earned the standards of practice of his/her trade, typically via the completion of an apprenticeship. The advantage of completing an apprenticeship is not only that one acquires in-depth knowledge and skills in a trade but also that, within the latter, one's career opportunities and salary potential are normally increased. Furthermore, once an individual has obtained journeyperson status, he/she may be eligible to have his/her certification as such endorsed by the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program (Red Seal). The latter enables the journeyperson to practice his/her trade throughout Canada, provided the trade is designated in that locale, without undergoing further examinations. Persons who earn journeyperson status may, after obtaining several years of experience beyond an apprenticeship, become educators, supervisors, and/or trainers of their respective trades. Career-wise, woodworkers will most often be employed indoors in various aspects of the construction, design, wood, wood products manufacturing, and woodworking industries either by individuals, companies, custom or repair shops, or through self employment. Among the most common employers are construction firms, furniture manufacturers, repairers, retailers, and stores and millwork companies. For example, graduates may find work in 'large or small manufacturing companies, design shops such as kitchen and bath design centres, and with companies involved in the manufacture and installation of architectural millwork' It is not unusual for woodworkers to labour in a shop environment in which they are exposed to high levels of noise, various dust particles, and chemicals, especially from paint. Graduates of the Program have traditionally had a high rate of success in securing employment in their respective fields. For example, the 100 percent of the graduating class of 2005 obtained employment. To be eligible for admission to the Diploma program, 'applicants who started High School in Ontario in September 1999 or later (OSS)' must possess an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) 'with the majority of courses at the College (C), University (U), University/College (M), or Open (O).' Prospective students 'who started High School in Ontario prior to Sept. 1999 (OSIS)' must have an 'OSSD with the majority of the credits at the general or advanced level or mature student status,' or equivalent. Applicants who do not have any of the aforementioned credentials or their equivalents and who will be '19 years of age or older prior to registration' may apply via mature student status. Mature applicants 'will be required to write an Admissions Test.'
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