Gain industry experience
Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Power Engineering Technician program will give you the tools and knowledge you need to start out in this complex and exciting field. Power Engineers keep the heat on in winter and the lights on at night. They operate hospital fridges, industrial coolers, all types of boilers, compressors, generators, motors and more. At Parkland College’s Trades and Technology Centre you’ll learn the basics of power generation with practical training in boiler operations, electrical controls and instrumentation, maintenance and tool use. You’ll develop troubleshooting skills in practical labs, get boiler firing time in the power lab, and industry work experience in your second term. Although power engineering isn’t classified as a trade, it is government regulated and certified by the province where you live and work. It is divided into four levels of skills and training (First Class is the highest). A combination of work experience and course completions followed by rigorous interprovincial examinations allows an engineer to progress from one class to another. You will study Fourth Class interprovincial standardized material as preparation to challenge the interprovincial Fourth Class Examinations. Graduates are eligible to challenge the provincial exam to obtain the Refrigeration Engineering Certificate required to operate large refrigeration plants in Saskatchewan. Graduates may go straight into the workforce or enroll in Third Class Power Engineering.

Graduates are prepared to work as power engineers or process operators in a variety of industrial and heating plants. These include utility (power) plants, refineries, hospitals, pulp and paper mills, breweries, mines, gas processing plants, heavy oil upgraders, fertilizer plants or chemical plants.