At Conestoga College in Kitchener, Canada, Cert in Heavy Construction Equipment Operation is offered as a certificate in Applied Professions & Services programme. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 9,965 per year for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Applied Professions & Services
Duration: 1 year
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 9,965 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
With the current pace of construction in Ontario, there is a high demand for skilled equipment operators to support this industry. Completion of the Heavy Construction Equipment Operation program will position you for success in the industry. This program includes a significant amount of hands-on experience, safely performing basic maintenance and operating various pieces of large equipment. You will also be exposed to compact equipment and paving operations. This practical experience is complemented with related theory including environmental practices, soils, concrete and asphalt, surveying and site plans. By the end of the program, you will be well-prepared for success as you enter employment in the heavy construction and paving industries as an equipment operator. As a graduate of this program, you will have the opportunity to receive automatic exemption from all the apprenticeship in-school training for the three Heavy Equipment Operator trades (Tractor-Loader-Backhoe, Excavator, Dozer) should you choose to pursue that career pathway.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Entry requires an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature-student status at 19 years of age or older, plus Grade 12 compulsory English at the C or U level or equivalent, or Conestoga's Preparatory Communications course, and Grade 11 Mathematics at the C, M (U/C), or U level or equivalent, or the college's Preparatory Mathematics for Trades course. Academic strength is calculated by averaging the required subject marks, with the college reporting a minimum academic strength considered of 60% and ten bonus points added for Advanced-level, OAC, U, U/C, or post-secondary courses. Language proficiency is not scored on this page; it defers to Conestoga's institution-wide requirement, which for certificate programs sets IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT 80, PTE Academic 53, or Duolingo 110. Students must provide their own CSA-approved safety footwear, glasses, hard hat, vest, and hand tools.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca (college code CONS): for the Fall 2027 intake the online application opens 26 September 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, offers may be issued from 1 November 2026, and accepted offers must be confirmed by 1 May 2027; most oversubscribed programs stop accepting applications after 1 February 2027, though many programs remain open afterward. Conestoga does not publish a separate equal-consideration date for its January intake. International applicants apply directly to Conestoga and are assessed on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis until each program fills; no fixed international closing date is published. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
