Trades - Apprenticeship in Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship

The Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship at Olds College is a four-year Alberta apprenticeship leading to an Advanced Diploma and an Alberta Journeyperson Certificate. Each year combines eight weeks of on-campus classroom instruction with a minimum of 1,500 hours of employer-based on-the-job training. Students work on both on- and off-road equipment, from heavy transport haulers to excavators, learning to repair and overhaul engines, mechanical and power-shift transmissions, hydraulics, and basic electrical systems. The curriculum also covers workplace safety and tools, oxy-acetylene heating, suspensions and brake systems, diesel fuel injection, and specialized training in either off-road or on-road heavy equipment systems. Admission follows Alberta's Apprenticeship and Industry Training structure: applicants register through the MyTradesecrets online service, meet trade-specific eligibility requirements, and are encouraged to secure a sponsor and employer before beginning on-the-job training hours. Classroom instruction runs across several intake periods each year.