Advanced Diploma in Instrumentation and Control Engineering Technology - Industrial Automation (Co-op) Lambton College - Sarnia Campus, Canada

Students who enjoy hands-on automation and process control will appreciate the strong training and technical foundation provided in the Instrumentation & Control Engineering Technology - Industrial Automation program.

Instrumentation, final control elements and process computer control systems in any manufacturing process environment are broken down into sequential logical steps, analyzed and control is implemented. In industry, measured variables are then monitored and controlled. Examples of these variables include pressure, flow, temperature, level, motion, force and chemical composition.

Topics of study include signal conditioning, transmitters, analyzers, controllers, control systems, and final control elements such as control valves, dampers, and electric motors. These are components of automated control loops. Typical process industries that utilize this technology include petrochemical, pharmaceutical, food processing, pulp and paper, automotive, and mining. Alongside the maintenance requirements of these industries there are other career options available including engineering, sales, and service providers/maintainers.

Students enrolled in this program will train in Lambton College’s newly renovated Centre of Excellence in Energy & Bio-Industrial Technologies. The Centre offers state-of-practice technology laboratories and infrastructure to support learning and research in next-generation technologies in collaboration with industry. Numerous hands-on laboratories are designed to enable participants to install, configure, calibrate, troubleshoot, and maintain instruments (pneumatic, analog, digital) and control systems in a variety of industrial-replicated settings.

Graduates of this program are eligible to receive credit for all three levels of Ontario's Instrumentation and Control Technician (447A) in-school apprenticeship training. 

Securing a Co-op
The job market for co-op is very competitive.  Students who have met the co-op eligibility are highly encouraged to actively participate in the recruitment process in the semester prior to their co-op work term. This includes, but is not limited to, attending all recruitment workshops, meeting with your program co-op advisor, regularly searching through the  myCareer Job Posting System and other job posting sites, networking; and contacting potential employers. Co-op & Career Services actively pursues employers, however there may be limited availabilities so students should seek out additional employers to secure their own co-op.

If a co-op position is not secured prior to the start of a co-op semester, students should meet with their program co-op advisor to discuss next steps.  Any student who secures their own position must contact their program co-op advisor prior to the start of employment to determine if this position is considered acceptable as a co-op and to complete the appropriate paperwork to register the co-op.  This is necessary in order for either the insurance to be put in place or for the employer to get a tax credit letter. For more information on securing a co-op, read the Co-operative Education and Internship Policy (2000-8-1).

Students enrolled in a co-operative education program pay a mandatory fee to cover the costs of employer relations development, job development, job-readiness preparation and co-op service administration. Payment of fees does not secure a co-op position.