Power Engineering program offered through partnership with SaskPower

Michael Oleksyn,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Beginning this fall the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre (Sask DLC) will partner with SaskPower to provide high school students and adults online fourth and fifth-class Power Engineering courses.

These courses have already been offered in Saskatchewan high schools since 2014 and have been administered by Sask DLC since its inception in 2023. The programs are accredited by the Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan (TSASK).

“Sask DLC courses offer students the chance to explore future careers in our province while earning high school credits,” Minister Responsible for Sask DLC Jeremy Cockrill said in a press release.

“Sask DLC is proud to partner with SaskPower to continue to offer these unique opportunities and the 4th-class high school program is the only one of its kind in Canada.”

In the Sask DLC’s fifth-class program, students will take two online courses within the same school year. These courses introduce power engineering including boiler operations and maintenance

Each course includes a 50-hour work study allowing students to obtain the steam time requirements for their certification. Fifth-class courses are ideal for students wishing for an introduction to the career. Students who complete their 5th-class are also eligible to upgrade to their 4th-class certification by taking an additional two upgrade courses.

“Power Engineers are vital for the operation of our provincial power grid, as well as other heavy industries that keep our province’s economy growing,” Minister Responsible for SaskPower Dustin Duncan said.

Through the fourth-class program, students take four online classes, each including 50 hours of online theory and 50 hours of work study time, providing practical experience and preparing them for industry exams. This program is ideal for students interested in pursuing power engineering as a career after high school and upon completion, students can be employed as a fourth-class engineer.

A new Memorandum of Understanding between Sask DLC and SaskPower will see the Crown power utility coordinate and promote student STEAM lab time and scholarship opportunities for continued education and advancement in the field.

SaskPower also provides students with hands-on experience at its portable steam lab.

“We are pleased to support this program, which will help to engage and develop Saskatchewan students into future leaders in the electricity industry and beyond,” SaskPower President and CEO Rupen Pandya said.

“Industry support for work experience programs like power engineering are key to providing students with meaningful experience and insight to possible career paths, allowing them to make informed decisions about their future,” Sask DLC CEO Darren Gasper added.

To date, 327 Saskatchewan students have completed the 4th-class, and 141 have completed the 5th-class power engineering program.

For more information on the program or to register, visit: saskDLC.ca.

Michael Oleksyn,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Prince Albert Daily Herald