College Diploma - Plumbing Technician

The Plumbing Technician diploma is the two-year version of Humber’s plumbing program, extending shop training with systems design and code responsibility.

Beyond the trade fundamentals — pipe joining, drainage waste and vent, water supply, fixtures and code — the second year covers hydronic heating system design, commercial and institutional plumbing systems, fire protection and sprinkler basics, drainage design calculations and sizing, blueprint interpretation and estimating, water conservation and green plumbing technology, and project coordination on construction sites.

The extra year moves graduates from installer toward estimator, coordinator and eventually contractor roles. It also supports a longer Post-Graduation Work Permit than the eight-month certificate where the field of study is eligible — a meaningful difference for international students.

One point international students should understand about Ontario trades: this program is a college credential, not an apprenticeship. It gives you the theory, shop skills and safety certifications employers want, and it can shorten an apprenticeship, but full trade qualification in Ontario runs through a registered apprenticeship with an employer sponsor and a certificate of qualification. Plan for that step rather than assuming graduation completes it.

Humber Polytechnic — formerly Humber College — is Ontario’s largest public college and a Designated Learning Institution (DLI O19376943122). The North campus in Etobicoke is its main site, running technology, engineering, health science, business and skilled trades programs in purpose-built labs and shops rather than lecture halls, with three intakes a year and the deepest employer network in the Greater Toronto Area.

Its field maps to CIP 46.0503 (Plumbing technology). Important: this is a college credential rather than a degree, so it is not exempt from the November 2024 PGWP field-of-study restriction — eligibility depends on this CIP field appearing on IRCC’s eligible list when you apply. Humber publishes a PGWP-eligible program list with CIP codes; check it, and confirm with an Apply Study Visa counsellor before committing. IRCC makes the final decision.