Building Construction Technician - Carpentry

Want to go from reading blueprints to framing a roof and finishing a staircase? Building Construction Technician - Carpentry is a two-year Ontario College Diploma, delivered over four semesters at Cambrian College’s Barrydowne campus in Sudbury, with the option of a January start for an accelerated run of four continuous semesters.

Semester one covers Tools Materials and Safety, Estimating and Calculations I, Surveying & Form Layout I, Floor and Wall Framing I and Roof Framing I. Semester two moves to Plans, Specifications and Code I, Exterior Applications, Interior Applications and Residential Interior and Exterior Finishes. In semester three you tackle Roof Framing II, Surveying and Layout II, Plans, Specifications and Code II, Welding Hoisting Rigging and Workplace Communication, and semester four brings Stairs and Deck Construction, ICI Floors, Walls and Interior Finishes, Estimating & Calculations II, Project Construction Management and Operating a Trades Budget.

Safe working practices are prioritised in every course, and a capstone project provides experiential learning, with an optional co-op for students who want time on a working site. The first year is shared with Cambrian’s one-year Carpentry and Renovation Techniques certificate, so you can complete year one, take seasonal construction work, then return for year two. Business courses in the final semester lay a foundation for running your own business, and select students can compete in the Ontario Skills Competition.

Graduates work as carpenters’ helpers, framers, finish carpenters, construction estimators, site supervisors in training and renovation contractors. The diploma suits practical, precise builders who enjoy maths on a tape measure, can work outdoors through Sudbury’s seasons, and may one day want to run their own carpentry company.