Parts Technician

Contact Us

Katelyn Vallee
Trades Enrolment Specialist
780 871 5451
780 808 5766
Ask me your questions

How Apprentices Register

Intake Schedule

LocationOnline

CredentialJourneyperson

Program Length3 training periods

Delivery MethodOnline

If you have a technical mind, enjoy helping people and are attentive to detail, launch your career as a parts technician.

Your three-year apprenticeship includes:

a minimum of 1,500 hours of on-the-job training for each period
3 online instruction periods

As you specialize in parts and materials, you’ll learn about:

auto body
brakes
electrical
hydraulics
steering
suspension
powertrain
engines
safe work practices

As a parts technician, you’ll handle stock, identify and catalogue parts, as well as order, receive, inspect, sort and price them.

Requirements

Recommended path
Alberta High School Diploma with:

English 30-2
Math 30-3
Physics 30 or Chemistry 30 or Science 30
Related Career and Technology Studies courses

Minimum requirements:

Successful completion of one of these options:

English 10-2 and Math 10-3
all 5 Canadian General Educational Development (GED) or Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) exams
an entrance exam

You must find suitable employment with an employer/sponsor who is a journeyperson or employs a journeyperson in the trade of your choice.
Once employed, you and your employer must sign apprenticeship application forms. These forms are available from the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) regional offices.
If you think you have related work experience and/or training which could be credited toward your apprenticeship, discuss it with your employer and request credit on the application form.
Once your apprenticeship application is approved and your school transcripts or entrance exam marks are recorded, final approval is given and contracts are drawn up.

Note: You can register and start classroom instruction without an employer, but it's recommended you find one as soon as possible to arrange your on-the-job training. Most apprenticeship students came to their classes with job experience.

An Alberta Journeyperson Certificate is granted to apprentices who:

Complete the required hours of on-the-job training and receive a satisfactory report from the supervisor.
Successfully complete the formal instruction.
Pass all required examinations.
Has forwarded their record book to AIT's Career Development Centre completion.

When apprentices receive an Alberta Journeyperson Certificate, they can use the term certified with the name of the trade. They should also be paid journeyperson wages.

Online learning has advantages, especially if you are "learning while earning" or are simply too far away to commute to training.

If you are thinking about online learning with Lakeland College, here's what we expect from you. To:

have access to a computer and high speed internet
have a supported browser and browser tools
have computer and web skills to do course work
read and write in English as all our courses are conducted in English
commit to about 8 hours per week
be prepared to submit course work and complete exams within the timelines provided

Most Lakeland College online courses will use Lakeland's learning management system, Desire2Learn or Microsoft Teams.

You aren't limited to a particular type of computer or smart device. But, you do have to have particular browsers and other software.

Most web platforms require:

up-to-date web browsers including Chrome, Edge and Mozilla Firefox
enabled cookies
enabled JavaScript

If you aren't sure what any of those requirements are, do a quick systems check on the D2L page. It will tell you if your computer is set up properly.

Tips for success

Time management is a critical part of taking an online course. Because you don't have a scheduled time to be in a classroom, you often must schedule time to work on the course. Here are some helpful hints.

Commit about 8 hours per week to your program.
Pace yourself – often it's easier to complete an hour and a half per day instead of cramming all the work into a single evening or weekend.
Plan your work – Look over your assignments and create a calendar with deadlines. This road map will help you manage your time and get you to your destination.
Know yourself – If you procrastinate, identify how you waste time and learn strategies to improve your time management.
You can also check out our free online resources including Grammarly and online study skills.

More program details

2025-26 tuition and fees

Period	Tuition and program fees	Estimated books and supplies	Mandatory fees
1	$881	$371.45	$151
2	$1,145	$488.65	$151
3	$881	$239.60	$151

Remember that studying includes other expenses than tuition and fees - you should also be budgeting for your accommodation and living expenses. Alberta student loan guidelines recommends $1,153/month.

Our tuition and fees page has details about academic, application and mandatory fees and their cost breakdown per term.

The following tables summarize the topics and skills for each online instruction period.

Your online course allocates 37 weeks for technical training, with an additional 3 weeks to prepare for your provincial exam. The first and third training periods each take approximately 270 hours to complete, while the second period requires about 300 hours.

You are working at your own pace, allowing you to complete the course early.

For complete details, check the parts technician course outline, or check on Tradesecrets, the Alberta government's Apprentice & Industry Training branch website.

Subject
Workplace safety and environmental protection
Material handling and storage
Material identification and calculations
Communication

Subject
Engines and related systems
Power train
Hydraulics, steering and suspension
Brakes
Auto body
Agriculture and mobile industrial equipment

Subject
Inventory
Procurement
Design and planning
Business management
Human relations and advisory network

All three periods of parts technical training are only offered exclusively online.

Flexible start dates between September 2 and December 12, 2025.
The last day to write the Lakeland final is May 15, 2026.
June 5, 2026 is the last day of the course. The provincial exam must be completed before this date.
Full refund of fees, less $100, if you withdraw up to 5 business days prior to the first day of class. No exceptions.

To see other important dates such as when the college is closed, visit the academic year and term date page.

Enhance your journeyperson status with 2 other standards.

The Red Seal is a national designation. You earn it by passing an interprovincial exam. That means you can work anywhere in Canada with your Red Seal Endorsement (RSE). Currently not all trades have a red seal standard.
The Blue Seal is an Alberta program. It’s earned by taking approved business studies. Now a separate certificate, the program also has a new name: Achievement in Business Competencies (Blue Seal).

A Red Seal shows that you have successfully completed an inter provincial standards exam. You’ll get a distinctive red seal to attach to your journeyman certificate.

This means you will be able to work anywhere in Canada without having to write another province’s trade exam.

The Red Seal Program was created in 1952. It encourages the standardization of apprenticeship training and certification programs across Canada. A national occupational analysis of each of the 56 Red Seal trade is used as a base document for inter provincial exams and is encouraged for use in curriculum development. The Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) administers the program.

Check the Red Seal trades in Alberta.

For more information, check the Red Seal Website. Exams, samples questions, and individual trade standards are included.

Lakeland also offers prep courses for red seal exams for anyone who hasn’t achieved their red seal status. Check trades continuing education for those courses.

Blue Seal program is the common name for the Achievement in Business Competencies Program.

If you have a valid Alberta Journeyperson Certificate, you are eligible to receive a Blue Seal after completing 150 hours of study in an approved business program. You can choose courses at Lakeland College.

The Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board established the Achievement in Business Competencies Program. It both encourages and recognizes business studies by anyone who is already certified in an Alberta designated trade or occupation.

Complete details are available on the Blue Seal website.

Lakeland offers you the ability to take both online and face-to-face business courses in Lloydminster.

You can earn while you learn as you can fit the courses into your work schedule.

Take courses in our 1-year general business certificate. You'll need at least 4 courses to reach the minimum 150 hours to earn a blue seal.

If you have the academic requirements, you could earn the certificate.

Please contact our business enrolment specialist for more information about how to apply for courses and how to reach your goal.

Individual Learning Modules (ILMs)

ILMs are included in your registration fees and will be mailed to you.

If you have any questions, please contact:

apprenticeship@lakelandcollege.ca
780 853 8500

You'll showcase your skills in the classroom, in the trades centre, on the job and even at competitions. In the last six years, Lakeland students have won 17 skills Alberta medals.

Learning in action

Home to the multiple apprenticeship trades offered on the Vermilion campus, our Trades Centre is fully equipped for you to learn all that you need. Check it out through a virtual tour.

Explore our campus

Two students inspecting an automotive part

Our alumni are finding fulfilling and satisfying careers in their trades. Look at where an apprenticeship can take you and begin building your own future today.

Jobs and careers

Parts Technician