Meet Our Graduates

Jason Shell works at McKee Foods as a second shift Lead Electronics Technician. “At my workplace we use the Allen-Bradley RSLogix 5000 PLC hardware and software. I enrolled in the PLC Technician II program to get a better understanding of this technology and improve my performance at work. I am pleased to say that I have been able to apply a lot of what I learned on a daily basis.”

Jason also appreciated the flexibility of the program, allowing him to work on it at his own pace. “I have a busy life and I wouldn’t have been able to complete the program if I had to go on campus to do so.”

“My experience with the staff in the Support Center was always good. I was always able to talk to someone and get my questions answered.

Joseph Sallay is an Operations Supervisor at a municipal wastewater treatment facility.  ‘PLCs are used throughout our main treatment plant and auxiliary facilities.  We regularly operate as users on the front end; accessing and controlling the treatment process via SCADA, however I took the program to help me learn more about the back end of the operation, specifically programming and troubleshooting.’

‘The programs flexibility was important to me and allowed me to work on it as I had the time.’

‘I now have a better understanding of how PLCs work.  We are undergoing a large IT upgrade at our facility and I believe the extra knowledge I gained from the program will be useful’

‘With government financial assistance, I was able to enroll into the PLC and PLC Technician II programs. I had one year of experience troubleshooting and programming PLCs, both the SLC500 and 5000 series, but felt that really wasn’t enough.  The PLC programs from George Brown College were the best option to increase my knowledge and allowed me to add new skills to my resume. I particularly liked the training I received using the simulation software and found it a huge benefit. The Resource Center was also very helpful whenever I had any questions.’
 
‘I started my new job, as an Electrician at Edson Forest Products, just as I was finishing the last module of the PLC Technician II program. My employer seemed very pleased with my initiative to take the programs and update my skills. I have told others about these programs and think they are a great resource for electrician’s wanting to head into maintenance.’

Claude Clivet, registered into the PLC and PLC Technician II programs ‘to expand and consolidate [his] knowledge on Allen Bradley PLCs and ladder logic programming and to provide a broader spectrum of service to [his] customers.’ This was particularly relevant to Claude as a Field Service Technician in the food manufacturing sector, where he retrofits, installs, maintains and generally provides technical support for industrial equipment.

Claude uses his ‘new skills on a daily basis and has seen [his] responsibilities change.' But even more dramatically, he has much greater confidence in dealing with different situations at work, eliminating stress and errors on the job. 'I knew the effort [to take the programs] would pay back later on, and I wasn’t wrong. I see my awesome personal results every day at work.’

Ryan Taylor is an Electrician at Georgia Pacific and oversees the day-to-day production of lumber products. He enrolled in the PLC Technician II Certificate program "as it was a well-balanced program that helped to reinforce theories that I was familiar with and helped me gain knowledge in concepts where I wanted more information. In my current role, I now use SLC 500, PLC5 and RSLogix 5000/studio daily to troubleshoot problems or program improvements."

"While my core responsibilities have not changed I did receive a raise after I received my Certificate."

Mike Diomartich is a Mechanical Processing Engineer at FlowDynamics Inc., a company delivering food and beverage liquid processing services to the food and beverage industry. Part of Mike’s work mandate is to ‘bring PLC installation, programming and maintenance to the company.’

Mike felt the PLC Technician Certificate program, through George Brown College, ‘offered the best value in terms of price, convenience and providing a complete package of educational tools, including the simulation software.’ He most appreciated that the modules had ‘detailed step-by-step examples and allowed me to work at my own pace.'

Once he has finished the PLC program he will ‘continue training and register into the PLC Technician II program.’

Ralph Young is the Plant Manager at Wyman’s, a major grower and processor of wild blueberries. When the new blueberry packing line was installed Ralph enrolled in the PLC Technician Certificate program at GBC. He felt it ‘would help him learn their new system, minimize downtime and improve efficiencies.’ 

Since completing the PLC program Ralph has re-programmed fillers, replaced modules and boards, re-wired carton metal detectors and designed small PLCs within the automated system. In addition he is better able to troubleshoot and oversee the Electricians, PLC Technicians and contractors.

‘I particularly enjoyed working on the modules covering the overview of PLCs, Input/Output System and Ladder Logic.’

Mike Varney works in industrial maintenance and has completed the Robotics, Automation and PLC Technician II programs. "With my background in electronics and maintenance these programs are exactly what I need to move into a Controls position."

"The aspect of the programs I liked most was the simulation labs as I can continue to use them throughout my career and keep my skills up to date. In addition I have been compensated for my broader skill set."

"Wish this was out there 20 years ago! Great job George Brown Staff."

Curtis Keen works for a major lumber company and enrolled in the PLC Technician II program “to keep current with all the changes occurring in automation”. Since completing the program he has also enrolled in the Electronics Technician (ET) Certificate program. “After graduating from the ET program I plan on continuing my education with one of the Bachelor of Science options offered through George Brown College."

“George Brown College is by far the best way to continue your education when you have a busy schedule or are working full time.”

Eugene Alexeenko is an Electrical Instrumentation Control Technician at the City of Toronto, working at a water treatment facility.

When I first immigrated to Toronto I worked as a C++ programmer before moving to BF Goodrich where I started working on PLC’s. I have always enjoyed programming so I enrolled in PLC Technician II. I know many companies require their employees to have PLC programming skills and a Certificate from George Brown College is solid proof of your skills. In addition, as a CET I am required to upgrade my knowledge on a regular basis. But I would like to continue my education towards a PEng as I was an engineer back home. I believe George Brown College will help me to achieve my goal.

I liked the PLC simulation and I feel very comfortable with its interface. I have been able to apply my learning at work where I create programs for different PLCs to solve process control issues.