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Overview

The IT industry is evolving rapidly, and companies need skilled professionals who can troubleshoot, support networks, and keep systems running efficiently. The IT Technician Certificate of Achievement provides the technical knowledge and hands-on experience essential for success in IT support roles. As you progress through the program, you’ll develop practical skills and knowledge that align with industry needs while also preparing to earn the CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ certifications—highly valued certifications that will set you apart in the competitive IT industry.

Led by expert instructors, you’ll explore real-world scenarios and case studies in computer hardware, operating systems, networking, troubleshooting, and customer service that reflect the challenges and expectations of today’s IT workplaces.

Through individual and collaborative learning, including a capstone project, you’ll gain the theoretical understanding and hands-on expertise to prepare you to take the CompTIA certification exams and step into your IT career with confidence and the certifications to back it up.

This course is ideal if you:

  • are pursuing a career in IT support or network administration and need practical training
  • want to achieve CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ certifications to enhance your qualifications
  • value hands-on learning to develop troubleshooting and networking skills in real-world settings.

To be successful in this certificate, it is recommended you have:

  • basic computer literacy and familiarity with Windows operating systems

If you’re pursuing the certificate, complete CMPH 001 first and note mandatory prerequisites for remaining certificate courses.

Upon successful completion of this certificate, you’ll be able to:

  • explain fundamental networking concepts, including protocols, topologies, and network infrastructure
  • compare and contrast network media, devices, and connection types to determine appropriate implementation
  • configure network addressing schemes, including IPv4, IPv6, and TCP/IP protocols
  • implement security measures, including firewalls, authentication, and network hardening strategies
  • demonstrate troubleshooting methodologies for wired, wireless, and specialized networks
  • install and manage Windows, Linux, and MacOS operating systems, including updates, backups, and disaster recovery
  • analyze system performance using monitoring tools, virtualization, and cloud computing technologies
  • manage file systems, permissions, encryption, and Active Directory configurations for enterprise environments
  • configure and support networking services such as VPNs, remote access, and SOHO networks
  • assess and resolve common networking and computing issues, ensuring optimal performance and security.

 

Program outline

To successfully complete this certificate program, you are required to complete a total of four mandatory courses. It is recommended that you complete the A+ course prior to taking the other courses listed below. All supporting course materials and resources are accessible online in the Brightspace (D2L) learning platform.

Required courses & electives

How to apply for this certificate

Once you have registered for any course offered in this certificate, you will be automatically eligible to complete the certificate. You will have up to three years to complete this program. You may track your progression by signing in to your Continuing Education student account.

Certifications and professional designations

Upon successful completion of all required courses in this program, you’ll receive an electronically issued official SAIT Certificate of Achievement and transcript. You’ll be able to self-print proof of completion documents from your Continuing Education student account. Parchments are not issued for individual courses.

Courses in this program will prepare you to attain CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ certifications. Additional requirements may apply.

Costs

This certificate program consists of four courses with varying fees. Fees include access to all course-related materials and resources found in Brightspace (D2L).

Please review the individual course pages for this certificate program to determine costs and to learn more about additional learning materials including textbooks.

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Financial support

Financial opportunities are available to help pay for your course fees. Learn more about how to reduce your education or training costs with available awards, bursaries, loans and grants including the Canada Alberta Job Grant. 

Learn more

Careers and opportunities

Skills learned in this program can be applied to a variety of supervisory and management careers. Expect to start at the entry-level, and as you gain experience and additional education, your career opportunities will expand.

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SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.

We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.

Visit Natoysopoyiis Resource Centre