Environmental Technician

What to expect from the program

Through hands-on training in biology, ecology, physics, and statistics, you'll gain the expertise to address environmental challenges across diverse settings.

You'll be prepared to work on:

• Environmental management and emerging opportunities
• Environmental impact assessments
• Hazardous and non-hazardous waste management
• Waste reduction and reuse strategies
• Air, soil, and water pollution prevention and monitoring
• Wildlife monitoring and conservation
• Soil and ecosite analysis
• Compliance auditing
• Contaminated site investigation and remediation

This integrated approach combines scientific knowledge with practical field skills, preparing you to work in sectors that contribute to environmental protection and sustainability.

Graduate with experience

NorQuest College believes in the importance of on-the-job experience that provides an enriched learning opportunity.

In the Environmental Technician program, you’ll develop practical skills through laboratory and field training. This includes an immersive six-week field school course in the third term, providing 240 hours of hands-on learning. 

You can also choose an optional paid 480-hour co-op placement to gain additional real-world experience in a fifth term. 

Career opportunities

Successful completion of the program prepares graduates for employment at the technology level within consulting firms, government, and industry, with excellent potential for upward mobility as job experience grows.

A list of potential job titles in the environmental field include:

• Environmental advisor
• Environmental auditor
• Environmental consultant
• Environmental coordinator
• Environmental monitor
• Environmental scientist
• Environmental specialist
• Environmental technician
• Field technician

Environmental Technician graduates may also choose to be self-employed and work as contractors or sub-consultants. Contractors and sub-consultants work in a variety of capacities, contracting their services to large industrial clients, agricultural producers, government agencies, and consulting firms.

This program prepares you to step confidently into your field while providing the flexibility to continue your education. Credits you earn may be transferable toward additional diplomas, degrees, or certifications—helping you advance your career and increase your earning potential.

Explore transfer pathways

What to expect as an environmental field technician

A majority of graduates will enter the workforce as environmental technicians/technologists or environmental scientists at consulting firms servicing the environmental industry or government agencies. In this capacity, graduates can expect to work as a field technician, collecting field data, assisting in environmental assessment and monitoring, and assisting in technical report writing.