ECGP Frequently Asked Questions

P-TECH is designed for students who are looking towards the future in what they want to accomplish in their high school career. Students considering P-TECH will have a desire to work in an IT career and are interested in a post-secondary diploma or degree. The P-TECH program will allow in-depth study in computer specialty courses in Grades 9-12 that allow students to focus on Information Technology topic areas at an accelerated pace. This pace will allow students to complete both a Ontario Secondary School Diploma and a College Diploma in Software Engineering, while attending high school. Students who succeed at P-TECH are:

• interested in computers, science and math
• eager to learn the skills needed to succeed in technology industries
• curious, dedicated hands-on learners ready to take on the challenges of school, college, work and life
• committed to a strong attendance record, as evidenced in elementary school
• excited to participate in extended day and/or summer programs

Because of the way the curriculum is structured to allow for acceleration into college courses, students entering their Grade 9 year will have priority placement into the P-TECH program. However, there may be opportunity and consideration given for students in other grades to transition into the P-TECH program. These students are asked to contact their guidance counsellor for more information. Students can elect to leave the program without penalty.

Students will begin taking college classes upon entering Grade 9 and will continue to take additional classes as they progress through high school. In Grade 9, the emphasis will be on team taught (see below explanation) courses, with both the college and high school teacher. The majority of the college classes in Grades 9-12 will be dual credit (see below explanation).

Students are enrolled in a course that covers the content of both a secondary course and a college course. The college instructor delivers the portion of the course from the college curriculum and the secondary teacher delivers the portion of the course contained in the Ontario curriculum. Students’ achievement is evaluated by the college instructor and the high school teacher. Successful completion of the secondary course is recorded on the students’ secondary school transcript. Credit for completion of the college course is recognized on the students’ college transcript.

Dual credit programs allow high school students to enroll in college courses for credit while still in high school. During the program, students are taught by both a high school teacher and a college instructor. Upon successful completion of the credit, two credits are earned by the student – one at the high school level, and one at the college level. College credits earned through dual credit can be applied toward high school and college graduation and can be transferred to other colleges or universities. A dual credit program benefits the student in a number of ways:

• Provides a head start on postsecondary core requirements
• Lowers the cost of college
• Expands the variety of classes available to high school students
• Allows access to college facilities/activities–such as fine arts performances, career development services, computer labs, college libraries, and learning skills/tutoring services
• Provides greater opportunities for a coordinated, seamless education
• Serves as a “controlled” introduction to college life
• Allows for an easier transition to college
• Builds students’ confidence and self-esteem

The tuition for college courses is covered. Any required textbooks or materials will also be covered in the program.

The P-TECH Early College Graduation program enables students to enjoy the following benefits:

• Earn a college diploma in Software Engineering Technician - tuition free, while in high school
• Develop workplace skills through mentorships and internships with industry partners
• Enter the job market with a front-of-line/priority interview selection process with our Industry partners in the growing field of Information Technology with an in-demand skill set

Yes! Students will be able to participate in all high school activities along with their classmates. When students enter year 5 and are at the college full-time, they will be able to participate in Mohawk College student athletics and extracurricular activities.

Yes, students will be able to participate along with their peers during graduation, provided they fulfill the requirements of their Ontario Secondary School Graduation Diploma.

Business partners will serve as mentors by providing students with work site visits, job shadowing, field experiences and more.

Tuition and textbooks for year 5 will be covered for any students who decide to continue with the P-TECH program. Students will be responsible for getting to the campus and will be able to get a HSR Presto Pass from the Mohawk Students Association.

P-TECH students will be able to apply to Mohawk College post-secondary programming via OCAS (Ontario College Application Service) as a “returning student” with their 9-digit Mohawk ID they were assigned during their P-TECH program. If students continue with the 5th year of the program and successfully complete the diploma, they will be able to apply to other colleges and universities as an adult student and their Ontario College transcript will show all the credits they earned during P-TECH. Student can then use this transcript to apply for course exemptions in similar classes at the college-level.

Not at this time. Mohawk College has many agreements with various universities but nothing directly involving the 649 Software Engineering Technician program. Please see https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/pathways-and-credit-transfer/credit-transf… for transfer agreements that Mohawk College has with universities and colleges in Ontario, Canada, the United States and abroad.

No, you will not return to high school. If there are prerequisite courses for a high school student to enter university after grade 12 these will not apply as P-TECH graduates of the 649 Software Engineering Technician diploma program will now have different entrance requirements versus those who enter direct from-high school. Students would be applying as adult students.

If students decide that they would like to participate in high school sports, they can stay for grade 13 at the high school and continue with P-TECH programming with the next cohort of students.

No. If students decide to continue with the 5th year of P-TECH, as a full-time Mohawk student the Mohawk Student Association will offer a PRESTO bus pass to use for the Hamilton Street Railway for the duration of the school year. If you do not live on a bus route you will need to make your own arrangements to get to campus.

Yes. If students log into MyMohawk they will be able to view their college credits that they have collected during their time in the P-TECH program.

Year 4 continues to leverage Dual Credit models, with greater emphasis on College Delivered Dual Credits to best prepare students for college and university academic environments following secondary school completion. In College Delivered Dual Credits, curriculum is taught solely by college faculty, and secondary school teachers are present to support students and the classroom as needed to be successful. College courses scheduled for Year 4/Grade 12 include:

• COMP 10259 Client-side Web Programming (College Delivered IBL4T High School Course Code
• MATH 10064 Discrete Math and Statistics (College Delivered MIJ4T High School Course Code)
• COMM 11000 Essentials of Communications (Team Taught alongside ENG4C/U)
• COMP 10064 Computer Training and Technical Writing (Team Taught alongside IDC4U Interdisciplinary Studies)

In Year 5, students become full-time college students, starting in Semester 3 of the Software Engineering Technician Ontario College Diploma (649) program. Students will receive support from Mohawk’s P-TECH team in registering for Year 5 and can access support from the P-TECH team any time throughout this year. Semester 3 is from September to December following the students’ completion of their OSSDs, and consists of academic courses:

• COMP 10260 Server-side Web Programming
• COMP 10204 Programming in .NET
• COMP 10066 Software Quality and Testing (those who completed ELEC 10118 Computer Hardware and Software in their earlier P-TECH years may receive an exemption from this course)
• COMP CO859 Database Theory
• A general elective General Education Electives

Every program has its own admission requirements to get accepted into the program. We have three programs in Aviation, which are Aircraft Maintenance - 269, Aircraft Structures - 289 and Avionic Maintenance - 299. Visit the program's website for the admission requirements.

If P-TECH students apply and are accepted to a program at Mohawk, they can use the elective credits that they obtained during the P-TECH program and apply for an exemption when they are in an Aviation program.

During the final program semester (typically January to April), students will participate in a Work Placement, as well as two companion courses: the Work Placement Seminar and the Software Engineering Project. For the Work Placement, students participate in a 420-hour placement in a computer science or information technology position. Placements typically run for 30 hours per week for 14 weeks. An example work schedule would be Monday to Thursday, 7.5 hours per day. The Work Placement Seminar runs concurrently at 2 hours per week or 28 total hours. In this course, students will reflect on their Work Placements while preparing for the personal and professional skills needed to enter the workforce. For the Software Engineering Project, also referred to as the Capstone Project, students work closely with a faculty advisor to propose and complete a summative project that applies several skills learned throughout the P-TECH program. Students have the option of applying the duties and environments of their Work Placements to this Capstone Project.

The requirement to stay in the course is students need to pass the courses to continue into the next semesters, and if a student is at risk of failing, we will meet with the student to see what supports we can put in place to help them pass.

We don’t want to see any students be unsuccessful in the P-TECH program. Mohawk College, working alongside the student’s high school, will be able to offer different supports during the length of the course. The objective is to identify that a student is struggling earlier on versus the failing mark at the end of the course, and we rely on both the high school teacher and Mohawk College faculty member to intervene. Students will be coached to request and access such Mohawk College supports as peer tutoring, P-TECH peer study sessions, accommodations with our Accessible Learning Services department, etc.

If students are still unable to pass a college course, opportunities to retake the course will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students who subsequently choose to leave the P-TECH program will have any failing marks removed from their college transcripts, with the express approval of HWCDSB, to avoid creating potential barriers to future college enrolment.

Placement Specialists/Coordinators at Mohawk College work very hard to ensure eligible students find a placement. This internship is not related to a high school co-op if they had chosen to take one.

No. However, a high school coop is required for those wishing to participate in the Specialist High Skilled Majors (SHSM) program. Students wishing to graduate with a red seal diploma are required to complete a secondary school co-op to earn their SHSM certification. Students are encouraged to speak with their guidance department and SHSM teachers to confirm their co-op requirements.

The secondary school co-op placement is not required for the Software Engineering Technician Ontario College Diploma, provided that students participate in the Year 5 Semester 2 internship.