With his vast background as a mechanical engineer, Reza ‘21 chose Mohawk College to bridge his previous academic and work experience with further education.
“I was a quality engineer at an industrial company for 16 years,” he says. “I worked in all sections such as: quality assurance, calibration and metallurgy labs and more.”
Reza’s passion lied in the non-destructive testing (NDT) aspect of his previous career, which allowed him to examine objects to ensure they were a reliable quality for customers. It was his experience with quality assurance tests that led Reza back to school.
Reza began to research his post-secondary options to concentrate on the non-destructive testing side of engineering. He came to the conclusion that the Quality Engineering Technician (NDE) program at Mohawk was the best avenue to continue his education.
“Mohawk College is one of the highest ranked colleges in Canada for post-secondary education, so I decided to study there,” he says.
Mohawk’s two-year, provincially accredited Quality Engineering Technician (NDE) diploma program equipped Reza with the proper blend of quality control, non-destructive evaluation and testing knowledge taught theoretically and applied in practical situations throughout the course.
The program features technique courses taught by the Canadian Institute for NonDestructive Evaluation (CINDE), which meet the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) training requirements. Students who meet eligibility requirements can apply for their NRCan written and practical certification exams, which is required for careers in this field.
Due to the nature of the course and when he started it, Reza completed his exams inperson during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 and 2021. In spite of this tough obstacle, Reza had nothing but positive remarks for the course delivery.
“Mohawk keeps their educational equipment up-to-date and it really helps students to learn better,” Reza says. “Students like myself are able to operate machinery easier after graduation because of this.”
Co-op placements were also paused during the pandemic, so Reza leveraged his capstone project in lieu of an internship, which he says helped him find his current job.
Reza says, “Although I have previous experience in this field, the skills I learned at Mohawk were completely different and helped me tremendously to find my current job and do it well.”
Today, Reza works as a Quality Inspector with Heddle Shipyards, one of Mohawk’s Premium Employers. He uses the skills and knowledge he learned at Mohawk in his daily work, working with various ships in order to get them sea ready.
“As each ship has lots of welding and repairs to be done, all of them need an inspection to verify the quality,” he says. “I can easily provide magnetic particle inspection and other types of non-destructive tests here.”
One of the non-destructive tests Reza mentions, magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is a process that temporarily magnetizes the object being tested in order to detect lack of continuity in surface metals, such as iron, nickel, cobalt and other alloys. Once these defects are detected, Reza ensures they are resolved.
Working with ships in the quality field gives Reza a fresh perspective on a career he has nearly 20 years’ previous experience in. While he welcomes this, he also simply enjoys clocking into work every morning.
Reza says, “I enjoy the company atmosphere that is so friendly and helpful. Knowing this job relates to my previous experience and academic knowledge is also humbling to me.”
For those looking to build a career in the engineering trade as Reza has, he has some key advice to achieve their goals.
“Study hard and participate in all classes and laboratories, because everything is beneficial to your future success.”
