4A ABSA Accepted Power Engineering Course
4th Class – Part A Power Engineering course
Our ABSA-Accepted 4A Power Engineering course is designed to fully prepare you for your provincial certification exam using the standardized SOPEEC syllabus. With a self-paced format, structured quizzes, unit tests, and a final exam, you’ll build a strong foundation in key concepts while tracking your progress. Our focused study materials, realistic practice exams, and unlimited 1-on-1 tutor support ensure you’re learning exactly what you need. This course aligns with Alberta’s Boiler Safety Authority, providing ABSA exam eligibility.
The Power Engineering Fourth Class Continuing Education courses are designed to help students master the material and confidently prepare for the ABSA Fourth Class Parts A & B standardized certification exams.
Completion of the 4A ABSA Accepted Course will provide the student with eligibility to sit for the ABSA 4A provincial exam
Our 4th Class Part A does not have Prerequisites. Â
It is recommended that students have a minimum of Grade 11 Math, Physics, and English.
This 4A covers the following topics. Each unit has learning materials, quizzes, and a unit quiz and there is a final exam (that must be proctored) at the end of the course.
Unit One – Mechanics
Basic Mechanics; Forces & Moments; Simple Machines; Scalars & Vectors; Velocity & Acceleration; Energy, Force, Power, Pressure & Work; Friction; Stress & Strain; Power Transmission
Students must understand the fundamentals of mechanics: how forces act, how machines provide advantage, and how motion is described. They should be able to calculate equilibrium, speed, work, energy, and power, while also understanding friction, material stresses, and common power transmission systems.
Unit Two – Elementary Principles
Chemistry & Matter; Thermodynamics; Heat Transfer; Steam Thermodynamics
Students need a working knowledge of chemistry basics, the laws of thermodynamics, and how heat moves by conduction, convection, and radiation. They must also understand how steam behaves under changing temperature and pressure.
Unit Three – Codes
Codes Introduction; Jurisdictional Legislation; Codes & Standards
Students must grasp the role of laws, codes, and standards in safe plant operation, especially in relation to boilers, pressure vessels, and piping. This includes knowing why regulations exist and how they protect people and equipment.
Unit Four – Plant Safety
Plant Safety Introduction; Safety Programs; Material Handling; Fire Safety; Fire Extinguishing
Students should know how safety is managed in industrial plants, including formal programs, handling hazardous materials, fire prevention, and the use of extinguishing methods.
Unit Five – Environment
Environment Introduction; Emissions Gas & Noise; Liquids & Solids
Students must learn how plant operations impact the environment through gas, noise, liquid, and solid emissions, and understand mitigation and compliance strategies.
Unit Six – Welding
Welding Materials; Welding Introduction; Weld Inspection
Students should understand basic engineering materials, how welding is performed, and the inspection/testing processes that ensure weld quality and safety.
Unit Seven – Plant Piping
Piping Systems; Valves
Students must become familiar with common piping systems, fittings, drainage devices, and the major valve types used in boilers and industrial plants.
Unit Eight – Electricity
Basic Electricity; Magnetism; Metering Devices; Generators & Motors; Transformers; Circuits
Students should understand electrical fundamentals, AC/DC principles, magnetism, and how electricity is generated, transformed, measured, and safely distributed.
Unit Nine – Instrumentation
Instrumentation Introduction; Process Measurement; Control Components; Programmable Controllers; Computer Applications; Electrical Control Systems
Students must know the role of instrumentation in plants, including pressure, flow, and temperature measurement devices, as well as controllers, actuators, and electronic/electrical control systems.
Unit Ten – Communication
Sketching; Diagrams & Drawings; Plant Communication
Students must be able to create and interpret sketches, line diagrams, and schematics, and use plant communication systems effectively.
Unit Eleven – Boiler Design
Boiler Design Introduction; Firetube; Watertube; Electric; Special Boilers; Boiler Differences
Students need to understand how boilers are designed, including the construction of firetube, watertube, and electric boilers, along with heating-plant specific designs and key code differences (ASME Section I vs. IV).
Unit Twelve – Boiler Systems
Combustion; Fuel Delivery; Draft; Feedwater; Blowdown; Cleaning
Students must know how boilers operate as a system: combustion fundamentals, fuel handling, draft systems, feedwater supply, blowdown procedures, and boiler cleaning methods.
Potential students are required to submit an application. Upon acceptance tuition is due. Once tuition is paid student’s will receive an email with further instructions on when and how they will access their course, along with a copy of our student manual.
The cost of our 4A Power Engineering Course is $850 plus GST. Textbooks and ABSA examination fees are not included in the tuition.
The textbook for PE4A course will be PanGlobal’s Fourth Class Power Engineering Part A, Edition 3.0 or newer. Used textbooks are permitted. It is recommended to have Academic Supplement 2.0, Jurisdictional Safety Codes Act and CSA Codes Extract (Optional)
This course offers the option to purchase one, non-refundable course extension for $150.00+gst, which gives you 3 additional months to complete the course. Students have 3 attempts to pass unit quizzes, if failed 3 times they will need to contact administration to pay a fee to rewrite and gain access to the test again.
The passing grade for the Final Exam is 65%. This exam is written in person with a proctor. For a $100.00+gst fee, the student is allowed to rewrite the Final Exam after a period of 21 days. A rewrite is permitted until the student obtains a passing grade.
Students have 6 months to complete the course. A passing overall grade of 65% is required. Quizzes are 20% of the final mark, unit tests are 30% and final exams are 50% of the final mark.
Alberta Boiler Safety Association examinations are not included in this course. Students must apply to ABSA in order to write the interprovincial examinations.
Register For Our Next Cohort
Registration closes on the last day of each month. Courses start on the 1st business day of every month. Â
This course is officially accepted by ABSA (Alberta Boilers Safety Association) and provides the eligibility you need to sit for the Alberta 4A Power Engineer’s exam. It follows a structured, step-by-step progression, as required under Alberta’s regulations.
If you have already completed an ABSA-accepted course or are writing exams outside Alberta, you do not need this version. Instead, you may prefer our 4A Tutorial Course, which covers the same material with greater flexibility.
