Peek inside Santa's workshop #HereAtSAIT
With the challenges of operating efficiently in the North Pole, Santa is on the lookout for a place to help improve his workshop.
With skills and expertise in trade, tech, hospitality, health and business, we have the ticket #HereatSAIT to ensure holiday cheer for Santa and his team of hard-working elves.
From building toys, ensuring a smooth delivery, sparking joy in children’s lives on Christmas morning and providing a healthy work-life balance to the elves, we broke down Santa’s workshop according to our programs and expertise.
The toys builders
SAIT has the tools and know-how for elves to build, test and package the many toys on kids’ wish lists.
First in line are busy Machinists, who print thousands of colourful puzzle pieces ready to be packaged and activate young minds.
In another part of the workshop, you’ll find our Carpenters building wooden train tracks to curve around rooms and mesmerize even the smallest Conductors.
Protective eyewear required as Non-Destructive Testing experts check baseball bats for cracks or weaknesses in the metal to ensure budding athletes are equipped to hit home runs on their slo-pitch teams.
Meanwhile, to keep Santa’s systems secure from Krampus, the Cyber Security for Control Systems technicians keep an eye the workshop’s digital processes —with the holidays around the corner, there’s no time for hacking or interruption in the assembly line.
Security measures implemented by the Information Systems Security Specialists encrypt names on the lengthy database to safeguard identities and important data revealing chimney locations. Reminders to the working elves will ensure they do not click links sent from unofficial addresses posing as “Santa.”
The guardians of the nice or naughty list
Santa’s a busy guy. Good planning is essential to his operation. To help things run smoothly, the Information and Records Management team organize and manage the naughty or nice list so Santa never has to check it thrice.
Using that naughty or nice list and wish lists to Santa, the Supply Chain Management folks predict demand and provide enough UNO and Monopoly sets for all.
Workforce well-being
There are major perks to being a workshop employee.
Even during this busy time of year, the Legal Assistants meet with Santa’s team and go over benefits outlined in employment contracts, so the elves know Santa takes their rights and hard-earned self-care seriously.
There’s also an amazing workplace culture. Fitness instructors at the School of Health and Public Safety will choreograph their highly anticipated (and much-needed) Zumba lunch break for the teams — perchance to Mariah Carey’s iconic “All I want for Christmas is You.”
Because we all need a sweet treat from time to time, the Baking and Pastry Arts team will be making rounds to provide workers with enough shortbread to fuel the work ahead, while the Culinary Arts group will source out the highest quality carrots for Dasher, Dancer and the rest of the reindeer. As it is the season for jolly, the Dental Assisting Clinic provides sealant service to prevent tooth decay from a higher than normal cookie consumption, so grins stretch wider than ever.
Life is short – eat dessert first
With the help of SAIT culinary instructors, we’ve put together budget-friendly recipes and instructional videos to make the most out of your grocery bill.
The sleigh specialists
All the workshop’s brilliant efforts would be for naught if transportation troubles occurred aboard Santa’s sleigh.
Over at the Centre for Innovation and Research in Advanced Manufacturing and Materials, highly specialized sleigh materials (developed in partnership with industry experts) ensure Santa’s aerial vehicle glides smoothly on the snow, with a lightness and shape designed to improve aerodynamic capabilities.
To look fly in the sky, Auto Body Technicians are working on the sleigh’s sleek finish — and, of course, a realignment to adjust for last year’s wear and tear.
Applied Geographic Information Systems experts will map the most efficient worldwide route for Santa’s navigation system, so Rudolph’s bright nose never gets lost.
Finally, right before take-off on Christmas Eve, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Technology crew will de-ice the sleigh and double-check the fuel supply, guaranteeing a smooth departure down Heritage Hall’s holiday runway, and a safe return after a job well done.
Thanks to SAIT, my list was well-organized, the toys were built to last and my globetrotting flight was as smooth as one hopes for. Bringing the workshop to SAIT provided my team with the expertise and training to ensure the highest quality of timeless holiday cheer, the kind young and old around the world know and love.
Skills suitable for Santa’s workshop, designed for the real-world
A little imagination is sometimes all you need to figure out your career path forward.
Find your place at SAIT
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
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.