College addresses worker shortages.Virtually any industry in need of skilled tradespeople trades·peo·ple pl.n. 1. People engaged in retail trade. 2. Skilled workers. Noun 1. tradespeople - people engaged in trade for mechanical and maintenance operations stands to benefit from a new co-operative program being added to Thunder Bay's Confederation College Confederation College is a provincially funded community college located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1967, and has area campuses in Dryden, ON, Fort Frances, ON, Geraldton, ON, Kenora, ON, Marathon, ON and Sioux Lookout, ON. . The two-year mechanical engineering technician Description An engineering technician is a person who has relatively practical understanding of the general theoretical principles of the specific branch of engineering in which they work. Engineering technicians solve technical problems. co operative program will address a looming shortage of workers, particularly millwrights, machinists and steam-fitters in Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron (including Georgian Bay), the French River and Lake Nipissing. Northern Ontario has a land area of 802,000 km² (310,000 mi²) and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it , says Morris Uremovich, program chair. In particular, the program will produce skilled employees for the pulp and paper industry The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American (United States, Canada), northern European (Finland, Sweden) and East Asian countries (such as Japan). Australasia and Latin America also have significant pulp and paper industries. , which played a big role in getting the program added to the college. "We saw there was a need in the community" for skilled workers at the technician level, Uremovich says. "Mainly our focus is the pulp and paper industry because when they were looking at their demographics, they were seeing a big need for technical graduates. The program was designed specifically to address the needs of Northern Ontario industries, Uremovich says. With the assistance of 15 forest -products companies located throughout northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. , the school developed a course/of study that will meet the highly technical and skilled educational training needs of the forest products manufacturing sector. Forest companies have raised the academic requirements for people applying for millwright mill·wright n. One that designs, builds, or repairs mills or mill machinery. Noun 1. millwright - a workman who designs or erects mills and milling machinery , machinist and steamfitter steam·fit·ter n. One who installs and repairs heating, ventilating, refrigerating, and air-conditioning systems. steam jobs, Uremovich says. But graduates of the mechanical engineering technician program will be pre pared to meet the growing needs of the industry, and will therefore be ready to write the exam for the "basic level" of those three mechanical trades as soon as they complete the program, as opposed to having to go through an apprenticeship. The program is unique, Uremovich notes. Mohawk College in Hamilton is the only other college in Ontario to offer a slightly similar program. The level of study provided at the technician level means graduates will be well-poised to meet the growing and constantly changing technological challenges of all organizations, Uremovich says. The program also provides for a laddering process to allow graduates an avenue to continue their studies at the technology level or to eventually move on to university degree programs. A highlight of the new program is its eight-month co operative work component. With two paid on-the-job training sessions, students will be better prepared to pursue a career in a mechanical trade immediately upon graduation. The 24 promised co-operative spots will accommodate each student in the course, Uremovich says. Over time the program will expand to include other industries and other co-operative spots will be created. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion