Parkland College officially signed two agreements Thursday that will help prepare students to work in Saskatchewan’s mining industry. Parkland College will join forces with Carlton Trail College and International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII) on the multi-year projects.
The first project funded by IMII is an Introduction to Mining course. Parkland and Carlton Trail will work together with a number of potash mines within their respective regions to develop an Aboriginal workforce for the mines and processing facilities. The Introduction to Mining course will train the students for a number of specific entry-level positions while preparing them for further education in occupations related to the minerals industry.
Meanwhile, Parkland College will also deliver a training course designed for electricians. Funding from IMII will bring SIAST’s Electrician Applied Certificate Enhanced program to the College’s industrial campus in Esterhazy. This program will be delivered over several years in order to support a sustainable number of entry-level electrician apprentices in the region.
“We serve the community and deliver in-demand programs to produce the skilled graduates that business and industry need,” said Parkland College President Dr. Fay Myers. “We are eager to begin these partnerships so we can contribute to the growth and prosperity of the Parkland Region.”
“Partnerships such as this allow us to work collaboratively with business and industry to provide greater opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Ivan Yackel, President and CEO of Carlton Trail College.
“IMII is an industry–government–post-secondary education partnership providing leadership to inform, facilitate, coordinate, and financially support industry-driven skills and research capacity that will enhance the growth and global competitiveness of Saskatchewan’s minerals industry through collaboration,” said Engin Özberk, Executive Director & Senior Technical Advisor at IMII. “What we are celebrating at Parkland College and Carlton Trail College today is one of the early accomplishments of this collaborative effort.”
These agreements are among eight projects being rolled out by IMII with a focus on safety, environment, and developing specialized training for the mining industry. IMII is providing over $822,000 in funding for this pair of education and training projects.
About Parkland College:
Since its inception in 1973, Parkland College has worked to expand the philosophy of life-long learning in East Central Saskatchewan. Among the seven basic principles upon which the community college system was founded is the idea that programs are to be developed in response to the needs of the community. Today, Parkland College offers a broad spectrum of educational services from trades training and high school upgrading to the province’s most diverse off-campus university offerings.
About Carlton Trail College:
Carlton Trail College serves the career, employment, training and educational needs of students, business and industry in east central Saskatchewan. With offices in Humboldt, Watrous, Wynyard and Southey and classrooms throughout the region, Carlton Trail College provides exceptional education and training opportunities which create important academic, social, and economic advantages for students and the businesses that employ Carlton Trail students.
About International Minerals Innovation Institute:
International Minerals Innovation Institute, a unique industry–government–post-secondary education partnership jointly funded by industry and government, is a catalyst to developing industry-driven education and training programs to address labour force needs in the sector and conducts industry-driven research and development to address workplace health and safety, environmental sustainability, social license, policy research, exploration, mining, processing and economics of commodities to ensure the continued growth of the industry.
IMII’s current activities and future plans are being driven by industry priorities. Through the Board of Directors and separate panels for both education and training and research and development, collaboration occurs amongst industry, government and post-secondary education institutions to clearly define the need, solution, implementation plan and outcomes together.
Here is a link to CTV’s brief story about the agreement signings:
http://regina.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=407296&binId=1.1165866&playlistPageNum=1
For more information contact:
Brendan Wagner
Communications Officer
Parkland College
Phone: 306.728.6595
Email: [email protected]
www.parklandcollege.sk.ca
