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Sault College plans water technician program

Subject to provincial approval, Sault College is planning to add a two-year water technician program next year.
WaterDrip

Subject to provincial approval, Sault College is planning to add a two-year water technician program next year.

The following is the full text of a news release issued by the college:

********************************************************************* Board OKs New Water Technician Program Sault College could be offering a new environmental technician – water program by next fall. The program would focus on the treatment and supply of safe drinking water and the processing of wastewater for return to the natural environment.

At their monthly meeting last evening, the Sault College Board of Governors gave the go-ahead to a staff proposal for the two-year program. The proposal now goes to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities for the final approval.

The program evolves from the college’s existing environmental engineering technician program and includes some curriculum changes.

Timing favours introduction of the new program. Ontario’s changing regulatory environment and an increasing number of operator retirements during the next few years should mean strong employment prospects for graduates.

After their first year, environmental technician – water students would gain operator-in-training certification. It is the entry-level requirement to work in Ontario plants.

The board meeting also included a report from staff involved in the Upper Lakes Environmental Research Network (ULERN) headquartered at Sault College.

Since its inception in 1997, ULERN has emerged as a national leader in applied research and innovation.

During the past three years, the organization has secured $1,532,535 in Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) funding.

The Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) has matched this support dollar for dollar.

Factoring in leveraged funds, the total ULERN research investment amounts to just under $9.8 million. Research projects build on college and local expertise in natural resource management, analytical chemistry, and GIS and remote sensing.

Three major ULERN projects and 27 subprojects have created 15 formal research partnerships involving 84 researchers. The ventures have also resulted in 60 new jobs.

Further, 590 Sault College and university students have participated in the research projects.

They provide opportunities to train on leading-edge equipment and methodologies.


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David Helwig

About the Author: David Helwig

David Helwig's journalism career spans seven decades beginning in the 1960s. His work has been recognized with national and international awards.
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