With more than 100,000 alumni, the College of New Caledonia (CNC) has educated the workforces of northern B.C. and beyond.
For the 2018-19 academic year, CNC served approximately 5,300 students across all six of its campuses, servicing a region roughly equal to 12 per cent of the province.
Students can look forward to the addition of hundreds of tech-related seats in engineering coming to Prince George, providing more educational and training opportunities needed for 21st century jobs.
CNC received $250,000 in 2017-18 to develop a new Civil Engineering Technologist program from the provincial government’s Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.
The program will support a total of 50 spaces by 2021-22, and is expected to produce 25 graduates annually by 2022.
The provincial funding is a historic investment for residents of northern British Columbia, who were previously unable to complete their entire undergraduate engineering program in their region.
In northern B.C., there is high demand from industry for civil engineering technologists. Additionally, graduates may continue their education and complete a bridging program leading to a university degree in engineering.
Civil engineering technology involves the planning, design and construction of roads, bridges, subdivisions, buildings, municipal services, and heavy infrastructure. Civil engineering technologists work in a variety of environments, including construction, forestry, mining, oil and gas, and transportation.
They are an essential member of the engineering team who split their time between office and fieldwork, and, when on-site, may work in urban, rural, and remote settings.
Graduates from the Civil Engineering Technology program will be qualified for careers in government departments, consulting firms and construction companies in positions such as designers, estimators, testers, surveyors inspectors, supervisors, technical writers, and project managers.
“The Civil Engineering Technology program is opening doors of opportunity to students in the north who want to pursue a great career in the rapidly growing technology sector,” says Frank Rossi, CNC’s Dean of School of Trades & Technologies. “We know that when we train students in the north, they stay in the north.”
“This will be the first engineering technologist program in B.C. to be offered north of Kamloops,” says CNC Vice President Academic, Dr. Chad Thompson. “This program will play a crucial role in filling the talent gap for technologist jobs in the north.”
For more information about CNC and its programs, including the new The Civil Engineering Technology program, visit cnc.bc.ca.
