North Island College is the very happy recipient of over $100,000 in equipment from Catalyst Paper, which will go a long way towards outfitting NIC’s Electronics and Industrial Automation laboratories with the latest technology.
Students will now have the opportunity to learn using state-of-the-art transmitters, valves, logic boards, gauges, calibrators and sensors, the very same equipment they will use upon moving into the workplace.
In addition, Catalyst Paper has established a scholarship for the most well-rounded student, as selected by faculty, graduating from the Electronics Core certificate program.
The recipient must be proceeding into the Industrial Automation diploma program and have excelled academically and with hands-on projects, as well as demonstrated leadership in the classroom.
The scholarship will be first awarded in 2012 and is valued at approximately $3,000, which will cover both tuition and textbooks. Both programs are offered at NIC’s Campbell River campus.
According to Don Gillingham, NIC’s Dean of Trades and Technology, students are the primary beneficiary of this exciting donation.
“We are extremely grateful to Catalyst Paper for their support of our current and future electronics students. The equipment donation will further enhance the training of our Industrial Automation students by enabling NIC instructors to create additional hands-on, real-world industrial control projects, while the scholarship to assist an Electronics Core graduate to advance to the second level of study is a clear indication of industry’s need for highly-skilled individuals to operate today’s technologically-advanced workplace.”
Rick Anglin, Catalyst’s Site Manager at Elk Falls, could not agree more.
“Our primary motivation for the equipment donation and in setting up the scholarship is to ensure that we continue to address the skilled trades shortage – that we grow our own workforce.”
In fact, it is Anglin’s hope that the scholarship recipients end up working on one of the Catalyst Paper mill sites upon graduation.
In expressing his appreciation, Cory Batch, NIC’s Electronics Instructor, noted that Catalyst has long been a strong supporter of North Island College and its students.
For more information about NIC’s Electronics and Industrial Automation programs, contact an NIC Student Advisor at 1-800-715-0914 or visit www.nic.bc.ca/trades.
