Linking Academia to Industry. Presented by: Gary Pritchard, Aquatic Biologist/Faculty of Seneca College

Transcription

1 Linking Academia to Industry Presented by: Gary Pritchard, Aquatic Biologist/Faculty of Seneca College

2 What Industry is Saying Strong interest in ecology and wanting to further field skills Ability to work with others, good crew member Good communication and writing skills, attention to detail Confidence in outdoor skills, ability to work in a variety of weather conditions ID skills Liaison with public and private sector clients Adherence to appropriate corporate and site specific health and safety plans and procedures Contribution to written reports and proposal preparation Ability to travel and drivers license a must

3 What the Sector is Saying 2012 Environmental Protection 38% waste management, site assessment and reclamation, environmental health and safety, pollution control, and air and water quality Resource Conservation 21% fisheries and wildlife management, organic and sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry, land management, water and soil conservation, storm water management, water efficient products for natural resource management, and other types of natural resource conservation

4 What needs to happen! Industry/Sector needs to connect to the world of Academia Use the colleges of Ontario to act as a screening tool or as a way to deliver and test new models/protocols Have academia act as a pair of eyes of the development and implantation/delivery of training materials/protocols/modules Academia can provide training modules for a students with a realistic learning approach/environment to sector/industry standards thus resulting in a screening tool prior to the possibility of employment Sector/Industry could use Academia/Colleges as a tool to aid in the collection of long term data sets/research initiatives (collective co op)

5 The ESM Program Design/Model Experiential learning model with a focus on hands on learning (50/50, 1 hour in class/ 1 hour hands on) 16 consecutive months four season model Utilization of two campuses Newnham and King (the living lab) Educate the importance of Health and safety and how it applies to all sectors Industry certifications and protocols, industry relationships Equal development of soft and hard skills Collective co op opportunities Outdoor skills development (base camp operation/survival skills/fundaments) Collection, management, analysis and utilization of data

6 Two Tier Learning Model Tier One mandatory for all students (in ESM) Tier Two additional opportunities for students to receive industry certification in a particular field or area of study (e.g., aquatics or terrestrial protocols) this allows the student to potentially pick a specialty and further develop their skills in that area.

7 Two Tier Learning Tier One (Mandatory) (8certs) Ecological Methods OSAP Theory & Applied Tier Two (Optional) (8 certs) OSAP Crew Member Certification Fish ID Level I Certification Fish ID Level 2 Certification Electrofishing Certification GPS Level I Certification Bear Aware Pleasure Boat Operators Card WHMIS OBBN Certification First Nation Cultural Awareness Training GPS Level II Instructors Ecological Methods ELC ELC Certification Theory and Applied Ecological Methods OWES OWES Certification Wilderness safety awareness / Standard First Aid Wilderness First Aid Certification

8 Collective Co op Work experience gained throughout the program: assist biologists in the field/network on both ends monitor on large scale projects contribute to on going research in the fields of climate change, invasive species, and habitat restoration Industry partners include: Ministry of Natural Resources University of Toronto First Nations Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory Friends of the Oak Ridges Moraine Rouge Park Tim Horton s Foundation Humber Watershed Alliance

9 Collective Co op Frog Inventory Surveys and Monitoring Breeding Bird Surveys and Monitoring Vegetation Surveys and Monitoring Aquatic Surveys OSAP Water Quality Surveys Constructed Wetland Monitoring Monarch International Monitoring Bird Box Monitoring Invasive Species Survey and Monitoring

10 Questions?????