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Companies that want to support post secondary education
and capitalize on youthful energy in their environmental
work should consider contacting Vermilion’s Lakeland
College, says the practicum coordinator for the Bachelor
of Applied Science (Environmental Management).
“We all need someone who can take us on and mentor us,” says
Brian Kennedy, P.Eng., P.Ag. And students in the program
can also be valuable additions to the engineering team – as
well as prospects for future employment, he said.
“Our objective is that the placements be challenging. These
are people who are just starting out in their careers. We
want them to learn what it means to go out in the field and
be the eyes and ears of the professional,” he said.
Graduates normally end up working in monitoring and enforcement,
or remediation and reclamation. They’re eligible for
membership in the Alberta Society of Engineering Technologists.
Eighteen students will be available for practicums beginning
in May. Each of the two practicums in the program is four
months long.
Graduates routinely praise the value of the practicum. Says
Marc Symbaluk, who graduated in 1998: “Aside from offering
a great opportunity to get down and dirty in the industry,
the practicum is a very valuable tool for students to utilize
in their career planning. It offers a learn-by-doing component
to the career program.”
“The experience gained through my work practicum has been
irreplaceable,” says Jason Zurkan, a 1999 grad. “I
credit a lot of my current success and knowledge to this
valuable experience, which I gained in my eights months of
hands-on exposure to the environmental sector.”
The practicum isn’t all about the field, however. Each
student must prepare a paper on an environmental topic, and
it normally covers some aspect of their practicum.
Says Mr. Kennedy: “This is a great chance for APEGGA
permit holders to mould the enthusiasm of students to fit
the jobs they need done and to fit the industry itself.”
Brian Kennedy, P.Eng., P.Ag.
780-853-8551
brian.kennedy@lakelandc.ab.ca
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