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CBC Radio interview “Women of Power… careers in electric industry”

WPD Update: CBC Radio interviewed Michelle Branigan from Electricity HR Canada about “Women of Power… careers in electric industry”. A huge thank you to Leacross Foundation, Hydro One and Algonquin College’s Workforce and Personal Development for the success of the Women into Electrical Engineering Technology (WEET) Program.
Without these great partnerships, successful programs such as WEET would be difficult to execute. WPD continues to develop strong partnerships to better prepare students in achieving their ultimate career goal.
Please click here to listen to the interview with CBC Radio.

Kayla O’Brien featured in the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s new video series

Click on this link to view a video featuring Kayla O’Brien, a former Sheet Metal Worker Apprenticeship student and employee of the College. Kayla discusses her life in the Sheet Metal trade and what makes working in Sheet Metal a fantastic career for her. If you are inspired by this video and want to learn more about the Sheet Metal Worker Apprenticeship program click here for a direct link to the program’s webpage.

WEET Program Electrifies at Awards Show of National Not-for-Profit

Innovation in HR Practices/Educational category from Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC).

 

Algonquin College’s Women Into Electrical Engineering Technology program takes home the inaugural top prize for the Innovation in HR Practices/Educational category from Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC).

It’s like all of a sudden, the lights came on – here’s a bold new way to get women into the electrical trades.

A two-year intensive program launched this year by Algonquin College which connects women with degrees with hands-on training and an internship in the electrical industry has received the inaugural top prize for Innovation in the HR Practices/Educational category from the Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC).

“The WEET program helps to meet a shortage in the electrical skilled trades industry by creating educational pathways to not only encourage women to seek employment in the electrical trades, but to give them the hands-on skills that they need to succeed,” explains Denyce Diakun, Director, Workforce and Personal Development at Algonquin College. “As the Construction Sector Council noted in their 2010 report, the State of Women in Construction in Canada, efforts to boost the participation of women in construction careers depend on effective career and educational pathways. At Algonquin College, we have connected women seeking a new career opportunity with the chance to try something they would not have considered before, and our economy benefits as a result.”

“This award is presented to an educational institution for its continued commitment to leadership excellence,” according to EHRC’s award criteria. “Above all, they have put in place curriculum dedicated for training that addresses workforce supply needs in the electricity industry.”

22 women enrolled in the first ever offering of the WEET program this year, while the traditional Electrical Engineering Technology three-year program typically attracts fewer than 10 women per year at Algonquin College.

The WEET program was made possible through the support of the Leacross Foundation and Hydro One.

 

For more information, please contact:

Phil Gaudreau
Communications Officer, Algonquin College
613-220-7796
Email: gaudrep@algonquincollege.com

UPDATE 2 – ECHO House prepped for Solar Decathlon start

 

 

ECHO house ECHO house

With the start of the Solar Decathlon on October 3rd students and faculty from Team ECHO worked feverishly to complete the reconstruction of the ECHO house. Below is an update from the competition site provided by Rick Briginshaw.

“Hi Everyone,

It has been extremely busy here over the last three days, as we worked toward the completion deadline of today (Oct. 1st) at noon. Very glad to report that we completed our construction on time, passed all of our inspections, systems are working, and the house looks great!

Sept. 28 – Construction of our exterior decking, installation of the PV panels, solar thermal panels, and roofing.

Sept. 29 – Received our first allotment of water, charged up the water and electrical systems, both passed inspections. The PV array was producing 6 kwh in the late afternoon, and had produced about 90 kw through the day. More work on exterior decking, ramps and railings. Interior painting, and starting to set up furniture in the bedrooms. Work was done on thecontrol hardware and software for the mechanical and electrical systems.

Sept. 30 – Big push to complete as much as possible today, with the deadline looming the next day at noon. Everyone worked until the 2:00 a.m. cutoff. Window glass finally arrived after an error by the supplier, and was installed. Finishing of ramps and railings, enclosing the water tanks to improve appearance, landscaping, more interior painting, setting up furniture in the main living area, fine tuning the control system and wireless application. Final testing of systems.

Oct. 1 – Finishing various odds and ends, and complete cleanup of the site.

The students have all done an amazing job and should be proud of their accomplishment. At any given time we had up to 20 students of various backgrounds working side by side – college and university alike.

 

Thanks also go out to professor Andy Nita, who spent several days working with the students on the electrical system; professor Greg Kenny, who provided construction expertise for three solid days; and professors Mark Bell and Lachlan Oddie, who arrived late Sunday were a big help with the final push at the end.

Looking ahead, tomorrow is media preview day and opening reception. The site officially opens to the public on Thursday, Oct. 3rd.”

 

Congratulations to TEAM ECHO and good luck at the competition!