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Weekly UpdatesWhen the physical strain of his job became too much to bear after more than two decades in the construction industry, Richard Miller saw the writing on the drywall.
After setting aside a business he ran for 12 years, Miller is now in the second year of Cambrian College's energy systems technology program.
These days, he foresees a future where he may act as a consultant on energy efficiency for architectural firms or site management rather than a physical labourer in the construction industry where he spent more than two decades.
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"The concept of efficiency has always been a passion of mine," says Miller.
"Now I'll get to contribute to building better houses, though it's not just about helping people save money, but about getting to do something that actually has an impact on the environment and the world around us."
It's this kind of shift among young and old alike that Cambrian is banking on through its wave of new "green" academic opportunities, which have seen new and enhanced programs.
A new one-year environmental monitoring graduate certificate program which will be introduced in September 2009 has been in demand for some time, says coordinator Josef Hamr, who heads up the Northern Environmental Heritage Institute at Cambrian.
Initially, things began as a three-year ecosystem restoration program, but the advisory committee--made up of representatives from Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel, Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources--disagreed in favor of a one-year practical, applied program.
"They said that people come out of university with degrees in something like biology or environmental or earth science and they have good theoretical knowledge of the subject, but you send them out in the field and they don't know the bare minimum," says Hamr.
The program instructs students on sampling air and water, data interpretations and technical reports and legislation for mining and forestry sectors.
Positive response from Vale Inco and Golder Associates means the college is on the right track.
"I was told by one company that if we turned out 20 graduates every year, there would be jobs for all of them, so there definitely seems to be a demand."
Given the technical nature of the program, Hamr is hoping to attract university science graduates. However, the college's own civil, chemical, geological engineering and energy systems technology programs can also act as prerequisites.
The latter program has also grown, recently adding a national GeoExchange certification to its standard program. This will allow graduates to earn credentials to work with geothermal devices anywhere in Canada.
While the considerable cost of installing geothermal devices can act as a stumbling block for many, program coordinator Les Lisk says the move will become more popular as people understand the benefits.
While a geothermal device may cost $20,000 to install, it can provide as much as a 12 per cent return, and can reduce a $6,000 annual energy bill to $2,000. This stands in contrast to many large investments with similar costs but no return, like cars, says Lisk.
The addition of the GeoExchange certification component will also help students to understand how to combine geothermal and solar technologies to achieve greater energy efficiencies in housing.
"People need a different way of looking at energy and the payback period."
LES LISK, COORDINATOR, ENERGY SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR
By NICK STEWART
Northern Ontario Business
www.cambriancollege.ca
www.cambriancollege.ca/_Applied_research/NEHI
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