Conestoga news

January 22, 2008 10:01 AM

Architecture-Construction Students, Employers Showcase Careers and Projects January 29

One of the great strengths of a Conestoga education is the strong link between program curriculum and the related working environment, which establishes relevance to current and future career realities in many sectors of the economy.

Program Advisory Committees (PACs) forge and maintain these links. PACs are volunteer groups of professional practitioners who advise the College on matters as diverse as curriculum, technological developments, career profiles and opportunities, and sectoral concerns in the areas related to the appropriate programs of instruction.

Often, Conestoga’s PACs will sponsor and conduct student-employer forums in the interest of familiarizing employers with student skills and students with employment opportunities and professional options. These networking activities are productive for both sides.

On Tuesday, January 29 the Architecture - Construction Engineering Technology PAC is presenting Network 2008, a student-employer interchange of information and displays, at the Blue Room of Conestoga’s Doon campus in Kitchener from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Participating will be program students, especially final-year student teams displaying their comprehensive project, plus faculty and PAC members, employer representatives and families/friends of the student participants. The event’s aim is threefold: to inform industry about this program, to spread knowledge of the program to an even larger professional audience and to inform students about what the industry offers.

Architecture - Construction Engineering Technology is a three-year program. It has an enrolment of more than 200 students and for the past several years has seen a graduate employment rate of 100 per cent. Graduates go on to careers in the private and public sectors in all aspects of building engineering, from the technical to the managerial. Graduates also receive technical standing from organizations such as the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, and the Ontario Building Officials Association.

The first part of Network 2008 will feature displays and presentations to industry by final-year student teams. The comprehensive project is the full design, including documentation and models, for a high-rise residence for seniors.

The second portion of the evening reverses roles - students visit and obtain information from industrial representatives staffing displays. Among the many firms featured will be Melloul-Blamey Construction, Habitat for Humanity, The Walter Fedy Partnership, Ball Construction Inc., Vanbots Construction Corporation, Roof Greening Systems Inc., Nedlaw Roofing Ltd., GA Masonry, ACL Steel Ltd., the Grand Valley Construction Association and the City of Kitchener’s Building Department.

At the end of the event, the industry representatives in attendance will conduct a ballot to select the student team judged to have the best documentation and presentation of the final-year project. The prize is $250.

CONTACT: Peter Scott, 519-748-5220, ext. 3844, pscott@conestogac.on.ca