Success for College Will Benefit Local Students, Businesses and Community
Kitchener, ON, November 29 -- Conestoga College has added two more applied degrees to its program roster, becoming one of only three colleges in the province to receive approval for the maximum number of applied degrees per college in both assessment rounds.
Announced today in London by Dianne Cunningham, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, two Conestoga College engineering technology programs were recommended for applied degree status by the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB). The PEQAB assesses programs submitted for applied degree standing against a set of required criteria. Both of Conestoga's submissions, Architecture - Project and Facility Management and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies - Wood and Composite Products, were approved. Both will result in the granting of the degree Bachelor of Applied Technology.
"The opportunities for local youth to access applied degree programs have just expanded, which is excellent news for students, businesses and the community at large," says John Tibbits, Conestoga College president. "The applied degree designation reflects the exceptional strength and quality of our programs and the stature of Conestoga as a whole."
Available beginning in September 2003 at the Doon campus in Kitchener, both new offerings will be full-time, four-year programs of study with significant project-based, co-operative education components. The initial enrolment for each will be 30, with plans to raise admissions to 50 students per year in each program by the fifth year of operation.
Both programs are the result of extensive co-operation and consultation with business and industry, ensuring course content is relevant and responds to current and emerging industry needs.
"With our corporate partners, we strive to develop and deliver high-quality programs which not only give students the skills and competencies they need to meet the ever-changing demands of the workplace, but also provide business and industry with the types of skilled employees they require to remain competitive. The partners' involvement in these initiatives as well as their support for our applied degree applications has been instrumental to our success," says Tibbits.
Bachelor of Applied Technology in Architecture - Project and Facility Management will offer studies of the built environment with emphasis on project and facility management. Integrating the areas of architectural design, maintenance and management, core studies in the program will include architecture, engineering, construction, facility management, and related business and liberal arts studies.
Bachelor of Applied Technology in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies -Wood and Composite Products will offer studies related to the wood products industry with a focus on manufacturing technologies, processes and management. Major areas of concentration will include materials, methods, engineering processes and design principles, plus related business and liberal arts studies. The program is unique in Canada and gives students the opportunity to learn at the world-class Woodworking Centre of Ontario, located at Conestoga's Doon campus.
This announcement brings the total of applied degrees at the College to four, building on the College's successful application for its first two Bachelor of Applied Technology programs, in Integrated Advanced Manufacturing Technologies and in Integrated Telecommunication and Computer Technologies, in March 2002.
Through certificate, diploma and applied degree programs, as well as continuing education, training and development, apprenticeship and preparatory courses, the College offers a wide spectrum of learning opportunities for youth and adults in the local area. To continue to enhance this spectrum, President Tibbits adds that the College will develop additional applied degree programs and is seeking a polytechnic designation, which would allow up to 15 per cent of the Colleges offerings to be degree programs.
"For this region to continue to be an economic driver, we must continue to work together to develop highly skilled employees, ones who can contribute positively and significantly to the economy. The value the College can and does provide to the local area on this level is significant, and through continued co-operation and focus, will only increase," President Tibbits concludes.
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