Prince George B.C. – Taking a page from the Northern Medical program which was built on the premise  that if you train doctors in the north, those doctors would practice in the north, engineers are pushing for something similar.

 

Called ATEEC (Applied Technology and Engineering Education Consortium) it hired a consultant to write a report on the state of the post secondary education in the north, focusing on Technology and Engineering, because local engineering companies and other organizations are having difficulty recruiting and retaining engineers. "It means some projects have been delayed or cancelled" says Koehler.

 

He says  last year  at this time, the north was short  about 800 engineers and technologists.

 

The research indicates those who have graduated with engineering degrees they stay within 100 miles of the schools  they attended.

 

So far, ATEEC has raised $100 thousand dollars for the project, but needs an extra $18 thousand to pay the bill for the consultant's report. Chair of the Consortium, Albert Koehler,  says he believes its important for the City to take part “The work of the consortium will benefit the whole region for years to come” says Koehler.

 

Councilor Brian Skakun says this is another example of  offloading by other levels of government. He says the other two levels of government should be stepping forward to fund this initiative.

 

Koehler says ATEEC is currently in discussions with UNBC on how to have engineering courses added to the University's  list of programs. 

 

Councillor Brian Skakun  says  he can't support this because the Province should be paying for it.  Mayor Rogers says he needs a great deal more information , he wants to see a budget,  and wants to be sure the City isn't being asked to pay for some work  that is already done.  "I want to be cautious on how we move forward, but we are in some significant budget challenges."

 

The item has been deferred to budget discussions.