On November 22nd – 23rd, Holland College students gained the opportunity to participate in an ECO Canada Net Zero Bootcamp to help them prepare to enter the green workforce.
Over the course of two days, students gained foundational understanding, practical skills, and real-world industry connections in the areas of emissions reduction and net-zero practices. This experience provided students with valuable knowledge and skills, as well as the opportunity to network with local industry professionals.
With approximately 1,400,000 individuals directly or indirectly contributing to environmental protection, natural resource management, and sustainability across Canada, as well as an increasing demand for new entrants and upskilling of existing workers with a need for 500,000 more by 2033, this partnership is timely.
The Net Zero Bootcamp helped to equip students with the skills and connections to launch their careers in the green economy.
“Holland College is committed to ensuring that our students are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to enter the workforce,” said Holland College President Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald. “The Net Zero Bootcamp will give our students an edge when they enter the industry and will set them on the path to earning an EPt designation, a qualification that assures employers that they have skills in sustainable practices and economic growth.”
“As a marketing student with no prior experience in the energy sector but want to do something nice to the planet, the Net Zero Bootcamp provided me with fundamental knowledge about net zero, valuable insights into national and provincial energy industries, and potential career pathways. Thank you, ECO Canada, for coming to our school and hosting such a high-quality event!” Roxanne Huang, Marekting and Advertising Mangement.
“My experience with the Bootcamp was highly valuable as someone looking to apply my skills into a sector where more ‘meaningful’ or ‘purposeful’ work exists. Although I’m sure I just scratched the surface, learning the language and doing some calculations helped me feel much less intimidated about the idea of transferring my skills.” Andrew Jupina, Project Management Post-Graduate Certificate student at Holland College.
“It was inspiring to hear about their net-zero career paths across agriculture, commercial buildings, and energy efficiency. We see an abundance of net zero opportunities for PEI and it was great to talk to many students afterwards from multiple post-secondary programs who are interested in making net-zero/sustainability part of their careers!” – Sandra Moore, Director, PEI Cleantech Academy and Innovation Centre.
The Net-Zero Student Bootcamp is funded by the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and with support from the Government of Canada.
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that brings together Canada’s top companies and leading post-secondary institutions to tackle skills, talent, and economic challenges. Since 2015, BHER has connected, convened, and leveraged the power of its members to create opportunities for post-secondary students and workers, boost innovation, and drive collaboration. Learn more at www.bher.ca and see their work-integrated learning resources for ways to explore, invest in, and create quality WIL opportunities.
About ECO Canada:
ECO Canada is the steward of the Canadian environmental industry. From job creation and wage funding to training and labour market research – ECO Canada champions the end-to-end career of an environmental professional, aiming to promote and drive responsible, sustainable economic growth within the industry while ensuring that environmental care and best practices are priorities.
ECO Canada works alongside government, policymakers, academia, students, employers, professionals, industry, and international audiences to ensure that Canada is supported as a global leader in innovative workforce solutions and job creation. Over the past 30 years, ECO Canada has forged academic partnerships, tools, and research to train and certify environmental job seekers and help fill the labour market. Today, ECO Canada remains the go-to source in the environmental labour market; with research that provides unmatched statistics and analysis on the industry’s economic and labour trends that identify workforce gaps.
For more information on ECO Canada, contact:
Aaron Wilson
VP, Marketing & Sales
ECO Canada
media@staging.eco.ca
For more information about this release:
Greg Arsenault, Director, Marketing and Communications
Email: gjarsenault@hollandcollege.com
Tel: 902-566-9615
