(The following story appeared in Northern Ontario Business website on November 13.)
SUDBURY, Ont. — Top brass from Canadian National Railway were at Sault College Nov. 7 to officially announce their formal partnership with the post-secondary institute in launching a signals and communications maintainer/wireman mechanic program for the rail industry.
Starting in September 2004, the Sault Ste. Marie campus will offer 25 seats in the new two-year diploma program.
In a joint news release, Keith Heller, CN’s senior vice-president for the Eastern Canada region, who called Northern Ontario a “vital area” in the rail carriers communications network, said with the rail industry’s aging workforce, the industry needs to replenish its ranks. “CN also sought a college that is attuned to northern people, weather and working conditions. CN knows Sault College attracts students who enjoy working in the North.”
The curriculum will be developed by the Railway Association of Canada and students will learn electronics and signals communications theory applied to rail systems, more specifically gaining the skills to maintain and repair power supplies, relays, track circuits, switches, signals and communications systems.
The signals and communications program will run parallel to Sault College’s long-running electronic/electrical engineering technician/technology program. The programs will share a common first year. Conceivably, the first graduates could be rolled out by the spring of 2005. Students already enrolled in first year electronic/electrical studies will qualify for direct entry into the rail program’s second year for next fall’s semester.
Sault College officials are hopeful the program could be the start of long-running relationship with CN to establish Sault Ste. Marie as a future railway-training centre.
“We’re very excited by the programming because of the employment opportunities related to it in rail,” said Sault College spokesman Rick McGee in an interview. “We hope to move into additional rail-related programming…but we can?t be any more definitive than that.”