Équipe Laurence training next the generation
By Adam Freill
Construction Labour Skills DevelopmentFirst cohort of 15 students from Cégep de Saint-Jérôme starts program leading to an ACS in drafting specialized in civil engineering.
Cégep de Saint-Jérôme students embark on industry training. (CNW Group/Équipe Laurence)
In a precedent-setting move in Quebec, engineering firm Équipe Laurence has opened the doors of its new Sainte-Adèle campus to the first cohort of 15 Cégep de Saint-Jérôme students enrolled in the college’s very first session in Civil Engineering Technical Drafting. According to Équipe Laurence president Alexandre Latour, the initiative is the result of a strong partnership between the school and his company.
“This new work-based program is a perfect illustration of the proactive and effective collaboration between industry and educational institutions,” said Latour, emphasizing that this new academic path opens the way to career opportunities that provide rapid access to the specialized job market, with excellent prospects for career advancement.
The students, in search of cutting-edge training, will graduate with an Attestation of Collegial Studies (ACS) in drafting specialized in civil engineering. At the end of the program, they will be able to work as draftspersons specialized in civil engineering.
While the students earn credentials, the company sees the program as one that is likely to help alleviate the labour shortage affecting their particular sector of the civil engineering industry.
As soon as the students have completed their training, the graduates will be able to handle the fundamental concepts related to their functions, whether they concern buildings, engineering structures or civil engineering infrastructures. In practice, these new graduates will be able to interpret overall plans, design, produce drawings and use a computer to carry out all the tasks performed by a technical draftsman. They will also be able to estimate the quantities of building materials required for a specific project.
Like the other training programs offered by the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme, this short-term credit program was set up for adults in career transition, in response to the specific realities of the job market in the greater Laurentian region.
The president of Équipe Laurence expressed his conviction that such daily immersion of students in an active professional environment is the ideal springboard for preparing them to assume their future roles.
