Dow Canada investment promotes student success at NAIT

Oct. 7, 2014 – A $1,050,000 gift from Dow Canada will support student success and campus expansion at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). Dow’s investment includes $800,000 for NAIT’s Centre for Applied Technologies, and $250,000 to sponsor a biennial seminar at NAIT showcasing the field of power engineering.
 
“We are thrilled to receive this gift from our longstanding partner Dow,” said NAIT president and CEO Dr. Glenn Feltham. “The Centre for Applied Technologies is essential for our growth as a leading polytechnic. The power engineering technology seminar complements our hands-on education, showing students the many opportunities for applying their skills in meaningful careers.”
 
The Centre for Applied Technologies, under construction at Main Campus, will enrich the learning experiences of 5,000 full-time students daily when complete. The additional space will also enable NAIT to increase enrolment by 50 per cent in health, business, engineering technologies, and sustainable building and environmental management programs.
 
Power Engineering Technology, part of the School of Sustainable Building and Environmental Management, is one of the most in-demand programs at NAIT. Graduates work as operators or managers for power and heating plants, as consultants with engineering firms and as boiler and pressure vessel inspectors.
 
“We’re pleased to support campus expansion at NAIT and the Power Engineering Technology program,” said Joe Deutscher, Dow’s vice-president and site director, Alberta operations. “Our Dow Fort Saskatchewan site hires power engineering technicians and tradespeople almost exclusively from NAIT. With an economy set to expand at an average annual rate of 4.7 per cent, we need to be visible as an employer of choice to remain competitive in the marketplace. At Dow, we provide NAIT graduates with opportunities to grow their careers at both the local and global levels.”