The Southern and Northern Alberta Institutes of Technology have teamed up with the private sector to announce major funding for new programs to help students gain access to cutting-edge technologies.

Stream-Flo Industries Ltd., the largest Canadian manufacturer of wellhead, production gate valve and check valve equipment, donated $500,000 to create the NAIT Stream-Flo Industrial Design Laboratory.

The money will be used to provide student access to specialized equipment used in computer-assisted drafting and manufacturing.

NAIT photo
NAIT chief Sam Shaw with Stream-Flo CEO Duncan McNeill

“We employ many graduates from NAIT programs and this facility will not only enhance student education but provide valuable tools for this demanding sector,” Stream-Flo CEO Duncan McNeill said last week.

“As well, our employees regularly make use of NAIT facilities for career development, upgrading skills and providing new technology training. It is very much a complementary relationship,” he added.

The investment follows a personal $1-million donation McNeill and his wife Verda made to NAIT two years ago.

To date, the NAIT fund- raising campaign has raised $23 million, more than $9 million over the original campaign target.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company of Canada has officially launched a new Automotive Student Service Education Training (ASSET) program at SAIT.

The program, announced last week, is designed to help avert a projected shortage of skilled automotive industry workers.

It will offer 32 weeks of in-class instruction combined with on-the-job experience at participating dealerships over a three-year period.

Ford and Calgary-area Ford and Lincoln dealers also donated a combined $350,000 toward the completion of SAIT’s new Clayton Carroll Automotive Centre.

“It’s really a race against time and it’s vital that we act now to provide the education young people need to join this high-tech, in-demand profession,” said Ford Canada CEO Alain Batty.

Almost half the 200,000 skilled automotive technicians employed in Canada are more than 40 years old.

SAIT president and CEO Irene Lewis noted that it’s more important than ever for industry and education to join forces in ensuring the right number of workers with the right mix of skills are available.