By Maria Driscoll
Holland College has received the stamp of approval from the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board (CTAB) for two courses offered by its Computer Studies Division. Students in Computer Engineering Technology and Electronics Engineering Technology are assured that the skills they are learning during their two years at the College meet national and international standards.
The Board has been established by the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists, and the standards they have set are exacting. The supporting documentation for each application filled three binders, and representatives from the review board also visited both programs and interviewed the learning managers, students, program graduates and the industry advisory board. Dr. Brian McMillan, the College?s Director of Program Operations, said there was also an inspection carried out to ensure the equipment used in the two courses met national standards. He said the accreditation will reap benefits for both the college and students in the two programs.
Dr. McMillan explained there is a growing trend to have all technology courses accredited, as students want to know that their program has a national seal of approval.
For the students, it means improved employment prospects, particularly for those who go out of province. Bob Morrisson, the learning manager for the Electronics Engineering Technology program, explained the Board's standards are also recognized by the United States and the United Kingdom. The EET program trains students to install and service electronic equipment and modern electronic and data communications systems.
"The employer also knows that the graduates coming out of our program meet national standards," said Lino Forner, learning manager for the Computer Engineering Technology program. As its name implies, students learn to design, install and maintain computer systems. Forner said the course has been increasingly popular in recent years due to the rapid growth of the computer industry.
Steve Gould of the P.E.I. Society of Certified Engineering Technologists, also expressed pleasure at the news of the accreditation. He added employers now have the assurance course graduates and perspective employees have the skills to do the job and are as well trained as their counterparts anywhere else in the country. The Island organization is part of the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists and Gould said the national standards are exacting. He added "the association has taken a lot of pains to get it right-- we are building an industry that is second to none in the world."
Dr. McMillan said the accreditation is also good news for students in the two fields who may want to continue their studies at a university level. Many Universities from Memorial in Newfoundland to the University of Victoria in British Colombia offer degrees in these fields and they will give students who have completed an accredited program, credit towards obtaining a degree in the discipline. He said the process is part of the College?s commitment to excellence in education, adding Holland College was the first educational institution in the province to become certified by the International Standards Organization.
For more information about this release, please contact:
Sara Underwood, Media and Communications Officer
Tel: 902-566-9695
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2000
