Georgian College in collaboration with the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB), and Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board (BGCDSB), is encouraging students to develop careers in the emerging automotive electrification industry, with the help of the $500k grant received from Ontario. Vehicle Innovation Network’s Regional Future Workforce Program.
The grant is administered by the Ontario Centre of Innovation on behalf of the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
Rob Theriault, the Technology manager is the technical lead that will support the development of new programming for over 1000 students.
He accurately expresses his viewpoint on the innovative learning resolution saying;
“We’re transitioning from the information age to the experiential age in education and Georgian has become one of the world leaders in the exploration and integration of immersive learning and artificial intelligence,” said Theriault.
Immersive technology or immersive earning as you know it, employs extended reality to teach students. This includes virtual reality and augmented reality, which serve as leverage for students to learn the fundamentals of electric vehicle operation, the pros and cons of electric vehicles, as well as the enormous career opportunities in the automotive industry.
This new and innovative learning doesn’t just provide exciting learning opportunities for Georgian students, it has the potential to create more careers for students in the future.
The President and CEO of Georgian College explain this further saying;
“At Georgian, we’re committed to optimising the learning environment including expanded use of immersive technology,” said Kevin Weaver, president and CEO, of Georgian College. “We’re grateful to the Ontario Centre of Innovation for awarding funding to our innovative project that will allow us to introduce this technology and the careers it will create to our future workforce.”
“Our changing markets require an education system that can help keep students at the forefront of technology,” said Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte. “This funding will help students gain necessary tools and skills to pursue in-demand jobs within the automotive sector, and help shape the future of green vehicles.”
About 209 post-secondary students will be awarded the opportunity to learn the rudimentary aspects of electric vehicles, which will begin this fall
Additionally, 1,000 students in grades 10 through 12 across the Simcoe and Bruce-Grey regions will be introduced to the basic knowledge of the automotive and mobile industry.
Georgian partners SCDSB and BGCDSB, are also enthusiastic about bringing this new learning program to their students.
This enthusiasm was further expressed by the Director of Education; Gary O’Donnell, when he says;
“We are proud at Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board to continue to work in partnership with Georgian College on this exciting and innovative learning opportunity for our students,” said Gary O’Donnell, director of education. “Working in community and partnership we can provide our students with connections and knowledge about emerging sectors of the economy.”
In the same vein Theresa Watt, technological education facilitator, renewal and sustainability at SCDSB, expresses the deepest gratitude for the grant birthed by their partnership with Georgian College.
She goes ahead to express SCDSB’s appreciation saying; “We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Georgian College to provide this engaging experience for our students. Access to this extended reality platform will allow students the opportunity to explore various aspects of electric vehicles in hopes of sparking interest in the growing electric mobility sector.”
In collaboration with a team of astute tech experts, developers, artists, and storytellers, who are bent on pushing the boundaries of learning and virtual reality, what will follow is a unique and fascinating learning experience.
Working with prominent names in the automotive industry like Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. will make the learning experience even more exciting.
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