Lakeland College and Ridgeline Canada Inc. are pleased to announce a partnership that will bring work-integrated environmental training programs and college credits to Indigenous students.

Through the partnership, Indigenous students will receive competency-based training and work experience at a third-party job site, following a curriculum Ridgeline created. During this introductory training, students will earn a Lakeland College certificate as well as college credits, if applicable, towards a degree or diploma program at Lakeland. The college will also act in an advisory capacity, assisting Ridgeline with reviewing the curriculum.

“This is a new and innovative way for Lakeland to build partnerships that support Indigenous-focused training and we are very excited to be involved,” says Michael Crowe, vice president, academic and research, at Lakeland College.

“The big innovation here is that students participating in this program can complete a portion of their training while at work, under the mentorship of an industry professional, and ‘then can have the associated learning outcomes evaluated on-site. In a very real sense, their classroom is the worksite, and this aligns with what we do at Lakeland, where we always work to put our students in the lead. We look forward to welcoming graduates of this training program to Lakeland to further their education in the environmental sciences - a dynamic field with growing career opportunities.”

The partnership came into effect on April 15, 2020. The pilot program is targeting 10 students initially for worksite training with an industrial partner.

“The program is unique in that it offers a ‘practicum first' mentality, then a specialized post-secondary education opportunity as opposed to the traditional education/practicum model. This allows students to not only develop valuable skills but also to inspire them to pursue a career in an area they like through a post-secondary institution,” says Tyler Heathcote, president of Ridgeline Canada Inc.

Lakeland College offers a two-year environmental sciences diploma program with majors in conservation and restoration ecology, wildlife and fisheries conservation, environmental conservation and reclamation, and water conservation and management. Graduates of the diploma programs can stay for an extra year at the Vermilion, Alta., campus to earn a double major or enrol in Lakeland's bachelor of applied science: environmental management degree program.

Ridgeline Canada Inc. has been providing environmental and waste management services in Western Canada since 1999, offering a wide variety of environmental site assessments and remediation strategies for site reclamation on impacted lands. Their clients include the oil and gas industry, as well as power and utilities, renewable energy and commercial land development.