News Article

Siblings make the grade in new manufacturing program


5/15/2003 9:10:41 AM


Colin and Connie Brake are both enrolled in the Manufacturing Operations Technology (MOT) program at CNA's Corner Brook campus.

May 15, 2003 - Colin and Connie Brake may be siblings, but they’ve experienced no trace of rivalry as classmates in College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Manufacturing Operations Technology (MOT) program. What they’ve found is a built-in support system.

The Brakes are originally from a small town on the west coast of the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador called Gillams, some 20 miles outside of Corner Brook where they are enrolled in the MOT program.

Colin is 28 years old and graduated from high school in 1992. He decided not to pursue further education at that time.

“Both Connie and I were fortunate enough to have jobs waiting for us when we got out of high school. We worked with our parents in a family business,” says Colin.

“I’ve always intended on getting a post-secondary education, but I didn’t anticipate on waiting such a long time. It’s been 10 years for me and eight for Connie.”

Connie, 26, graduated from high school with honours in 1994. Though she also worked with the family business straight out of high school, she wanted to pursue post-secondary studies.

“I always knew that I would like to return to school but never found a course that I was really interested in,” she says.

It was a couple of years ago that the two began to consider leaving their jobs to return to school. They decided that they wanted a program with a leading edge in technology, and kept an eye on schools and programs in the province. Nothing really peaked their interests.

It wasn’t until Colin came to Connie after an advertisement in a newspaper caught his eye.

“He phoned me and told me about the MOT program on Saturday, and on Monday we both applied,” says Connie.

“Now we have almost one year completed. The instructors and fellow classmates have been wonderful. CNA is a great school. The course program is very interesting and demanding.”

The program the Brakes are enrolled in is a new one at CNA - one that was developed in response to the automation currently taking place in processing industries and as a result, industries’ increasing demand for advanced education and training for entry-level employees.

Elizabeth Chaulk, Associate District Administrator for the Corner Brook campus, says the MOT program has been designed with input from industry - which seemed a logical step with technology becoming more prominent in industrial settings, and with projected skills shortages.

“It is widely known that industries across Canada will soon be facing a shortage of skilled employees, especially as a result of numerous projected retirements and the introduction of new technologies in the manufacturing industries,” says Chaulk.

“CNA has been working with industry to redesign old programs or design new programs to train workers to meet this shortage. One such example is Corner Brook campus’ redesign of the old Pulp & Paper Engineering Technology program into the new Manufacturing Operations Technology (MOT) program.”

“The new MOT program trains students to be operators of automated manufacturing processes for any industry that takes raw material and turns it into a finished product - this could be pulp and paper, a mineral refinery or smelter, a pellet plant, or an oil refinery.”

Chaulk says that graduates will work as process operators, technicians, and managers in the process operations and production side of a variety of large-scale industries. She says that the skill set gained by graduates of this program will also enhance the overall expertise required in the small scale manufacturing industry sector, especially as these operations adapt to automated processes.

“The future employment outlook for graduates of this program is excellent,” says Chaulk.

“Not only do we expect to maintain the statistics of its predecessor (an average of some 80-85 percent of the Pulp & Paper program graduates found well paying jobs), but with this new technology, we foresee even more opportunities for employment. The rate of pay is high as well, with salaries in the $40,000 - $60,000 range being earned in the pulp and paper industry.”

Opportunities also exist in a variety of other manufacturing and processing industries such as Process Technician, Environmental Chemist, Research Technologist, Technical Services Representative, and Production Supervisor, says Chaulk.

“The employment market is national in scope.”

To Colin and Connie Brake, the program has opened up a bright future. Soon, they will complete the first year of the program. It’s been an intense year, says Colin.

“MOT starts out with common first year (engineering). The workload is very heavy, with lots of Math, Chemistry, and Physics. I find these courses to be challenging because I have no prior background of chemistry and physics, unlike Connie, who took advanced math, chemistry, and physics in high school.”

This is where the family connection has really helped him out.

“Having Connie by my side during this program is an advantage because she helps me in every way that she can with homework, assignments, and just helping me understand certain things that I never came across before now. Our classmates are great, and everyone works well together.”

The national scope of the program was definitely a plus to the two students, but both agree that they would prefer to stay close to home.

“I would definitely like to be working in Newfoundland and Labrador, preferably in Corner Brook. With the growing industry in the province such as Voisey’s Bay, the Argentia smelter, oil exploration, and pulp and paper mills, I feel quite confident that there will be a job here for me, working with the training I received at CNA,” says Colin.

For Connie, the experience of going back to school has been extremely rewarding, and she is enjoying the challenges of the MOT program.

“CNA has a great reputation and offers creditable programs. The teachers and staff are the best! Without them I know I wouldn’t have made it this far,” Connie says.

“I only made one mistake - I should not have waited so long to return to school!”

For more information about the MOT program or one of the other 90+ programs at CNA, check the college’s website: http://www.northatlantic.nf.ca.

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For more information on this story, contact:

Stephen Lee
Communications Manager
(709) 643-7929
E-Mail: stephen.lee@northatlantic.nf.ca

Or

Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
(709) 643-7928
E-Mail: tanya.alexander@northatlantic.nf.ca