9/14/2004 10:33:38 AM
By Chad Harnett
The nation’s capital is becoming a popular place for College of the North Atlantic (CNA) students; or is it that CNA students are becoming popular in the nation’s capital?
Fourteen students from CNA’s Programmer Analyst (Business) Co-op program are working in Ottawa as a part of their required work-terms this fall. The group represents 44 percent of the students eligible for work-terms in that particular program.
Programmer Analyst (Business) Co-op is a three-year diploma program offered at CNA’s Prince Philip Drive (PPD) campus in St. John’s. It is nationally accredited by both the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education and the Canadian Information Processing Society – one of the reasons behind the program’s reputation in Ottawa.
The capital-bound crew will be employed by a variety of both government and private organizations. Thirteen students will hold positions with the country’s Federal Public Service while one will be working with a large private firm.
Employers from the government sector include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Communications Security Establishment, Human Resources Development Canada, Social Development Canada, and Transport Canada. The lone private sector employer is Cognos Incorporated - a company responsible for business intelligence and performance planning software.
Some of the students are continuing previous work-terms whereas others are just beginning. The majority of the work-terms will last four months, but students hired with the RCMP will work for 16 months.
CNA’s programmer analyst students compete with other post secondary institutions across Canada for the opportunity to work in Ottawa. For example, in the federal government’s Communications Security Establishment’s 2003 Fall recruitment, CNA was the only Canadian college to have students selected for interviews – five of whom were offered positions.
Students completing work-terms with the federal government become eligible for the Student Bridging Program. This program helps students make the transition from co-op students to full-time employees after graduation.
“I am extremely proud of this group of students,” says Mike Chalker, past Student Development Officer at the PPD campus.
“These students are conscientious and dedicated, and understand the value of a superior work ethic.”
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For more information contact:
Stephen Lee
Communications Manager
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7929
Or
Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7928