Aspiring future engineers at North Island College had the chance recently to meet ones working in the field.

The college hosted its first-ever student-industry event on March 13. Being able to give them the opportunity to have student-driven conversations with professionals is one of the advantages a post-secondary like NIC can offer.

“Every conversation a student has with an industry professional can provide an opportunity to learn, build relationships and grow their network,” said Anita Budisa-Bonneau, NIC Work-Integrated Education co-ordinator. “That is why our work-integrated learning events have such a positive impact on both students and employers.”

Often, great work opportunities never even make it to a job board, she added, so for savvy students, the event helps them “future-proof” their career success by building strong relationships with industry partners before they complete their studies.

At the event, Engineering Foundations Certificate students met with professional engineers in small groups to have career conversations. NIC partnered with local engineering firms McElhanney, Urban Systems and Muir Engineering. The BC Society of Engineering and Geoscience (BCSEG) was also represented to answer questions about the professional pathway and designation.

The concept for the event is for the professionals to introduce themselves to the students, then meet with small groups who ask career-related questions for 15 to 20 minutes.

During the breakout sessions, the engineers talked about their education and work experience, which included everything from opportunities with local firms to working internationally, such as on wave energy projects in Europe. They also answered questions from the students curious about many aspects of the job, such as co-op experience or skills they need for the workplace.

The NIC event is an example of a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunity for students as part of WIL Month. The timing for this event was ideal, as it also happens to be National Engineering Month in Canada.

For the college, this engineering event lets students know there are local companies hiring graduates. One former student hired is Nolan deWitt, who is from Courtenay and took the Engineering Foundations program at NIC in 2011 before transferring to the University of Victoria.

“The small classes are just more accessible,” he said. “It’s a good transition.”

For deWitt, several co-op jobs, including Defence Construction Canada at 19 Wing Comox, helped lead him to a position with Urban Systems in 2018, shortly after the company set up an office in the Comox Valley.

He was happy to take part in the chance to talk with students now following the same path through NIC as he did when he started at the college.

“It’s cool to chat with the students. I can still remember what it felt like to apply for the first co-op job,” he said, adding he thinks there will be more chances close to home for students like him. “The valley’s growing. There’s more opportunities for young professionals. People like to be here.”