Camosun College

Since their inception some 40 years ago, Canadian public colleges have proven to be the most flexible of post-secondary institutions. By design diverse as society itself, colleges continuously strive to adjust their portfolio of offerings in order to fulfill their roles and mandates in Canadian society. With their roots firmly anchored in their respective communities, they staff field experts and practitioners, are easily accessible and well diversified. Lately, the technical college has taken on a yet another new role - that of a centre of excellence for technology access and technology transfer. As university-based engineering becomes more theoretical and specialized, colleges offer expertise in manufacturing and prototyping, device integration and process development. Proficient engineers supported by sophisticated equipment and experienced operators (… and at times by aspiring engineering technologists), form powerful teams that deliver immediate results. By doing so, they do not compete with universities but supplement them, and as a result fill a crucial part of the technical knowledge spectrum. This is of utmost importance as a technologically advanced society cannot excel in an isolated section of the spectrum. Fundamental research depends on a powerful infrastructure, and the interaction between researchers and practitioners. Camosun College’s focus of applied research and technology transfer is represented by the red square in the graphic below: integrating engineers with engineering technologists and trades practitioners provides a wide range of expertise in industrial services. Quality control, application and integration are inherent to this approach. Camosun College, one of the premier undergraduate institutions in Canada, hosts the largest Trades & Technology school among British Columbia colleges. 18 departments provide training in all major trades (including nautical) as well as six engineering technologies. Since 2007, Camosun is actively engaged in technology transfer and applied research, centred around a Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) Chair and the Vancouver Island Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping Centre.