I have always loved being a University of Waterloo Engineering undergraduate. There’s something about the students that attend this school that just sets them apart from the others. I recall attending a conference in 2011 where someone from the University of British Columbia said “Really, Waterloo? Do you guys have to do everything 110% better than everyone else?”, a comment regarding our bid for the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students Congress of 2013 (we won that bid, and will be hosting the Congress in January 2013)
So I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities would call out the University of Waterloo in his speech. Hon. Glen Murray spoke as the keynote for the PEO Annual General Meeting, one of the highlights of the event. He noted that during the economic recession, 80% of those who lost their jobs, numbering about 250,000, did not have a high school education and only 11% of those left unemployed had a post secondary education. This statistic, he noted, supplemented our speculations that our economy is driven by trained individuals and it was becoming more and more clear that learning throughout our careers was becoming more important.
Apparently 70% of the current jobs in the Canadian market require post secondary education. The average young professional spends about 3 years in one city, and only about 12 months in any job. Sound familiar? My first thought was that it sounded a bit like our co-op program, and then I heard the keynote speaker parallel this to our education at the University of Waterloo.
Hon. Glen Murray went on to congratulate programs like VeloCity and all our entrepreneurial support structures at Waterloo, as well as co-op and the school’s focus on innovation and the integration of technology in the classroom. If he didn’t specifically point out that Waterloo was doing something great, he gave an example that I knew was being implemented at Waterloo. He talked about how technology was being used to bring more people into the classroom via video and sound feeds as the way to have our students learn at any time from anywhere. Sounds a bit like the E5 live link classroom. He spoke about how adaptation and the ability to be mobile were the biggest assets in today’s workplace. Sound a bit like our co-op program. He spoke about how ideas and innovation were the economic drivers of today, and how new professionals need more than a degree – they need work experience, innovative experience and proof of personal drive. Sounds a bit like our school’s emphasis on student teams and innovation.
The speech was engaging, informative, and even reassuring. It was great to know that the education we are receiving at the University of Waterloo, in the Faculty of Engineering was above and beyond what other schools were providing. It seemed to be just as dynamic and adaptable as the economy needs it to be. I know Vision 2015 is still in the works, and sometimes, among the homework and struggling over fundamentals, it’s hard to see how all this is relevant. However, it seems someone has noticed and used us as the standard for Ontario. Our Dean, departments, professors and staff have all contributed to that through their hard work, and I don’t think you’ll find that dedication elsewhere. I know I was proud, and you should be too.
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