Canadian Process Control Association

The Canadian Process Control Association is the only Association representing suppliers to this industry in Canada. We will use this regular column to make equipment users aware of various issues of interest to this market, as presented by various association members.

This month’s guest author:

Doug McDaniel, P. Eng.
Former President CPCA
Chair Academic Liaison Committee

Topic: Academic & Educational Support Initiatives

One of the founding core values of the CPCA is to give something back to the communities in which we work, by:

Establishing an academic liaison between the Canadian Process Control Industry and academic institutions to provide students of engineering & technology as well as faculty members with greater knowledge of the role and contribution that process control plays in our industrial infrastructure.

Promoting continued growth and development of the science and technology of instrumentation and automation technology by encouraging, promoting and supporting students and academic institutions.

To achieve this goal, the CPCA has developed many programs to support students in need of financial assistance as they pursue their education, provide feedback to the technical colleges and universities on modifying curriculum to meet current market requirements and skill sets, and helping educate students in the numerous career paths open to technical grads within the Instrumentation and Process Automation Industry. Currently these initiatives include:

6 scholarships awarded each year at technical colleges and universities across Canada to support students with strong academic skills and financial need.

CPCA Board members sitting on Advisory Boards at several Technical Colleges to provide input on course content and new initiatives.

Providing Information Sessions to students outlining Career Opportunities with the Industry, normally using a graduate from the school, to provide personal perspectives on their chosen career.

Establishment of a Career Center for posting of Job openings, position descriptions and details about the Process Automation Field.

Having a Board position dedicated to representation from the Academic Community foe closer Liaison.

The enclosed Chart has been developed to tabulate the Career Opportunities from primarily business oriented to very technically related positions. It is part of the Career package available on the CPCA website.

print out a PDF version of this month's topic.