| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 62.69 |
| Liaison | Christina Olsen |
| Submission Date | Aug. 20, 2024 |
British Columbia Institute of Technology
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
1st Partnership
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
BCIT has many formal community partnerships with underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations focused on advancing sustainability. One partnership focussed on empowering Indigenous communities with clean energy and digital skills is highlighted here.
In 2021, BCIT partnered with Siemens Canada, Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation’s wholly-owned subsidiary Denesoline Corporation, and the Digital Supercluster to provide an online vocational training program in Clean Energy Power Plants. Many rural northern communities, such as Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation are powered by diesel, which can be detrimental to both the environment and the health of residents. Łutsel K’e, or “Place of the cisco fish,” is located in the Northwest Territories on Great Slave Lake’s East Arm, a site of the new Thaidene Nene National Park. This community of about 300 Dënesųłiné, or Chipewyan Dene, is accessible only by air, boat, or snowmobile.
BCIT worked directly with Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation to create a virtual experiential training platform in Clean Energy Power Plants. The goal being to create Indigenous capacity to operate, maintain, and upkeep clean energy microgrid systems to aid in the transition away from fossil fuels. The virtual platform was developed using BCIT’s experiential learning tools. Through this platform learners can remotely access, navigate, and control clean energy microgrid environments in real-time, giving them hands-on experience without leaving their community. The platform has potential to provide similar support to other Indigenous and remote communities across the country that are also moving away from diesel fuel in favour of clean energy.
The new microcredential “Fundamentals: Clean Energy Power Plants, Operations & Maintenance” started enrolling students in January 2024 and the first offering runs from February to March 2024. This online course is integrated with the virtual platform and experiential learning tool. It provides students with hands-on knowledge and understanding of foundational concepts in smart grid/microgrid technologies employed in renewable energy applications and the operation and maintenance of the microgrids, especially in remote and isolated communities.
At the time of publishing this STARS report, tuition was temporarily being fully funded for Canadian citizens and permanent residents by Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2) and the Government of Canada.
Course information: https://www.bcit.ca/applied-research/smart-microgrid/learn/#apre-3100
Project information https://www.bcit.ca/applied-research/smart-microgrid/remote-community-microgrid/
2nd Partnership
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
3rd Partnership
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Optional Fields
Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.