Vancouver Island University’s apparent hesitancy regarding its green building and renewable energy technician program is both surprising and troubling.
Although it’s a small program with just a few dozen students, interest in the field is high, as is the need for trained professionals in the field.
The ‘green economy’ is growing every year, particularly with environmentally friendly construction practises and rapidly increasing demand for buildings with little or no carbon footprint.
More and more, sustainable building practises that were once deemed innovative and cutting edge are becoming mainstream, but there remains a need for experts in how best to properly apply and implement those strategies, as well as the myriad of new ones coming available.
In short, the green economy is burgeoning and a green workforce is in demand.
The university’s decision to ‘suspend’ intake of new students for the second straight year raises questions about the institution’s commitment to the program.
Although it maintains the current situation is a review to ensure the program is relevant and appropriate, some see it as writing on the wall for inevitable closure, just a few years after it was launched with much fanfare.
As VIU notes, there is a small class of just 10 students graduating this year. Were this a long-established trades program that previously thrived, that number would be cause for alarm.
But this is a new program just getting its feet under it and trying to build a foundation for a solid future.
Already, that future could be in jeopardy because of the decision to trip up that effort with back-to-back suspension of new intakes.