Student Experience

Hands-on Experiential Learning

Throughout the three semesters, students receive practical training in the disciplines of biology, chemistry and engineering as they learn to collect, measure, and analyze variables commonly considered in environmental studies. They will learn to use the tools and equipment needed in ecological field sampling, hydrology, biology, analytical chemistry and even bird banding.

Their extensive field and lab exercises will include soil, water and air testing learned within a regulatory framework where students will learn the fundamentals of standard operating procedures, quality controls and compliance practices.

The Environmental Technician program is one of several outdoor programs at the Pembroke Campus, which also includes the Forestry Technician, Outdoor Adventure, and Outdoor Adventure Naturalist programs. This mix of programming attracts students who love working outdoors and who are interested in sustainability, environmental issues or adventure tourism and creates a rich learning experience for students in all programs.

Program Format and Features

Students who start the program in September will be done by December the following year, in only 16 months. Each semester is four months long:

• First semester is September to December
• Second semester is January to April
• Optional Co-op term is May to August
• Final semester is September to December

Gain real-world experience through a Co-op Placement

Students who maintain a high academic standing in their first semester are eligible to take part in paid cooperative education. A co-op officer helps secure the co-op placements, but students must participate in job interviews in order to secure the placement they want—just like the real world.

Students who participate in co-op placements gain valuable on-the-job experience, and the opportunity to build their contacts, and make a favourable impression on the employer. Many employers use co-op as a means to groom students for future employment with the company. It also gives employers an opportunity to provide feedback to the College about the skills that students bring to the workplace allowing for a healthy dialogue that can lead to enhancement of program curriculum.

“This is a very meaningful summer job for the students as they are working on real environmental issues. This is relevant on-the-job training and demonstrates the true benefits of co-op and applied research for college students.”

-Sarah Hall, Former Environmental Technician Coordinator and current Chair of Business, Technology and Outdoor Training Department

“I was fortunate to be selected as one of the Co-op Student Research Technicians for Algonquin College’s Office of Applied
Research and the Muskrat Watershed Council. It was an amazing experience to say the least. We worked on a diversity of research projects, from field work and lab work, to utilizing new field and lab equipment, participating in community watershed events, all the while learning from skilled professionals.”

-James Wheatley

Students also secure some pretty amazing jobs over the summer on their own too!

“I was fortunate enough to land a summer position as a Junior Marine Technician with Environment and Climate Change Canada, based out of the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, Ontario. Based on my education and skills, I was screened out of a pool of candidates to interview for this position, meaning I didn’t apply for this position specifically, it found me!”

-Emily Krutzelmann

“This summer I got a job with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and I am working out of their Sea Lamprey Control Centre head quarters in Sault Ste. Marie. My job title is a Student Fisheries Technician for the treatment and analysis crew. We have been travelling across Northern Ontario and parts of New York State treating the Great Lakes and approximately 25 Great Lakes tributaries for the extremely destructive invasive species sea lamprey. It’s extremely rewarding knowing I’m protecting the Great Lakes, and I wouldn’t be in this position without the education in earned at Algonquin.”

-Ashley Fleury

Learn in a State-of-the-Art Environment

Students in the Environmental Technician program study in a state-of-the-art lab at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus. The campus boasts a Mobile Science Unit that assists students and faculty with conducting applied research in the field when working on both academic and community projects. The campus, located on the shores of the Ottawa River, is surrounded by both natural and constructed wetlands creating ideal learning opportunities for students.

They also have the opportunity to collaborate with students from other programs during an Interprofessional Mock Critical Incident Training Exercise on campus. Our students in the Environmental Technician, Police Foundations, Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Practical Nursing, Personal Support Worker and Social Service Worker experience what it’s like to work collaboratively in a mock emergency situation. This exercise looks very real with student actors playing the role of victims, while other students actively participate as first responders to an emergency situation. Experiential learning at its best!

Industry Certifications

Algonquin College has partnered with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Walkerton Clean Water Centre to deliver Ministry approved certifications in water treatment technology. Upon successful completion of this certification and graduation from the Environmental Technician program, students will have met the requirements for the Ministry’s entry-level course for Drinking Water Operators. During their studies, students are also prepared to challenge the Provincial Operator-In-Training examination, a requirement to work in the water treatment technology industry.

Student must earn a minimum of seven industry certifications, and can chose from:

• Bear Safety
• GPS
• Wilderness Skills
• Pleasure Craft
• Radio Operator
• Leave no Trace
• GIS-ESRI
• Erosion and Sediment Control
• Culvert Installation
• Chain Saw Operators Course
• Animal/Bird Tracking
• Water Treatment
• Search and Rescue
• Float Plane
• ORCKA (Canoe Level 1 & 2)
• Ice safety and Rescue
• Night Navigation
• Helicopter Operations and Safety
• And many more!

Stewardship & Community Engagement

Our Environmental Technician students along with countless community and organization volunteers are part of Watersheds Canada’s Natural Edge Project. Our Office of Applied Research and the Muskrat Watershed Council partnered with Watersheds Canada to execute the planting of 45,000 native trees and shrubs over three years in the Muskrat Lake Watershed. Part of having a healthy shoreline includes maintaining a good buffer between a waterfront property and the water. A buffer is a permanent portion of the shoreline that can include a wide variety of native shrubs, grasses, and trees – these can be aesthetically pleasing, raising property value and even attracting more butterflies and birds. Native vegetation is important, as they tend to handle climates that are more robust. Additionally, native species are usually more appealing to local wildlife. Vegetation will also reduce erosion by securing the soil with a strong root system, and can uptake nutrients from water runoff. Other factors that make a healthy shoreline include maintaining an existing portion of your shoreline in its natural state – wildlife habitat features like fallen logs, dead standing trees, and overhanging trees are all great for maintaining ecosystem health. See what the Natural Edge Project is all about.

Degree Pathways

Articulation agreements or degree pathways are agreements between Algonquin College and other post-secondary institutions that facilitate recognition of prior post-secondary study and transfer credit or admission to upper levels of study. As a result, it may take you less time to complete your degree or, result in a reduced course load. This means that you may enter the job market sooner and potentially save time and money.

Algonquin College and Royal Roads University (Canada) have entered into an articulation agreement whereby successful graduates of Algonquin College’s Environmental Technician program may gain advanced standing into a third year Bachelor of Science program as specified below.

The agreement states that Environmental Technician graduates from Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus, may be eligible for acceptance into the 3rd year of two programs, providing they meet all other entrance criteria specified by RRU, and if space remains available.

The two RRU programs in the agreement are the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management.

Julie Trus is an Environmental Technician graduate who continued her education at the University of Guelph after her time with us. She now works at WSP as an Ecology Technician. She tells us about her experience and how her program helped her become successful in her career path:

“First and foremost, the Environmental Technician (ETECH) diploma was where I was exposed to the environment in a different way than before and where I realized that I belonged in the environmental field of work. This knowledge drove me to pursue opportunities that would solidify my future, such as being an undergraduate research technician working in a field crew of academics sampling Northwest Territories boreal forest sites, and attending university for environmental science. Secondly, the exposure to a variety of sampling techniques and protocols was very helpful in getting my undergraduate research tech job. It also provided a baseline for me to learn new protocols and sampling procedures, which has been very helpful for me in getting my past and current job. Finally, I would have to say that the relevant, applicable, and current core courses of the ETECH program were very helpful. In several cover letters and interviews I have mentioned that I did an Environmental Assessment course and a Contaminated Site Assessment course, and that always seems to impress employers. Being so successful at completing the Environmental Technician diploma gave me the confidence to search out the career path I wanted, and to pursue further education at university. Because of my confidence and determination, I started working for a research lab at the university in the second semester of my first year. I worked in that lab for three years, got two summers of remote field work under my belt, and also did an undergraduate thesis with my supervisor in my final year of undergrad. In my interviews, employers really seem to like my E-Tech college diploma because it reflects my ability to work in a hands-on setting, which means that they would have to train me less than other candidates.”

– Julie Trus, 2014 Environmental Technician Graduate

Students Get Unique Experience – Hip Waders, Fish Nets, and Eels!

Every program at the Pembroke Campus has its own unique projects and activities, but none are more interesting than the Environmental Technician hands-on experiences.

Whether it is wearing hip waders and collecting water samples in a lake, trudging through bogs to collect samples of flora and fauna, or catching fish and collecting data, every week is different and can bring some interesting challenges too. Recently, students in the Environmental Technician program had a chance to work with and study some American Eels, a rarely-seen fish with a complicated life cycle, and one that is protected under the Species at Risk Act in Ontario.

With the expertise of a volunteer fish and wildlife expert, the students helped to extract the otoliths, or ear bones, that fish and eels use for balance and sensing vibrations in the water. The otoliths are formed from calcium carbonate laid down in rings each year and by analyzing these ear bones, scientists can determine not only the age of the eel but information about its migration and spawning habits as well. These particular eels were recovered near hydroelectric dams, likely dying as a result of being injured or caught in the dams.

Working with the eels and the extraction of the otoliths was a challenging hands-on learning opportunity for Environmental Technician students Geoff Mennie, left, and Katarina Pavlica, and is work that supports a project led by Jane McCann and the Community Stewardship Council of Lanark County through funding secured from the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. In this photo, they help Tim Courtney, an employee of the Ministry of Natural Resources, dissect one of the American eels to locate the elusive ear bones.

For more information about American eels in Ontario, see this Ministry of Natural Resources link: https://www.ontario.ca/page/american-eel