Taking environmental technology to Tripoli

Libyan students pursuing careers in the growing field of environmental technology will be getting a boost from SAIT’s expertise and innovative programming.

With an agreement between SAIT and Libya’s Petroleum Training and Qualifying Institute (PTQI) now signed, SAIT will begin developing a customized curriculum for students in Tripoli based on our own Environmental Technology diploma program. The training, which will be offered to Year 2 and 3 students — the equivalent of Canada’s Grades 11 and 12 — covers all aspects of environmental technology related to the energy industry, from chemistry and microbiology to ecology and waste management in the oil and gas sector. Like SAIT, PTQI’s focus for the program will be on both lectures and labs, allowing students the opportunity to learn hands on.

Run by Libya’s National Oil Company, the petroleum institute prepares students for careers in the country’s oil and gas industry

Monica Bennett, International Client Development Manager for SAIT Corporate Training Solutions, said the Libyan government wants to support environmental initiatives — and this partnership highlights that.

“Anything related to the environment, they’re investing in that,” she said. “They want to be more environmentally friendly.”

The program SAIT creates for PTQI means students will graduate with the knowledge base needed to enter the Libyan workforce as environmental technicians — or the opportunity to continue their education in Calgary through SAIT’s diploma program in the same field.

SAIT is an appealing partner to the National Oil Corporation and its institute because of our applied learning approach and state-of-the-art labs and classrooms. But it’s also because our reputation as an innovative institution is built on more than a century of history, said Ian Cowley, Corporate Training Academic Chair for International Projects.

“For emerging nations, a post-secondary institution with 104 years of instruction is a big deal. We are a state-of-the-art school and to know we are on the leading edge is a draw,” he said, adding SAIT is a strong brand in Libya.

“Our industry connections and the applied learning opportunities offered here — Libya wants to build those.”

Partnerships such as the one between SAIT and PTQI highlight our reputation as a global leader, Cowley added.

SAIT’s Centre for Applied Education and Innovation is now starting to build the curriculum, using current and former instructors, along with industry partners, to ensure the programming reflects our leading-edge approach to education with an aspect of hands-on learning.

While students in Tripoli will have the advantage of learning from a SAIT-created curriculum, there are benefits too for SAIT.

“These projects help to make us better,” said Cowley. “It’s a window into the world that we can bring back to SAIT.”

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This story is part of an ongoing series celebrating SAIT’s technology training and innovation. Learn more about our Environmental Technology diploma program on sait.ca.