Wrapping up our 2023 Student Chapter Summit

Another successful Student Chapter Summit is in the books!

This year, students from host McMaster University, University of Manitoba, and Toronto Metropolitan University came together for two days to learn about the many career opportunities that are available in the mechanical contracting sector – with a focus on energy efficiency.

To kick things off, education sessions were held by Syed Abid from Mitsubishi Electric and Jim Brown from Ontario Power Generation. Mr. Abid spoke about the role of the construction industry in achieving Net Zero, while Mr. Brown spoke towards the challenges in construction of new energy projects such as nuclear.

The students’ education on nuclear energy didn’t end there. They were given a rare and very cool glimpse into the McMaster nuclear facility. Other tours included the opportunity to visit a CoGen facility at the McMaster Hospital and a hands-on learning session at Local 67’s training centre.

The following day focused on the role of the mechanical contractor in achieving net zero and a team competition. Both were led by University of Nebraska professor Tim Wentz.

Students also learned the ins and outs of still being able to achieve their P.Eng while working for a contractor.

Later, a panel discussion featured four students who previously graduated from the program sharing their various post-graduate careers. Thank you to Keira Guay, Tanya Tippins, Mitch Rohner and Daniel Guidoni for coming back to McMaster and speaking with the students.

Events such as this would not occur without industry support. We would like to extend our gratitude to the following for making this event such a huge success: Aecon, MCA Canada, MCA Hamilton-Niagara, MCA Ontario, MCA Toronto, Mitsubishi Electric, Plan Group, UA Canada, UA Local 67 and Victaulic.

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