Pablo Pina Poujol
Academic Chair, Sustainability, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
With the future in mind, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is training the next generation of leaders in water management.
By 2025, it’s projected that there will be 69,000 jobs in natural resource management and 79,000 in sustainability. That’s why SAIT has committed to offering programs in the environmental sciences.
It’s their long-standing reputation for forward-thinking education structures and industry relationships that set SAIT apart. SAIT’s Integrated Water Management program is unique — it provides students with an intimate understanding of the challenges we face with our current water resources and the best tools and strategies to tackle these. Students learn how to implement and use various technologies, methodologies, and software alongside critical soft skills like stakeholder communication to ensure the sustainable management of water.
The program’s holistic approach bridges the gap between policy and practice, encouraging students to advance and innovate the industry. Focusing on data and project management, global water availability issues, site assessment, and emergency preparedness, graduates will be ready to work in various industries, including environmental planning, water field sampling, water quality technology and more.
Seeing the whole picture
The Integrated Water Management program participants benefit from exclusive hands-on learning experiences like field work, virtual reality labs, industry facility tours, and guest speakers. Plus, students get to work directly with professional mentors and industry partners so that they’re staying up to date with current regulations, skills, and expectations. With the hopes of considering all social and economic factors, the program also includes the participation and knowledge sharing of Indigenous community leaders.
“SAIT has a clear interest in ensuring sustainable water management,” says Pablo Pina Poujol, SAIT’s Academic Chair of Sustainability. “Which includes not only exploring new water usage technologies and less water-intensive uses, but also talent development in water.”
