Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plans in B.C. will spur a demand for skilled workers, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University wants to step in to fill that need by expanding its Cloverdale campus.
Kwantlen is currently using only about five of the 73 acres it has in Cloverdale. So there is lots of land and opportunity for development that could help address the growing demand for skilled workers, Kwantlen’s president and vice-chancellor Alan Davis told Surrey Board of Trade members last week.
“What I’m trying to do is align the future of this rebranded Cloverdale campus as KPU Tech to the skills training needs of the province,” Davis said in an interview after his talk.
An estimated 60,000 skilled workers will be needed over the next decade for LNG projects.
There has been a lot of talk about the skills shortage and how big it is, but Davis said nobody has come up with any proposals on how to fill that shortage.
“But we’re working on a proposal that we want to put before the government, before industry and say, ‘Look, we’re here, we’re a public institution, we have a responsibility to respond, and if you can see us either providing this training or partnering with people to provide the training, doing it in new ways that are flexible, that are responsive to the industry, then let’s talk.’ We believe we have the building blocks and the land to really make a difference.”
Expanding the Surrey campus could mean that trades such as metal fabrication, welding, millwright, carpentry, plumbing and masonry – all the construction trades as well as automotive – would be part of the university.
Davis said that Kwantlen is also exploring how it might work with local industries on how to develop engineering technologies that could establish an engineering school.
“We believe that we have the demographic that suggests that this is a good place to make another node in the network of institutions, including places like BCIT and SFU… that are really focused on technical training, engineering [and] technologies.”
Kwantlen is also keen on emulating the University of British Columbia’s flexible learning initiative, mixing and matching online and classroom learning.
Davis is also exploring an opportunity to develop the performing arts in Surrey with a potential partner.
“People think about theatre and fine arts and music as being a bit [like] hobbies,” he said. “Well, it’s actually a huge part of the economy, and particularly for a tourist economy like Vancouver.”
“There’s a creative economy here that is very vibrant and we need to support it, just as much as we need to support the manufacturing economy.” •
