Fleming College signs agreement to provide water sector training in India
Peterborough ON – (April 15, 2015) – Fleming College is one of a select few Canadian post-secondary institutions to sign a skills development agreement in conjunction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Canada this week.
Leveraging its water and wastewater technology expertise, Fleming College has signed a memorandum of understanding with India’s National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Through the MOU, Fleming will develop training programs in water operations.
Fleming College President Tony Tilly officially signed the MOU on April 15 during a special ceremony in Ottawa. The partnerships formed with the NSDC have been endorsed by Prime Minister Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The NSDC has the responsibility of developing skills in more than 20 sectors in India. It plans to work with one institution globally in each of the designated sectors, which range from aviation to sports to water.
Fleming College is an ideal partner for the NSDC and the water sector skills council through its specialization in environmental and natural resource sciences as well as through the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT), located at Fleming’s Frost Campus in Lindsay, Ontario.
Fleming graduates 40 per cent of Ontario’s technicians and technologists in this sector, and the CAWT has existing partnerships in India to advance research on water/wastewater technology in India.
“In addition to our strength in applied research, Fleming College has the theoretical and hands-on knowledge and expertise to deliver training in the water and wastewater sector,” said President Tilly. “We are pleased to partner with India’s National Skill Development Corporation on this important initiative, and look forward to further building our relationship with the NSDC.”
The same day that President Tilly signed the MOU, he also signed a letter of intent with India’s ReserWater Innovation Foundation. The two institutions will collaborate on further developing, promoting, and delivering training and education to the water sector in that country. Fleming College and ReserWater are also interested in creating a new Centre of Excellence for Water in New Delhi.
The Centre would aim to address major skill gaps in the water sector in India through standards and certification, education and training, and mentoring. It would also foster further knowledge and competency among water sector workers, including drainage inspectors, water engineers, plumbers, treatment plant operators, and supervisors.
About the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment
The CAWT is an internationally-recognized institute that conducts research in the areas of water and wastewater treatment science. It offers applied research and testing services as well as project design and demonstration services, programs and training, funding opportunities and advocacy. The CAWT has done extensive research on effective, low maintenance, and inexpensive forms of water treatment that have valuable uses in northern areas and developing countries where large-scale treatment infrastructure can be difficult and costly to establish.
About ReserWater Innovation Foundation
ReserWater Innovation Foundation is a multi-disciplinary, integrated global innovation platform dedicated to developments in the water sector. It aims to build a holistic ecosystem in this sector that will enable Capacity Building, Innovation & Research, Technology Solutions, Socio-Economic reforms, Data Management & Modelling, as well as attracting Finance & Investment to develop this sector. This is the first such initiative of its kind in India, if not the world, to bring multiple disciplines within the same cluster including – Research and Academia, Government, Industry and Civil Society. ReserWater is a registered not-for-profit entity in India.
About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Science, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has 5,900 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and more than 68,000 alumni.
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Learn more about the NSDC and its agreements with Canadian post-secondary institutions here.
For more information:
Laura Copeland
Communications Officer
laura.copeland@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1370