Earlier this week, Southeast College and the Petroleum Technology Research Centre signed a memorandum of understanding that is aimed at advancing renewable energy education and research in southern Saskatchewan.  

Tania Andrist is the Applied Research Lead Officer at the college. She explained the partnership is one of the latest the school’s Centre of Sustainable Innovation has reached since opening its doors in April.  

“We’ve been building partnerships throughout the summer and last fall to find ways that we can partner with organizations that can either help us deliver training, or help us fund research opportunities at the school, and the PTRC has so many influences in the southeast that it was a perfect opportunity,” Andrist said. 

The partnership is intended to bring the expertise the PTRC has in terms of carbon capture, geothermal, and other energy advancements and innovations to the platform the college can provide, she continued, with the school being able to offer programming to youth, transitioning workers, and even the general public. 

“We’re a region that’s really involved in energy,” Andrist added. “It’s just bringing their expertise to us and to our students.” 

While initial offerings from this partnership won’t be full-term programming the plan is to start offering some continuing education courses, and partnership training arrangements, in the fall.