Yara Belle Plaine Inc. helps power Sask Polytech program


Donation supports upgrades and enhancements to Power Engineering Technology

March 10, 2015 - Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Power Engineering Technology program will be even better prepared to power Saskatchewan thanks to a $160,000 donation from Yara Belle Plaine Inc.

Yara's donation will support the Power Engineering Technology program expansion project. This significant project involves upgrades and enhancements to Power Engineering Technology labs at Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Saskatoon and Regina campuses. In Saskatoon, renovations will enable the lab to operate year-round. Currently, it shuts down in the summer due to heat generated by equipment. In

Regina, the funds will support development of a Power Engineering Technology lab. Together, the two projects will help facilitate an enrolment increase of up to 30 per cent to approximately 200 students annually.

"Yara's investment in the Power EngineeringTechnology program is an investment in our future employees and the growth of Saskatchewan," says Michael Schlaug, president and plant manager, Yara Belle Plaine Inc. "Our process operators, who comprise almost 40 per cent of our employees, require this type of education, and we are committed to providing these opportunities to the province's workforce. Ensuring students in the Sask Polytech program have the best possible learning opportunities will result in the highly skilled graduates we need to operate our facility safely and reliably."

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is Saskatchewan's primary provider of Power Engineering Technology training. Graduates of the program are in high demand. Six months after graduation, their employment rate over the last five years has averaged 96.4%. The program consistently receives two-and-a-half times more applicants than space can accommodate.

"Yara's donation will allow us to respond to this demand by educating more students—providing them with the knowledge, experience and relationships that solid careers are built on," says Dr. Larry Rosia, Saskatchewan Polytechnic's president and CEO. "It allows us to give them the tools to thrive, so they can meet the growing needs of employers like Yara Belle Plaine, today and tomorrow."

Yara Belle Plaine Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Yara International ASA, is a nitrogen fertilizer producer near Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan. Yara delivers solutions for sustainable agriculture and the environment. Their fertilizers and crop nutrition programs help produce the food required for the growing world population. Yara Belle Plaine is committed to producing the highest quality products, to being a top employer in Saskatchewan, and leading the industry in safety and environmental stewardship.

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Printable media release (pdf)

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