Becoming citizens of the world
Luis Chavez; Dr. Steven Wille; Patricia Bowron; Dr. Nick Rubidge; Ndirangu Kioni; Jim Abbott; Nancy Hilgert; Dr. George Kamucha —Photo by Joni Krats
As part of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Skills for Employment Initiative, the College of the Rockies (COTR) in Cranbrook, B.C., has received a boost in funding. MP Jim Abbott announced the $199,995 allotment that will enable COTR interns to travel to Ecuador and Kenya to provide job skills training as part of an environmental entrepreneurism program. h3. New opportunities Universidad Especialidades Espiritu Santo (UEES) in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Kimathi University College of Technology (KUCT) in Nyeri, Kenya, have partnered with COTR for this initiative. Professor Ndirangu Kioni, principal of KUCT, recalled the beginnings of his institution, which was community-funded. Fundraising began in 1972 and studies began in 1978. The university-college now offers degree programs in business, engineering and computer science and has over 1,500 enrolled students. Kioni said that KUCT was attracted to the CIDA-funded partnership with COTR—which started in 2006— partially because of the similarities of topography the institutions share. KUCT is situated by Mount Kenya. Kioni also said that the area surrounding Nyeri relies heavily on tourism—like the East Kootenay region. UEES and COTR have started a three-year partnership to develop a post-graduate program in environmental entrepreneurism that will be delivered in Guayaquil. This means COTR students can study in Ecuador while participating in community development strategies. h3. Mutual benefits Dr. Stephen Wille, executive vice-president and provost of UEES, spoke of the lifestyle and personal benefits he had gained from living in Ecuador. “It is a sort of life I wanted to learn,” Wille said. Wille added that this partnering will be symbiotic—that Canadian participants stand to gain as much from this experience as the Ecuadorian and Kenyan communities they will work with. “We are a globally engaged community college,” said COTR president and CEO Dr. Nick Rubidge. “We are preparing people to become citizens of the world.”
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