Abstract
Ad Hoc Electrification without planning & preparation will lead to unplanned disruptions. Engaging our workforce and regional ecosystems ahead of product roll-outs, including educators, should be part of that engagement. As mine suppliers and manufacturers are rolling out BEV trucks, scooptrams, bolters & other equipment which has traditionally been diesel or other non-electric driven is leaving our maintenance workforce behind? This electrification to reduce our industrial carbon footprint turns out to be a significant disruptor. It is a change to machine maintenance requirements in the field. Mature maintenance workforces have limited exposure to, hands-on experience with, knowledge of or training on BEV (Battery Electric Vehicles). That leaves them weak performers or unable to efficiently troubleshoot, maintain & repair BEVs. New tradespeople, apprentices and prospects in school are being trained now & they are receiving BEV training with hands-on experience at trade schools & programs. However the bulk of our current maintenance workforce will need skills upgrades in BEV as part of their employers, digital transformation efforts. Schools like Saskatchewan Polytechnic are providing BEV within their existing courses like Heavy Duty Equipment Repair.
How can we now also move BEV knowledge, experience & skills to the existing maintenance teams in the field as well? All those already working in Industry. This paper will discuss how SaskPolytech (SP) is working with our regional industry partners & our BEV manufacturers to ensure that BEV designers & maintainers/owners, mechanics can cope with & sustain BEV's in their operations. Outside of our core and apprentiship programs we deliver a range of non-traditional skills modernization & skills uplifts within a strong ConEd (Continuing Education) framework, school. Our traditional educators & core Transportation, Construction & Mining Energy Manufacturing schools provide the content, facilities and delivery of this seperate programming for ConEd. Where demand is high additional instructors are also engaged. New content like BEV and ESG are being offered to the region and on-line in support of our industries moving to reduce carbon footprints and enable productivity improvement through digital transformation. Where necessary customized Applied Research (AR) is also brought to bear to solve industries concerns. We've also recently become a regional partner of a federally funded Pan-Canadian Mining Innovation acceleration ecosystem program (MICA) in aid of this transformation. Our ConEd BEV initiative is part of our "SURGE" programming. This radical new initiative has many partners & supporters including RBC, iMii and more. The basis is creating content packaged in 3-4 Badges of material defined by the required amount of content, level of effort and equivalent classroom time required to complete them. This combination of badges make up a Micro-Credit offering that can be applied to other directly related trades, certificates, diploma or degree programs. For example BEV can also be taught to technologists or engineers for design use or even electricians, electrical technologist ( and others) who can use this to install BEV support infrastructure or design a power distribution system where BEV will be deployed. BUT, it doesn't stop here. Other similar training, education & trades uplift skill Micro-Credits are coming like automation, Autonomous systems, IOT and more.