Graduation 2010!

Last week I was lucky enough to “volunteer” at SAIT’s 93rd annual graduation ceremonies. All kidding aside, this is an awesome event filled with excited students, proud parents and honoured faculty.

We had more than 1,300 graduands cross the stage to shake hands with SAIT President and CEO, Irene Lewis and to receive their credential. Graduation takes place at the Southern Alberta Jubilee, which is a beautiful venue. One that makes our students feel special.

I was manning the Information Booth, which was a pretty good gig. I got to meet all the students and their families as they entered. Having been part of the ceremonies for the past six years, I think this one had the best attendance I have seen.

The class of 2010 will now join over 155, 000 alumni. That is an incredible number! SAIT has alumni in over 50 countries around the world.



Payin’ For It!

For those students who missed the previous two Payin’ For It sessions at SAIT, we are holding a third one on June 7.

This session covers everything new students need to know about student finance, scholarships and bursaries and Alberta Works funding. Have questions about the session? Check out the blog I posted in early May.

For more information, just call 403.284.7050.

If you have any questions about SAIT and our programs, shoot me a message at recruitment@sait.ca.

Have fun,

Jay

Get a career you didn't even know existed!

One of the greatest features of a polytechnic education is the opportunity to connect with educational opportunities that prepare you for careers you had never considered. The reason you have never considered them is not because they do not lead to exciting and rewarding career opportunities, but rather you may not have been aware these educational opportunities even exist.

We can hardly blame you, in some cases they are the only programs of their kind in North America. Engineering Design and Drafting Technology provides you with relevant experience and training in Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) and is transferable to careers in industrial building design and oil and gas processing.

Other programs, such as Exploration Information Technology and Broadcast Systems Technology may sound strange and foreign to us. However, Exploration Information Technology is an interesting hybrid of information technology and earth sciences, preparing you for exciting careers in the energy sector.

Broadcast Systems Technology prepares you for a career working with the technical equipment in the broadcast industry (with the average graduate earning an average annual income of $79,000).

I know what you’re thinking, these sound like amazing opportunities. Are there more? Yes! Automated Systems Engineering Technology is an exciting program exposing students to robotics and preparing them for careers within industry that is continually expanding their utilization of automation.

Mechanical Design Technology allows students the opportunity to use their creative abilities in the development of product design and development.

These exciting programs, complimented by our state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, provide for a relevant education preparing you for specific career opportunities upon completion. For additional information on these programs, or others you may not have considered before, visit sait.ca.

For a complete list of programs still accepting for fall, just click here.

Jason

Payin' For It!

On May 4, Michelle and I crashed the Payin’ For It session held at SAIT Polytechnic. We thought it would be a good idea to find out if any information we are providing future students has changed. Good news! The Recruitment Team has all the most up-to-date information!

This was the second Payin’ For It session and attendance was awesome. The Orpheus Theatre was filled to capacity with SAIT students, eager to learn all the different ways to pay for their education. This session was presented jointly by Student Services, Alumni and Development and The Centre for Academic Learner Services.

If you were unable to attend the session, the information can be found at sait.ca. You can start applying for student loans online in early June. If you like old fashioned paper applications, you can pick them up at Student Services. If you have questions about student loans, SAIT has a great website that covers the entire student loan process, just click here for more information.

Interested in free money? SAIT has 3.4 million dollars to give away to students each year! However, there is work involved. You have to fill out an application. Keep in mind taking 20 minutes to fill out an awards application for free money is a great return on investment. The best place to find free money is online, check out the Alumni and Development website for award opportunities.

Finally, the Skills Investment Program (SIP) provides financially disadvantaged adults with grant funding for tuition and a living allowance while they are in school. This funding is only available for full-time program that are 52 weeks or less in duration. For more information on the SIP program, visit their website as all the requirements are outlined there.

Of course, if you have any questions about funding, a great place to start is by visiting Student Services, located on the second floor of Heritage Hall. You can also get all your questions answered by calling 403.284.7248 or e-mailing advising@sait.ca.

Finally, students can work part-time to help pay for the education. SAIT has an amazing student employment website, with hundreds of jobs posted. To access the website, you have to be a student of SAIT and register with the website. For more information, click here.

Good luck!

Jay