At the end of April, the first batch of Fanshawe College’s “Advanced Ergonomic Studies” program graduated, and were placed with a variety of hosts, as interns, typically under the mentorship of an experienced ergonomist. Remarkably, the internships are unpaid, so over 20 companies benefited from this program. The interns all have undergraduate degrees, in addition to their certificate in ergonomics, which should qualify them for “Associate Ergonomist” status under the CCCPE. They had very little field experience at the time of their placement. Three of our clients brought interns on board, contracting us to mentor them.
Fanshawe’s program fills a critical gap in the “ergonomics” education system. Very few universities in Canada (arguably none!) provide the precise blend of coursework that is required to meet our certification criteria. As part of the program advisory committee, I have been involved with Fanshawe’s program from almost the beginning. I truly hope that all the grads found good placements, with good mentors. When they are finished their placements, I hope they spread out and help to raise the profile of ergonomics in Canadian workplaces. I’m also hoping to share some of their stories in our September newsletter.
The 8-week internships are just wrapping up now, and the interns have started to search for full time jobs. The three that we worked with all showed great potential. They were exposed to a few different types of projects during their term, and, while there’s lots to learn, they were eager and quick to pick it up.
If you’re hiring a full-time ergonomist, call me at 519 623 7733. I’ll help to connect you with one of “the good ones”. If you don’t have in-house “ergo” mentoring resources, we can help with that. (An “Associate Ergonomist” needs 5 years of full-time experience, or 4 years of experience including 1 year of mentored experience, to obtain their “Certified Professional Ergonomist” status.) Hire us to organize and oversee training, to provide peer-review of reports, and to support the new ergonomist as s/he spreads his/her wings! We’ve trained dozens of grads to work for us; let us use that experience for your benefit!