January 6, 2015

Safety Dynamics Inc recently pledged $7,500 to provide financial assistance to students taking the Medicine Hat College (MHC) Continuing Studies occupational health & safety (OH&S) certificate program. A total of $1,500 will be distributed annually for five years.

“We are particularly excited about this donation for the fact that the programs offered through continuing studies do not typically qualify for financial support. Students faced with the challenge of affording this program now have access to funding - which for some can make the difference to enrol or not,” says Tracy Stroud, development officer with the foundation. “By working with industry, this gift is helping to remove financial barriers for our students.”

The OH&S program is offered in partnership with the University of Alberta. It is a part-time program, designed to help practitioners develop the competencies needed to be effective in the development, implementation and evaluation of health and safety programs and systems in a variety of settings. The core competencies of graduates will help prepare them for registration as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).

Angie Anton, owner of Safety Dynamics and instructor with the OH&S program explains that this award is one way in which she is able to share her passion with students.

“Through this donation I am able to share in my success as my company is now in a position to give. I believe in what I do and I want others to get an education to better understand the field as well as move past the basic knowledge of OH&S,” says Anton. “I wanted to make sure that those who have a genuine interest in the profession wouldn’t be held back from taking the program because of the financial side of things.”

This is one of the first awards that has been donated to continuing studies programming.

“Most awards require a student to be enrolled full-time, however what is unique and valuable about the continuing studies format is that it allows professionals to work while also attending classes in the evening and weekends. It is one of the ways MHC is directly responding to the needs of local employers - so it’s nice to have a company recognize these learners and support them,” says Stroud. “We really hope other companies see the value and help support lifelong learning.”

If you are interested in donating to this initiative contact the Foundation Office. Trish O'Grady can be reached at 403.502.8997 or togrady@mhc.ab.ca and Jenna Williams at 403.529.3897 or jwilliams@mhc.ab.ca.

For more information on the Foundation Office and their ongoing projects visit www.mhc.ab.ca.