This fall, more than 13,400 full-time and apprenticeship students have chosen Durham College (DC) to help them build the foundation they need for successful, meaningful careers. Included in that number are more than 7,700 first-year students, more than 1,900 new and returning international students from 72 countries and 543 students who have attended university and are now pursuing greater applied learning and experience. Another 6,000 students are also gaining new skills and knowledge via part-time studies.

“Students across the region, province and well beyond recognize DC as an educational leader,” says Dr. Elaine Popp, vice president, Academic. “This is why they continue to entrust us with their post-secondary experience. Students want to graduate career-ready and the multidisciplinary, experiential and applied learning offered at DC helps them do exactly that.”

Within the new student body, DC is welcoming the inaugural class of the Artificial Intelligence Analysis, Design and Implementation (AIDI) graduate certificate program. The first graduate certificate of its kind in Canada, AIDI focuses on enterprise AI, including both off-the-shelf solutions and proprietary AI.

The program is a natural extension of and complement to DC’s AI Hub that launched in 2018. The AI Hub provides students with opportunities to gain client-centric, real-work experience through applied research projects focused on AI in connection with education, manufacturing and healthcare in particular.

The college is also expanding its skilled trades offerings with the new Carpentry and Renovation Technician (RENO) program. RENO graduates enter the work force with a competitive edge thanks to a strong knowledge and understanding of structural renovations, sustainable construction theory and energy-wise construction techniques, as well as foundational business theories and strategies to complement their technical training. The program also offers students two options for gaining valuable hands-on experience through either a field placement or co-operative education work term.

Additional new offerings for the 2019-2020 academic year include Police Foundations (fast-track) and Protection, Security and Investigation (fast-track), each of which allows students who have a diploma to earn a second credential in only one additional year of study.

“All of the activity on campus – from new programs to applied research to increased opportunities for experiential learning – reflect the ways in which the college is listening and responding to both industry and our students,” says DC president Don Lovisa. “This energetic start to the new academic year is a clear indication of all that’s to come in the months ahead as DC continues to lead the way for our students, employees, industry partners and community.”