TORONTO – December 4, 2023 – The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC), a coalition of isotope leaders across the nuclear industry, isotope supply chain, academia, and the healthcare sector, is pleased to welcome Georgian College to its growing network of academic collaborators.
Georgian College, a multi-campus college in Central and Southwestern Ontario, works with industry and community partners to offer relevant, cutting-edge curriculum, and hands-on work and co-op experiences. With over 130 micro-credential, certificate, diploma, degree, and graduate programs with course offerings across various industries, Georgian College is working to train future leaders in the nuclear isotope industry through courses in engineering, nursing, biotechnology and biomedical sciences, health, medical laboratory technologies, and more.
In response to the increasing demand for isotopes and new opportunities in the industry, Georgian College is now looking to expand its support of the medical isotope industry in new ways.
In October 2023, Georgian College became a partner of the Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition (SOIC), a regional initiative that aims to unite the region’s isotope community. Within this coalition, Georgian College is working collaboratively with key isotope companies in the region to understand and respond to skill development needs in the sector.
Through its new membership with the CNIC, Georgian College will be able to engage with CNIC members across the isotope sector to better understand their labour and skills needs. Through collaboration between industry and essential academic institutions like Georgian College, Canada’s isotope community can develop targeted training programs to grow the next generation of isotope leaders. Together, we can ensure the industry has sufficient staff to maintain Canada’s leadership in isotope production, research, and development.
“Through its Isotopes for Hope campaign and ongoing advocacy efforts, the CNIC has laid out an ambitious vision to double Canada’s production of isotopes by 2030 to meet rising demand. However, Canada must ensure that we have the skilled personnel in place to facilitate that growth,” said James Scongack, Chair of the CNIC.” We are excited to welcome Georgian College to the CNIC’s growing membership to leverage Georgian’s expertise in skills-training to help Canada staff growth and innovation in the future.
“Georgian College has a strong history of educating a highly skilled workforce in numerous sectors including healthcare and energy. We are well-positioned to partner with employers and researchers to advance isotope-focused research, training, and innovation that meets emerging needs in the field” said Dave Shorey, Executive Director of Georgian College’s Owen Sound Campus. “Georgian College is honoured to join the CNIC and contribute to the development and deployment of life-saving isotopes that are critical to high-quality health care in Canada and around the world.”
About the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
The CNIC is a coalition of science, healthcare and nuclear-sector organizations to ensure Canada remains a world leader in the production of life-saving isotopes by bringing awareness and supporting long-term policies at the domestic and international level that will save countless lives and support health-care innovation for decades to come.
To learn more about the CNIC visit www.CanadianIsotopes.ca and follow us on, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
For more information, please contact:
Melody Greaves
Policy, Government, and Stakeholder Relations Specialist
Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
melody.greaves@canadianisotopes.ca