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Power engineering courses in the works

Squamish resident secures B.C. Safety Authority teaching certification

The B.C. Safety Authority recently conferred certification to teach basic-level courses in power engineering on a small Squamish-based company called Power Engineering Technology Corp.

The company's principal, Ali Abolfathi, spent 15 years as an instructor at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton and worked for both Husky Oil and Vermilion College in Alberta before that. Abolfathi, who lives in the Upper Squamish Valley, said it has taken him two years to secure B.C. Safety Authority certification to teach three courses: Power Engineering Part A, Power Engineering Part B and Power Engineering Basic Boiler Safety Awareness Course.

Until last month, the nearest place for those wishing to undergo basic-level power engineering certifiction training was the North Shore campus of the B.C. Institute of Technology (BCIT). Last month, Abolfathi said he had three or four people interested and hopes to begin teaching courses in Squamish in late January.

According to the BCIT website, "Power engineers operate, maintain and manage industrial power and process plants. These plants are associated with various industries such as pulp and paper, chemical manufacturing, food processing, electrical generation, petroleum refining, institutional mechanical systems and others.

"Provincial regulations require that plant personnel be certified prior to assuming positions of responsibility in the operation of fired pressure equipment."

Abolfathi, who has a first-class power engineering ticket, said anyone responsible for pressurized vessels such as a boiler must have at least fifth-class power engineering certification. That's because pressurized vessels such as boilers can be quite volatile.

"Water expands 1,600 times, so if you have a boiler with a couple thousand gallons of water in it, it can destroy a high rise at once," he said. "Nobody's allowed to operate this machinery unless they have this certification."

Brennan Park Recreation Centre is just one example of a building with a boiler that requires an operator with fifth-class certification. The boilers at some of the larger hotels in Whistler would require fourth-class certification, Abolfathi said. Generally, the larger the plant, the higher the level of certification required, he said.

The two-part Power Engineering A and B course takes a total of 200 classroom hours, or about six months for those working at an average pace, Abolfathi said. The cost of the training is around $6,000, he said -comparable training, including all costs, at BCIT or elsewhere would cost around $15,000, he said.

Those who achieve certification can land good-paying jobs -Abolfathi said the average starting wage for someone with fourth-class certification is around $70,000 a year.

"Wherever there's an oil refinery, pulp mills, power generation plants -there would be power engineers working there," he said.

Since moving with his family to the Squamish Valley, Abolfathi has owned and operated the Squamish Valley Campground (www.campsquamish.com). Over the past couple of years, he has been teaching power engineering courses to the private sector, which requires him to travel as far away as Prince George. He also offers some training over the Internet.

"I've got students at different companies that I teach at their offices, but eventually I'd like to have my own school based in Squamish to train students, and hopefullhy I've got three or four classes going at a time. I think the market is there," he said.

For information, email info@campsquamish.com or phone (604) 898-9310.

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