There’s never been a better time to pursue a career in the environmental professions. The Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada) reports there are nearly 12,000 environmental positions to be filled in Canada.

According to the federal government’s 2004 Environmental Labour Market Report, 251,000 people are employed in Canada's environmental workforce, a gain of 13.7% since 1999. In contrast, Canada's overall workforce grew by only 8.4% during the same period.

ECO Canada recently formed a partnership with Royal Roads University to create the Canadian Centre for Environmental Education.The new centre will offer education, training, and professional development for members of the environmental professions, starting with the delivery of an online university certificate program in environmental practice that will be launched this September.

 “The centre will bring together RRU’s strengths in environmental programming with a nation-wide resource base to give the environmental sector an important – and much needed – professional profile,” said centre director Dr. Michael Moss.

Moss says the new environmental practice certificate to be offered by the centre will be an online program that will include courses offered by other Canadian post-secondary institutions as well as those developed at RRU. The university offers undergraduate completion degrees in environmental science and environmental management as well as graduate degrees in environment and management and environmental education and communication. 

For more information, see www.royalroads.ca

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To download a free copy of the 2004 Environmental Labour Market Report, visit www.eco.ca and click on the "Products" link at the bottom of the page