A very first partnership between the Higher Institute of Technological Studies (ISET) of Tozeur and the Cégep de Jonquière has seen the light of day.
With a view to sharing knowledge, the Jonquière school has participated in the establishment of a co-constructed license in photovoltaic energy, the equivalent thereof a specification in a technique in mechanical engineering, and a technology transfer center in the same field with the Tunisian partner.
Miriam Alonso is an international educational advisor for the Cégep de Jonquière and has been involved for almost two years in the development of this partnership which makes the college shine around the world. In addition to these projects with the ISET of Tozeur, the Cégep de Jonquière is also a partner in a project framing the same activities led by the Collège Boréal of Ontario, with the ISET of Médenine, still in Tunisia.
Various professionals and teachers from Cégep de Jonquière have been called upon to participate directly or indirectly in these projects. The first part concerns the co-constructed license, which is the equivalent of a specialization in a mechanical engineering technique. “The objective is to develop a training program to exploit photovoltaic energy, solar energy. We have been developing with them for a year and a half a program with the competency-based approach, which is used here in Quebec and in Ontario. They will therefore graduate technicians in photovoltaic energy installation, ”explains the educational adviser during an interview with Le Quotidien.
One of the important aspects of this partnership was that the program created was gender equitable. “This project gives young people and young women the opportunity to enter the job market. It’s something we worked on and are still working on today, to ensure that this program is the most concerned about the reality of women,” continues Ms. Alonso.
Already, the first session began in September. The students, who had previously taken two years of courses in mechanical engineering, were able to undertake their year of specialization.
For Miriam Alonso, this first partnership between the Cégep de Jonquière and Tunisia was a great experience on a professional level, but also on a human level.
For Miriam Alonso, this first partnership between the Cégep de Jonquière and Tunisia was a great experience on a professional level, but also on a human level.
The second component of this partnership concerns the creation of a technology transfer center, inspired by what is being done here in Quebec, with Tunisian partners.
Knowledge sharing
The institution wanted to get involved in these projects because it had the expertise to do so. It was able to highlight its strengths, whether in terms of technical training, education, or research with its TERRE center which touches on all renewable energies.
This type of partnership is part of Cégep de Jonquière’s internationalization strategy, which at the same time helps the school grow. “We accompany them and we learn. That’s mostly what we do. We share knowledge and they also teach us things, as we are currently learning a lot about photovoltaic energy in an extreme desert context. We, on our side, mainly share our knowledge on pedagogy, the development of programs, while also learning about intercultural differences, intercultural pedagogy and more”, underlines Miriam Alonso.
One of the challenges of this collaboration was to develop the projects in the midst of a pandemic. For nearly two years, the stakeholders collaborate remotely. The pedagogical adviser admits that everyone has done a tour de force, while the jet lag has brought several constraints.
Only one face-to-face meeting was organized between the two teams during these two years. Two pedagogical advisors from the Cégep went on site to see the progress of their projects. For Miriam Alonso, it was a great experience on a professional level, but also on a human level.
The Cégep de Jonquière hopes to continue to develop partnerships with the people there and perhaps even welcome or send its students to the field, for the future. The school wants to continue to create links with the partners it meets in order to perhaps encourage other joint projects.
“The opportunities are great, the interest is there and the teams are ready. There is a great relationship with the people there, we have managed to create a great synergy,” she concludes.
