Langara’s health, safety, and environmental compliance program offers a unique and challenging post-degree diploma

 (This article is sponsored by Langara College.)

The creation of safe and healthy workplace environments has never been more crucial. And now, industry and governments are actively seeking professionals who understand the law to ensure compliance and avoid injury.

To serve the growing demand for experts in this area, Langara College has developed a health, safety, and environmental compliance program, starting this September.  

Eleanor Clarke, the program coordinator, designed the two-year program to provide graduates with the necessary skills to focus on workplace compliance—including labour, inspection and auditing, public and worker safety, and environmental protection.

“I became really interested in the subject matter and the diversity of what people could do,” she says. “It’s more of the legal side in terms of process and procedures and understanding environmental law. Personally, I found that really interesting and intriguing.”

The curriculum includes two applied projects and offers courses in a number of different areas. Students will graduate with specialized knowledge and training in all aspects of health, safety, and environmental compliance, but the legal aspects of the program are especially important says Clarke, particularly when it comes to job opportunities.

Graduates could do anything from consulting to working in-house to assisting the Ministry of Justice. Working in environments ranging from wilderness to industrial worksites, graduates will apply their knowledge in different ways.

“A person in this role will have to understand the application of law in many situations—construction sites, natural resources extraction and parks—as well as the whole surrounding area,” says Clarke.

While the program is local, she points out that these opportunities are not limited to Vancouver.

“It’s a job you can travel with. Even though the laws are specific to B.C., there’s also federal jurisdiction and most of the laws are not that different Canada-wide,” she says. “They are desperate for people in this type of job up in the north.”

The program will be limited in size to ensure that the classroom environment allows both students and instructors the time required to absorb the program’s complex material.

“It’s a challenging program but there’s nothing like it out there. The students who join this program—whether coming from science or legal background—will learn a lot and leave with a truly unique skillset.”

To learn more about the health, safety, and environmental compliance program, Langara College is hosting an information session from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30. You can also find full details of the program on the website.