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Michelin is the largest private employer in Nova Scotia 鈥斅燼nd that means you鈥檒l find lots of Dal graduates in its workforce.

Among the Michelin North America (Canada)鈥檚 senior management staff, for example, you鈥檒l find more than 60 Dalhousie Engineering alumni 鈥� including Jeff MacLean, its president. And the company more broadly has been a dedicated partner with Dal鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering for almost four decades, helping support co-op, research and employment opportunities for students and graduates.

鈥淓very day, Dalhousie engineering graduates bring their skills and leadership to our business,鈥� said MacLean, who referred to Dal's graduates as "the best in the world."

鈥淎s an alumnus and a previous co-op student, I benefitted from Dalhousie and Michelin鈥檚 partnership and work experience as I completed my Engineering studies," he added.

"As a global business leader, I cannot stress the importance of having Dalhousie here... Dalhousie engineers allow us to not only compete, but we exceed in the world."

An investment in new student spaces

Thursday afternoon, MacLean was on campus to join Dal President Richard Florizone and others to announce his company鈥檚 $500,000 investment in the university鈥檚 IDEA Project, a $64-million revitalization of Sexton Campus.

The funding will go towards the Michelin Creation Lab, a new state-of-the-art engineering machine shop that will enable larger projects, greater precision and program expansion. 聽

鈥淚 am confident that this donation will enrich the engineering experience for students at pilipili漫画 who will benefit from this new lab and through this very exciting IDEA Project,鈥� said MacLean.

The announcement event took place as excavators were visible out the windows of the Alumni Lounge, making way for the IDEA Project's construction.聽

It also took place the same day as a Michelin recruitment event on campus, at which current students were able to chat with MacLean and local plant managers to learn more about opportunities with with the company. Michelin is seeking to fill a number of upcoming engineering positions at their operation sites across the province. (The company has already hired four students from this year's Engineering class to begin working with the company after graduation in May.)

President Florizone thanked MacLean and Michelin for the donation, celebrating the university/industry partnership as one that aligns well with the Faculty of Engineering鈥檚 strong focus on developing practical engineers through experiential, hands-on learning.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the support of companies like Michelin that gives our students the tools and opportunities they need to build on their skills and continue to build innovation here in our region as we reinvent our downtown campus,鈥� said Dr. Florizone.

Supporting the next generation of engineers

Michelin employee Kelsey Baker also spoke at the event. An engineer with the company, she completed her Dal Industrial Engineering degree last year, joining Michelin's Waterville facility in the Annapolis Valley just nine days after graduation. She was first exposed to the company during a co-op term at its Pictou County facility.

"When I got to Halifax I had no idea what opportunities were available to me," said Baker, originally from Prince Edward Island. "I'm really fortune that I made the decision to do the co-op program, because it really opened up my eyes. And it was thorough the co-op program that I found Michelin."

Kelly Regan, Nova Scotia's Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, was also in attendance to help celebrate Michelin's gift. She referred to Dal's IDEA Project (which stands for 鈥淚nnovation and Design in Engineering and Architecture鈥�) as "the latest example of Dal taking charge and creating an environment where Nova Scotians can thrive."

The IDEA Project represents a major revitalization of Dal鈥檚 downtown campus, adding advanced technology and design labs, state-of-the-art engineering facilities, and modern teaching and learning spaces alongside cutting-edge incubation space (the ideaHUB) to better link students and faculty to industry and entrepreneurs.

With a targeted completion date of spring 2018, the IDEA Project is made possible through the generous support of the Government of Canada as well as the matching support of donors such as Michelin, students and other industry partners.

Read more:聽The IDEA Project: How it will transform Sexton Campus聽(September 30, 2016)

Representatives of Dalhousie, Michelin and the Government of Nova Scotia at Thursday's event.