CALGARY, July 8, 2011 - Four Canadian institutions have earned national accreditation through the Canadian Environmental Accreditation Commission (CEAC) of the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada.

SAIT Polytechnic, University of Manitoba, Cegep de St. Felicien and Nova Scotia's Community College (NSCC) are now joining ranks with six other institutions who have met rigorous standards that aim to connect industry with academics.
 
The CEAC is a standing committee of ECO Canada which provides a non-governmental, third party auditing for universities, colleges and other technical institutes.
 
The project was developed under the guidance of the Canadian University Environmental Science Network (CUESN) and the Canadian College Environmental Network (CCEN) who made the initial request that an accreditation program be administered by ECO Canada.
 
Created to serve the needs of more than 400 environmentally related education programs in Canada, the accreditation program demonstrates to students, parents, educators and industry that environmental programs have met a national standard.

The project plans to establish linkages between accredited program graduates and certification for environmental professionals as well as promote national mobility and communication between post-secondary educational institutions.
 
"ECO Canada accreditation sends a clear signal to industry that graduates of these programs have the desired knowledge and competence to meet the growing needs of the environmental sector," says Michael Kerford, Vice President of ECO Canada.
 
For more information on this program please visit www.eco.ca/accreditation.