Kalob, a third-year mechanical engineering student at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, shares what life’s like in his 16-month co-op placement with the Blatchford Renewable Energy Team. Blatchford Renewable Energy is the utility that delivers renewable heating and cooling to Blatchford homes through the community’s District Energy Sharing System. Several months into his term, Kalob talks about why this placement appealed to him, what he’s learning, and what’s next.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Kalob!
What interested you about this co-op placement?
When I was applying for a co-op position at the City of Edmonton, I was given the option to select the areas that interested me most based on the position title. During my interview, there were multiple people from the different areas within the City that I had selected from the application. Each of them gave me a brief overview of what their positions do, but out of all of them, the Blatchford Renewable Energy team was the most appealing to me. It had interested me so much that I used almost all of my questions at the end of the interview to further understand what the co-op position would do. They had mentioned that there would be opportunities to accomplish many different tasks ranging from engineering design reviews to District Energy Sharing System (DESS) inspections. This caught my attention even more as this would be a great opportunity to expand my knowledge of the engineering world beyond schooling and further gain real-life site experience.
At the time of applying for positions, I was under the impression that my 16 months were going to have to be spread out over a few City positions. The next thing I knew I had a job offer from the Blatchford Renewable Energy team for the entire 16 months of my co-op work term. This was some of the greatest news I have ever received as the offer was for the job that most interested me and it was for the complete length of my co-op work term.
What’s it like being part of an innovative project like Blatchford?
Blatchford is an amazing project to be a part of as it is expanding the idea of district energy throughout Edmonton. It is showing Edmontonians that there are more energy efficient and carbon neutral ways of heating and cooling buildings. So much so that there is already another district energy project underway to support several buildings in downtown Edmonton. There are also feasibility studies underway for other areas within Edmonton to see if district energy can be incorporated. Blatchford has been one of the biggest eye openers in Edmonton to show that district energy can both reduce the carbon footprint of Edmontonians and be an efficient way to heat and cool their homes. Knowing that I am able to expand this form of energy and help others reduce their carbon footprint is truly one of my greatest accomplishments.
What sorts of things do you do in your role?
My role has many tasks, including design reviews, district energy inspections, process development, updates to the district energy design guides, operations management, metering and billing, and assisting with communications. Out of all the tasks I have, my favourite would have to be the district energy inspections. This is my favourite as it allows me to develop my project management and communications skills through working with Blatchford Renewable Energy’s external consultants and the builders in Blatchford. The skills that it allows me to work on are going to be skills I use every day in my future career as a Mechanical Engineer.
What are some key learnings or skills you’ve gained so far?
Being that this is my first job in the engineering field, I have learned plenty of new skills and have had many opportunities to further develop already-acquired skills. The most important thing I’ve learned about the engineering field is that time management is crucial – there are always so many different tasks on the go. Having the ability to manage your time around each of these different tasks ensures they are all completed, and ideally before the due date. Other key skills that I have gained from working with the Blatchford Renewable Energy team would have to be project management and technical writing. Along with time management, these skills play a massive role in engineering. Being able to manage projects effectively helps ensure smooth transitions and project delivery. Technical writing is similar, and it doesn’t just play a role in engineering but also in most fields and in day-to-day life. With projects and in life, being able to communicate effectively helps mitigate information being misinterpreted or left out.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
From day one of working with the City, the team has not treated me like I am a co-op student. Rather, they treat me as one of the team members. Everyone on the Blatchford Renewable Energy team shows up to work every day ready to get the day started, and they have a lot of passion for the work they do. We are always supporting each other with day-to-day tasks and anything else that comes up. The team is very open minded to various solutions to different problems, whether they come from within the team or from other teams or companies we work with. The team strives daily to provide a cleaner environment and future for everyone and that is what I enjoy most about my position.
Any standout moments?
There have been plenty of standout moments in my time with the team so far, so much so that I could probably take up a whole day talking about them. But my favourite one would have to be the Blatchford Block Party. This event took place last summer in a park within the Blatchford community and it was put on by the City team that oversees marketing and communications for Blatchford. It was a chance for Edmontonians to have a tour of Blatchford as well as see some of the show homes and talk to builders. I volunteered at the Blatchford information tent and the experience stood out for me because I not only got to see so many people out enjoying the community, I also had the opportunity to share the concept of Blatchford with them.
What’s next after your co-op term ends?
When my term wraps up near the end of August, I’ll be moving back to Kelowna. I’ll then continue the rest of my schooling and receive my Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering.