On March 19, the BCIT School of Energy and BCIT School of Transportation collaborated in the first annual BCIT Hydrogen Symposium at the Burnaby Campus. The BCIT Hydrogen Symposium is a forum allowing academia, government, and industry to come together and discuss initiatives to advance the development of the hydrogen industry. This year’s theme focused on Powering the Future BC Workforce.
As British Columbia (BC) moves away from higher carbon-emitting energy sources, BCIT is answering the call to create innovative solutions in the energy sector. During the event, BCIT brought together leaders in the hydrogen ecosystem to explore, share, and identify workforce gaps and provide flexible solutions for workforce development to ensure BC remains a leader in the hydrogen field.
Attendees heard presentations from industry leaders, such as HTEC and Ballard, and participated in thought-provoking roundtable discussions, as well as networking opportunities with diverse and innovative companies across BC.
Honourable Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, was in attendance for a conversation and Q&A with attendees. Minister Osborne was also interviewed by a BCIT Broadcast and Online Journalism student Anthony Atanasov.
VIEW: Hydrogen Symposium 2024 photo gallery
A notable concept stemming from the event was the suggestion of establishing a Hydrogen Hub – a centre point open to community partners to encourage the learning and collaboration of hydrogen-related initiatives. This Hub would bring together diverse industry leaders and organizations and create an alliance for combined action, while supporting the Hydrogen Roadmap and BC’s goals for decarbonization. What’s more, BCIT was among those recommended as an ideal site with the facilities and capacity suitable for such a Hub.
With the Hydrogen Symposium deemed a resounding success, a 2025 Hydrogen Symposium is already in the works. If this is something you believe you would like to be a part of, please reach out to Marko Vicic.