40 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2022
SChOLARShIP SPOTLIGhT
Growing up reading Popular Science magazines and
watching NOVA (a documentary series about science) put
James Wilson on a path toward the Artificial Intelligence
program at Georgian.
Throughout his career as a senior project manager for
rail and safety design, he was always fascinated with the
potential application of technology.
"I've always been on the cusp of practical technologies
and been able to observe the difference between
practical technology and the potential application of
technology," says James. "To me that gap represents
opportunities. But, in order to get over that gap, you
need to have a modern toolkit to approach it. It's no
longer the practical application of knowing how to use
your power meter to read the output of a generator.
Now, you need to understand the coding. When the
opportunity to look at artificial intelligence came up, it
was like, this is a piece of the modern toolkit."
After completing Georgian's Project Management
program, (class of 2020) James decided to apply to the
Artificial Intelligence program – a sector-leading graduate
certificate launched in January 2021 – as part of the first
cohort of students. He graduates this spring.
As a single father with two high-needs children to help
support, leaving the workforce to get the skills he needed
to go further in his career came with financial challenges.
Fortunately, he was the 2021 recipient of the Magna
Scholarship gave
'breathing space'
for family
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James says receiving the Magna Artificial Intelligence Award took a lot of pressure off him and made a big difference in his life.
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Georgian Employers and Partners online.
Artificial Intelligence Award and the financial aid helped
immensely.
"Getting the Magna Artificial Intelligence Award took so
much pressure off me," says James. "It gave three months
of breathing space for me and my family. I'm extremely
grateful. It's made a big difference in my life."
James was able to speak to Steve Henry, Director of
Apprenticeships at Magna International, to express his
gratitude.
"I'm open to continuing my education past September
or I might be looking to go back to work," says James.
"Steve asked me to reach out to Magna before I re-enter
the market."
In November 2020, Magna and Georgian announced a
$1-million multi-faceted collaboration focusing on bridging
the skills gap and preparing students for industry 4.0
opportunities. Magna's investment at Georgian includes
the creation of an extensive scholarship and award suite
for both future and current Georgian students.
