Jobs in environmental protection are very diverse and difficult to describe in a short paragraph. Suffice to say that jobs exist in both the public sector, at all levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal), and the private sector, with employers being environmental consultants, environmental contractors, or large companies with an environmental department. Jobs tend to feature a mixture of field or lab and office work., and duties within a given position tend to be varied as well.
Our graduates are usually employed in the environmental industry quickly upon graduation and secure positions in the private and public sectors. In the private sector, students typically work for environmental consultants or contractors, including Synergy Aspen Environmental; SLR Environmental; Kerr Wood Leidal; Hemmera; Tervita (2 positions); PHH ARC Environmental; and DST Consulting, to name a few. As well, our grads are also working for the City of Surrey and Metro Vancouver.
Salaries
Entry-level salaries range between $40,000.00 and $52,000.00 annually. A survey of mid-level salaries (five years of experience) shows a range between $56,000.00 and $69,000.00 annually.
The environmental industry is an important and growing sector of employment. The latest statistics (from Eco Canada) indicate 93, 460 positions for BC, and over is 530, 000 positions for Canada, in the various sectors of environmental work.
Details on occupation types and salaries can be found at Eco Canada, the Environmental Careers Organization.
Salary surveys for technologists can also be found on the site of our professional organization, the Applied Science Technicians and Technologists of BC (ASTTBC).
Co-op Education Work Terms
Students complete two paid four-month work terms while in the program. Each work term has a minimum duration of 420 hours. Salaries are competitive. All accepted EPT students are automatically co-op students, and all students normally find co-op employment.
Employers that have participated with EPT co-ops include Antiquity Environmental, CitiWest Consulting Ltd., the City of Surrey, Corporation of Delta, Elmhirst Diagnostics, KPU’s Institute for Sustainable Horticulture, LEPS, Riteway Dewatering Services, SHaRP, and SNAP.
Our students can also participate in international field schools, such as Sancti Spiritus University in Cuba, for their co-op work-terms.
Student Employment
KPU students are eligible for employment both on and off-campus. Please see Career Services for job posting and instructions for using Career Connection
Working at KPU
If you are looking for employment as a faculty or staff member at KPU, please see the Human Resources website.