Interview with Dr. Klay Dyer, Associate Chair of the Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management (BTech) program at NAIT. As part of Edmonton's tech community, NAIT is part of the Regional Alliance, a group of organizations that collaborate on providing business incubation space and business development services.

Q: What is BTech program?

A: An industry-focused program, where students with a diploma can get their bachelors degree in two more years. With a foundation in the science, engineering, or health fields, the BTech program is designed to teach students how to become great managers. In Alberta we have people with strong technical skills, and now we are trying to help people apply those skills in innovative ways.

Q: What prompted the creation of this program?

A: There was a need in industry, a demand, for people with good analytical and communication skills as well as technical skills. Our response was to design a program to marry applied technology to socially responsible management – teaching students to think out-of-the-box.

Q: What does the program focus on?

A: We have three categories that our classes are built upon - ethical and social responsibility, management and leadership, and applied science and technology. We also offer training in financing, human resources management, e-commerce, business law, and environmental impact assessment. Students can emphasize in business analysis and IT or general management.

Q: Who can apply?

A: We’ve had students go through our program who already have a degree, who have come from other countries, or who have been working in industry for a few decades. Of course we also have students who have recently graduated from a technical program here at NAIT. Basically, anyone with a diploma or higher can apply.

Q: What are the advantages to the BTech program?

A: We often hear about students who get a diploma, and then, when they go on to get their bachelors, many of their classes don’t transfer. With this program, two years counts for two years. Another advantage is that many of our classes are offered online and we have evening classes in addition to the regular day classes.

The most important advantage however is that students with a BTech are more marketable. They gain mobility through their skills which is important in a project-based economy.

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