By Kathleen Coupland, University of British Columbia
As a lecturer in the Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management (MGEM) program at the University of British Columbia, I’m always looking for ways to ensure our students are familiar with the tools and technologies they may encounter after graduation.
One thing I started noticing was that many municipal job postings were specifically asking for FME experience or knowledge by name. That prompted me to think seriously about how we could help students develop familiarity with a tool that employers were actively seeking.
To address that need, we introduced a full-day FME workshop into the program each year. Our students are by no means experts after a single workshop, but they know FME, and that alone can provide a real advantage over many recent graduates who have never been exposed to it.
Supporting student career opportunities
One of the biggest impacts has been the direct value that FME experience can provide during the job search. In some job postings, FME is specifically requested, and making sure students have this direct experience is important. It has helped some students get interviews and jobs.
For MGEM students, the value goes beyond simply knowing another piece of software. Many organizations have already integrated FME into their systems and workflows. Understanding what FME does, how data moves across departments, and how shareable workflows are built gives students experience with concepts that are relevant across a wide range of applications. Being able to say they understand FME and have used it means potential employers can have confidence that MGEM graduates are entering the workforce with a strong set of technical skills.
Advice for other instructors
When instructors ask me whether they should bring FME into their courses, my honest answer is that it depends on what the course is trying to teach. Where there’s a genuine connection to the learning objectives, I would highly recommend it. For courses focused on data management, working across platforms, and understanding how organizations handle these challenges in practice, FME provides a useful example that students can apply in a real-world context. It’s intuitive, has a nice GUI, and comes with strong existing resources. The educational support from the FME team has also been outstanding, professional, tailored to individual needs, and genuinely student-centric.
An important part of the Program
Each year, the MGEM program facilitates a full-day FME workshop as one way to ensure our students have access to current industry applications and the technical capabilities that go with them. FME has become an important part of the suite of tools that MGEM students are familiar with.
