Representatives from 12 colleges across Canada joined Red River College (RRC) to share best practices related to providing access to advanced technology and training with industry.
The forum was designed to allow participating Canadian colleges that receive “Technology Access Centre” funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to discuss best practices to increase the intensity of training, applied research, and professional services provided to industry.
“Colleges play a critical role within the training industry with input on the latest tools and technologies necessary for industry to remain competitive and productive,” said Stephanie Forsyth, president and CEO, RRC. “It was our pleasure to host this group of colleges who are leading many research efforts across Canada. This forum also gave us an opportunity to showcase Red River’s Centre for Aerospace Technology & Training at StandardAero and to provide delegates with an opportunity to tour our city via the all-electric battery transit bus prototype – just a few of the collaborative research projects Red River College participates in.”
“The forum covered a lot of ground, but focused on the key issues regarding building sector-specific technology clusters to serve the needs of the community and provide opportunities for applied research and advanced training partnerships,” said Ray Hoemsen, director of Applied Research & Commercialization at RRC.  “It was a great example of cross-sector collaboration on a national scale.”
Last fall the Honourable Gary Goodyear, then Minister of State for Science and Technology came to Winnipeg to announce the first national awards of the NSERC Technology Centres, from which RRC will receive almost $1.7 million through the NSERC’s Community and College Innovation Program to establish the Aerospace and Manufacturing Technology Access Centre.
“It is a significant level of support for the College, and we are receiving positive feedback from industry and the community,” said Hoemsen. “The lessons learned from this forum are being incorporated directly into the group’s strategic planning and deliverables.”
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