News

Students in two of RRC Polytech’s Pathway programs — Pathway to Information Technology Programs and Pathway to Engineering Technology Programs — are starting their second term strong thanks to free technology from Lenovo.

“The financial cost of accessing technology like laptops can pose a barrier and make it difficult for some students entering a post-secondary program,” says Fred Meier, President and CEO, RRC Polytech.

“Lenovo is eliminating that barrier by ensuring students have their own technology they can use in and out of the classroom. This gift is already boosting each student’s confidence in their abilities, enabling them to pursue their chosen paths with the assurance that they are prepared to excel in both their future education and the workplace after graduation.”

As the winter term began, Warren Beleyowski, Account Executive from Lenovo, joined Pathway students for a visual demonstration of how they are integrating Indigenous perspectives into the field of engineering, providing them with a more sustainable approach to the industry.

The Lenovo Thinkpad X13 Gen 4 laptops were given to the students at the beginning of the Fall 2024 term; they will be able to keep them even after their programs come to an end this spring. The College’s Pathway programs are designed to equip Indigenous Manitobans with the support and skills needed to confidently transition into specific RRC Polytech programs. Read More →

RRC Polytech has been chosen to lead a national network of post-secondary institutions and collaborative partners to bring more academic research ideas to reality, support Indigenous business and drive economic growth.

As part of a national innovation strategy to increase entrepreneurship and research commercialization across Canada, the College has been awarded $24.1 million in federal funding over five years through a Lab to Market grant — becoming one of four network leaders to share in a total investment of $95.3 million.

Administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), this is the largest tri-council grant ever awarded to or led by a college in Canada.

“For over 20 years, RRC Polytech has been solving industry problems and training tomorrow’s future leaders through applied research, and today we are honoured to continue to build on our strengths as a polytechnic and lead this collaborative, nation-wide network through the largest ever tri-council investment in a college,” said Fred Meier, RRC Polytech’s President and CEO.

“Our shared goal is to find solutions for the challenges that all Canadians are facing. This network combines the unique abilities of researchers at colleges and universities and connects them directly with industry and community to accelerate innovation.”

The College-University Lab to Market Network for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization spans eight regional hubs from B.C. to Nova Scotia and brings together 38 post-secondary institutions, along with other collaborators — including RRC Polytech’s Mittohnee Pogo’ohtah, one of three Indigenous hubs. Read More →

RRC Polytech will operate on holiday hours from noon on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.

During the break, the Notre Dame and Exchange District campuses will be closed and there will be no access. Regular hours of operation will resume at 6am on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.

We wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season!

RRC Polytech welcomed Manitobans to the Notre Dame Campus today, as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of its Research Partnerships & Innovation (RPI) enterprise.

A gateway to applied research since its establishment in 2004, RPI connects industry and community partners with RRC Polytech’s comprehensive array of facilities, technology and expertise in collaborative projects that bring innovative ideas to life.

As part of the event, guests toured RRC Polytech’s research labs and areas, saw demonstrations of its leading-edge technology and engaged with faculty, professional research staff and students to learn how applied research projects connect all areas of the College and are driving our province into the future.

“As Manitoba’s polytechnic, RRC Polytech is committed to creating change through innovation and using the knowledge and tools that we offer to benefit our communities and the industries that our graduates will soon be leading,” says Fred Meier, RRC Polytech’s President and CEO.

“Applied research projects drive progress while providing students with invaluable experience through work-integrated learning. We’re eager to build on the incredible success stories we’ve shared with our partners over the last 20 years and to explore new opportunities to find solutions for real-world challenges.”

With 135 researchers and more than 600 students directly involved annually, along with applied research training enabled by research infrastructure in more than 60 courses, RRC Polytech is consistently named a top research college in Canada.

The College’s three NSERC-funded Technology Access Centres (TACs) and other various research facilities and resources are focal points for advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration and accelerating commercialization — with thousands of square feet of space to develop, test and create solutions to support small, medium and large enterprises and communities. Read More →

Health-care education at RRC Polytech enters a new chapter today with the opening of its new Interdisciplinary Health and Community Services Simulation Centre. This facility, the first of its kind in Manitoba, will begin training the province’s future health leaders in January.

The Simulation Centre is a groundbreaking interdisciplinary facility that will revolutionize health-care training in Manitoba. It’s the first centre in Manitoba to focus on nursing, allied health professions and community services, with 16,630 square feet of state-of-the-art learning space at RRC Polytech’s Notre Dame Campus.

“The Simulation Centre will maximize education opportunities and provide immersive and collaborative training for our health and community care programs,” says Fred Meier, the College’s President and CEO. “As one of the largest trainers of health-care professionals in the province, this is an exciting new frontier in how we can better train and prepare students to be confident in their careers and make an impact in our communities throughout the province.

“Simulation is critical, as it ensures students in all programs have access to immediate experiential training opportunities vital to graduation, gaining experience that helps better prepare them for the clinical environment and being job ready on day one.”

Using state-of-the art, high-fidelity simulation equipment and live actors to create small- and large-scale activities and mock scenarios, the Simulation Centre will provide students from 13 programs with real-world experiences that mirror the realities they will face in the workplace. These training opportunities will equip them to fill vital and in-demand career roles in Manitoba’s health-care system from their first day on the job. Read More →

Transformational gift — the largest in RRC Polytech’s history — positions the College to produce the talent and expertise vital to the continued success and growth of Manitoba’s creative industries.

For more than 70 years, creative thinkers have explored ideas and sharpened their skills at RRC Polytech. Today, a $15-million gift from the Schroeder Foundation paves the way for continued growth and opportunity in the creative arts for the College, its students and the province of Manitoba.

Creative industries are at the core of RRC Polytech, and they are growing in Manitoba thanks to a local talent pool that continues to thrive.

The Schroeder Institute of Entertainment and Media Arts has been created to support those industries — and the province — in reaching the next level in this period of growth by ensuring that a pipeline of newly skilled local talent continues to flow and fill crucial industry roles, while engaging more deeply with industry partners and undertaking exciting opportunities to foster innovation through applied research.

Manitoba is increasingly becoming more competitive in creative areas across the prairies, the country and beyond. More productions are being filmed in Winnipeg and throughout the province, and more creative businesses are opening their doors while local companies are making their mark beyond our borders. Local training and talent are crucial to the success of the businesses that choose to operate here, and that is where RRC Polytech — and the Schroeder Institute — come in.

“RRC Polytech and the Schroeder Foundation have a shared vision for the future and what we can make possible through education, collaboration and research,” says Fred Meier, the College’s President and CEO.

“The Schroeder Foundation’s decision to make this tremendous investment in RRC Polytech reflects that there are visionaries invested in our community who recognize the value of what we are doing here to support students on their way into careers in creative industries. This gift today will enable us to create so many more opportunities for Manitobans and our creative industries together.” Read More →

Earlier this summer, the federal and provincial government announced over $12 million in combined funding towards community initiatives and organizations working to end gender-based violence.

RRC Polytech’s Shelter Support Worker micro-credential will receive $350,000 to continue to offer this important tuition-free program – one of 19 organizations in Manitoba to receive such support.

At the July announcement, the Hon. Marci Ien, federal Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister, joined the Hon. Nahanni Fontaine, provincial Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equity, to announce the combined funding — $6.2 million in federal support, and $6.35 million from the province through Year Two of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

“We are honoured to be a part of this announcement and receive support for our tuition-free Shelter Support Worker micro-credential,” said Christine Watson, RRC Polytech’s Vice-President, Academic. “This training prepares current and future shelter workers to support those in need of refuge from difficult and sometimes dangerous situations. RRC Polytech is proud to be a partner in creating a safer Manitoba for all.”

The micro-credential program is the first of its kind in Manitoba and was designed with industry partners to address skill gaps, meet community needs and improve staffing levels and delivery service in homeless and family violence shelters across the province.

Last year, RRC Polytech celebrated its first cohort of 23 students successfully completing the program and next month will host a ceremony for an additional 19 who will complete the second cohort. Read More →

Two RRC Polytech grads were recently honoured for work in their respective journalism careers.

Gabrielle Piché and Austin Grabish are both graduates of the College’s Creative Communications (CreComm) program, which many in the industry point to as the launching pad for their careers.

Piché (2020), a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press, was one of two recipients of this year’s Hon. Edward Goff Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists from News Media Canada. The award recognizes her as a top young journalist in the country, something she attributes to her college training and early work experience.

“Before entering CreComm, I didn’t know how to write a proper news article,” says Piché (shown above). “The program provided robust journalism training and exposed me to other communications sectors. The best part, I think, was being surrounded by fun and creative classmates and knowledgeable instructors who genuinely cared about your success.”

Piché’s internship through the program is what launched her career at the Free Press. No stranger to work-related accolades, she previously won the Eric and Jack Wells Excellence in Journalism Award while completing her joint Communications degree through RRC Polytech and the University of Winnipeg. Read More →

RRC Polytech is excited to announce a game-changing partnership with the Winnipeg School Division (WSD). This collaboration aims to empower WSD employees and area residents by offering RRC Polytech programs free of charge.

What makes this partnership such a game-changer?

1. Investment in people: RRC Polytech and WSD recognize the importance of growing the workforce and strengthening the community. Together, we are embarking on a transformative journey—one that empowers graduates with the skills and knowledge to succeed in critical roles as administrative assistants, library technicians and power engineers.
2. Flexible education: Participants looking to gain new skills without disrupting their daily routines can take advantage of RRC Polytech’s flexible scheduling, which offers classes during and outside of regular work hours.
3. Pathways to credentials: These programs don’t just provide in-house training — they’re a journey toward earning an official RRC Polytech credential. Along the way, participants will have access to instructors with real-world expertise, an industry-aligned curriculum and a supportive learning environment.
4. Cost-free: Thanks to WSD’s generous funding, these programs are accessible to qualified participants at no cost. RRC Polytech and WSD believe that education should be within reach for everyone, and this partnership exemplifies the mutual commitment to making quality education affordable and attainable.
5. Inclusivity and community connections: Beyond workforce development, this partnership allows RRC Polytech and WSD to build meaningful relationships with those working and living in the division — including engaging with First Nations, Métis and Inuit students — making post-secondary training more accessible and inclusive. Together, we are shaping a stronger, more vibrant community, one learner at a time.

This week, RRC Polytech unveiled its new Indigenous entrepreneurship acceleration and incubation initiative, Mittohnee Pogo’ohtah (Mittohnee), in the Roundhouse of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae — the College’s downtown hub for technology, collaboration and community.

A first of its kind in Manitoba, Mittohnee transforms experiential learning, entrepreneurship and innovation into business opportunities for Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba.

“Creating opportunities to advance Indigenous entrepreneurship is a role that RRC Polytech must play as we continue to support student success in Manitoba,” says Jamie Wilson, the College’s Vice-President, Indigenous Strategy, Research and Business Development.

“Lifelong learning is second nature and something we pass down from generation to generation. Mittohnee Pogo’otah (Mittohnee) is such a lesson, one my father learned in his youth from an older member of our community on a hunting trip. It means ‘If you are going to do it, do it right. If you don’t know how to do it right, learn how.’ This is where we can bring together the discipline and innovation to learn how.”

Mittohnee helps Indigenous students start their own businesses as they graduate out of RRC Polytech’s entrepreneurship-based Social Innovation and Community Development program.

It does so by connecting them with a network of resources and expertise focused on process, people, leveraging existing capacity and addressing relevant recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 96 Calls to Action.

It also supports established Indigenous entrepreneurs or band-operated businesses looking to pivot, scale up or enter new joint ventures by serving as an experienced, independent third party.

The College’s ability to remove barriers and create better access for Indigenous entrepreneurs to become successful and drive the province forward is made possible by the power of partnerships with the federal and provincial governments, and generous corporate partners like TD Bank Group and Canada Life.

“Through Mittohnee, we will create the space and provide the right resources and mentorship to help transform the business ideas that Indigenous students develop in the classroom into successful ventures that can positively impact their community,” says Wilson.

“This is a uniquely Manitoba example of economic reconciliation in action, and with support from the province, alongside other funders, this will be the first post-secondary institution to offer this unique initiative here in the province.” Read More →