Best of luck to Red River College instructor Luc Jean, who’ll square off against some of the city’s best chefs at an exclusive culinary competition benefiting Canada’s Olympic athletes this week.

Jean, an instructor with RRC’s Culinary Arts program, has been selected as one of the top chefs in Winnipeg, and as such will compete in the 2014 Gold Medal Plates competition, a precursor to the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Jean will represent Jane’s — RRC’s exclusive restaurant and training kitchen — at the event, which takes place Thu., Oct. 2 at the RBC Convention Centre. As it does every year, the event celebrates the best in local cuisine, pitting the city’s premiere chefs against each other in a bid for a spot at the championships, which take place next February in Kelowna.

Jean will face some formidable competition at the event, including a number of RRC grads, among them Adam Donnelly (Segovia), Michael Dacquisto (Food Evolution), and Norm Pastorin (The Grove).

Other competitors include Michael Schafer (Sydney’s at The Forks). Barry Saunders (Inn at The Forks), Edward Lam (Yujio) and Eric Lee (Pizzeria Gusto).

Net proceeds from the Gold Medal Plates go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation, which supports Canada’s Own the Podium program. To date, over $8.2 million has been raised.

Red River College will pay tribute to a pair of industry trailblazers this week, awarding honorary diplomas to film/TV producer Lisa Meeches and business owner Larry Vickar as part of its spring convocation ceremonies.

The honorees will pick up their diplomas at convocation ceremonies taking place Wednesday, June 4 at the Centennial Concert Hall. Meeches will receive a diploma in Creative Communications, while Vickar will receive a diploma in Business Administration.

“Both recipients are leaders in their community; their contributions are widely known and well respected,” says Richard Lennon, Chair of RRC’s Board of Governors. “The College is committed to improving the social and economic well-being of Manitobans and we are happy to honour those who share those values with us.” Read More →

RRC’s Creative Communications program makes the most of its Olympic connections this week, welcoming graduate and gold medalist Jill Officer (2001) for a post-Sochi sit-down Thursday at the Roblin Centre.

The discussion will pair Officer — who joined skip Jennifer Jones and teammates Kaitlyn Lawes and Dawn McEwan in nabbing a gold for Team Canada in women’s curling at this year’s games — with fellow CreComm alum Kyle Jahns (2006), who covered the action in Sochi as a reporter for the Olympic News Service.

Officer and her teammates defeated Sweden 6-3 for the medal, becoming the first women’s squad to go through an Olympic campaign undefeated. The success marks the latest in a laundry list of accomplishments for Officer, who’s played with Jones off-and-on since she was 15, winning the Canadian Junior Championships once in 1994 and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts four times from 2005-2010.

Officer and Jahns visit the Roblin Centre at 11 a.m. this Thursday in room A104.

From left: RRC apprentices Steven Doerksen, Mike Baker, Alicia Demare, Marc Lindenberg, Marcus Dyck and Julia Schroeder, at the AWMAC Apprenticeship Cabinetmaking Competition.

Congratulations to RRC alum Julia Schroeder (Cabinetry and Woodworking Technology, 2012), a Level-3 apprentice who took top honours in last weekend’s Architectural Woodworking Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC) Apprenticeship Cabinetmaking Competition.

Held Sat., March 22 at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus, the contest tasked six RRC apprentices with constructing a detailed millwork project over nine hours.

Apprentices arrived at the contest site to find a set of detailed blueprints and a selection of lumber, panel products, laminates and hardware. Racing against the clock (and each other), they completed their projects just minutes before the nine-hour mark, at which time their entries were judged by attending members of the local millwork community.

“This competition illustrates the growth and development each apprentice goes through during their apprenticeship experience,” says Mike Watson, Chair of Construction Trades at RRC, noting competitors also got a chance to network with visiting industry representatives.

The top competitors took home prize packages (donated by RRC and the AWMAC’s Manitoba chapter) of tools they’ll be able to use in their trade. Schroeder’s project will go on to be judged against other provincial winners at the AWMAC national convention, running May 29 to June 1 in Quebec City.

Congratulations also go out to second-place winner Alicia Demare, and third-place winner Marcus Dyck.

Click here for more info on RRC’s Cabinetry and Woodworking Technology program, and here for more on the AWMAC.

From left: AWMAC President Curtis Popel, RRC apprentice Leonard Derksen, and RRC instructor Todd Birtwhistle, at last year’s National Apprenticeship Contest.

Best of luck to the RRC students taking part in this weekend’s Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC) Cabinetmaking Apprenticeship competition.

The nine-hour event will unfold at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus this Saturday, during which time eight apprentices will compete for the top spot, and for prizes supplied by AWMAC and RRC’s Cabinetmaking Apprenticeship Fund.

The winner will advance to the nationals, where his or her project will be judged against winning projects from throughout Canada.

Last year’s provincial winner, Leonard Derksen (shown above), went on to take top honours at the National Apprenticeship Contest. The following RRC apprentices are competing in this year’s provincial round:

• Mike Baker
• Alicia Demare
• Travis Devisser
• Marcus Dyck
• Derek Friesen
• Adam Hajkowski
• Marc Lindenberg
• Julia Smith Read More →

Keep your eyes peeled for a brand new advertising campaign positioning Red River College as a compelling first choice for education.

The newly-launched, province-wide bus and billboard campaign achieves a number of key goals – chief among them that of celebrating our graduates and their success stories, while at the same time showing prospective students all that can be accomplished with an RRC education.

The campaign also strengthens partnerships with the countless employers who hire RRC grads, identifies programs and industry areas that may be of interest to prospective students, and showcases RRC’s core strengths, including employment success and employer satisfaction rates.

The billboards feature 27 RRC alumni, and will be visible for 12 weeks (March 3-May 25, 2014).

See the campaign in its entirety →

Red River College’s (RRC) 2014 winter convocation saw 107 students graduate from the inaugural Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree program.

“Red River College is proud to offer this degree program, designed by us for the benefit of Manitoba students and the provincial health care system,” said Stephanie Forsyth, RRC’s President & CEO.

“I congratulate the staff in RRC’s Nursing Department and the leadership of Dean Louise Gordon and Program Chair Karen Wall for developing and implementing this innovative program.”

RRC first launched its Bachelor of Nursing program in 2010, in order to provide an accelerated alternative to the four-year programs offered at universities. RRC’s first class of graduates completed their studies in August 2013, and crossed the stage during winter convocation ceremonies held Tuesday, February 4, 2014.

Read More →

RRC grad Sandra Sukhan, who currently serves as a curriculum consultant and teacher-educator for the College, will be on campus this week reading from a newly-released book about her childhood experiences in Guyana, and her sometimes difficult transition to life in Canada in the 1970s.

In Search of the Blue Lotus tells Sukhan’s story of growing up in Guyana during the 1960s, a time of political upheaval and racial unrest resulting from British efforts to colonize the nation. It also documents her arrival in Canada in 1970, following her move here at the age of 16 for an arranged marriage.

From the official bio: “Through a first-person reflective narrative, Sandra takes you on her very personal journey of her arrival in Canada to complete high school, her work as a hairstylist, her efforts to challenge systemic injustices of schools, and in later years during her academic studies toward a doctoral degree, her growing awareness of some of the issues of her youth that affected and impacted her life.”

A professional hairstylist with a doctorate in Environmental Studies, Sukhan is also a graduate of RRC’s Teacher Education program. Her story will be of interest to anyone working in the field of technical and/or vocational education.

RRC’s Library is proud to host two readings from the book, both of which will include conversation and refreshments:

• Wednesday, Jan. 29: Notre Dame Campus Library 3-4pm
• Thursday, Jan. 30: Exchange District Campus Library, 3-4pm

Click here for more information on In Search of the Blue Lotus, and here to register for one of the readings.

Don Streuber, President Bison Transport and RRC President & CEO, Stephanie Forsyth

A plaque was unveiled at RRC’s Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre student lounge to recognize the partnership between the College and Bison Transport.

“The Bison Transport Student Lounge naming reflects the tremendous support of Bison Founder, Mr. Duncan Jessiman and President, Mr. Don Streuber,”said Stephanie Forsyth, President & CEO, Red River College. “Staff and students not only benefit from the generous gift of $100,000 but we are extremely grateful for the gift of service Don Streuber has afforded. He is an incredible ambassador for the College and a volunteer who champions for continued industry growth and development at HETC.”

“Bison Transport is known as North America’s Safest Fleet and our maintenance department plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of our equipment on the road,” said Bison President Don Streuber. “We are happy to play a role in the development of the next generation of technicians graduating from Red River College.”
Read More →

Since the 1930s, Red River College has delivered programs to provide a skilled workforce and drive Manitoba’s economy.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, a special ceremony took place at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus to mark the College’s 75th Anniversary. Live-streamed to all nine campuses, the celebration paid tribute to the countless staff, students, alumni, donors and friends of the College who over the years have helped to make RRC one of North America’s leading post-secondary institutions – and Manitoba’s only polytechnic.

“Red River College has become a network of choice for post-secondary education and is a critical source of knowledge, training, research and innovation,” said Stephanie Forsyth, president and CEO, Red River College. “We’ve come a long way in 75 years and – as proud as we are of the past – we are equally excited about the vision for the future.”

“My sincere congratulations to Red River College on their 75th anniversary,” said the Hon. Erin Selby, Manitoba’s minister of advanced education and literacy. “The College plays an integral role in meeting our government’s target of adding 75,000 workers to Manitoba’s labour force by 2020.”

“On behalf of students past and present, I want to congratulate the College on their 75th Anniversary,” said Jocelle Cuvos, president of the Red River College Students’ Association. “The College has always been dedicated to students’ success and the SA is proud to be a partner in the continued success of students at RRC.”

Annually, Red River College has more than 30,000 enrolments in full- and part-time degree, diploma and certificate programs. Through award-winning instruction and training on state-of-the-art equipment, RRC prepares its students to become leaders in their fields, while partnering with industry to conduct research and ensure curriculum remains up-to-date.

Find out more about RRC’s 75th anniversary festivities →