(Left to right): James Slade, Instructor (ACCESS Model Programs), RRC Aboriginal Education; Renata Freitas, Project Assistant, RRC International Education; Virginia Maria Carvalho Freire, International Relations, Federal Institute of Maranhao (IFMA); Eddy Lau, Project Manager, RRC International Education; Reitor José Ferreira Costa, Dean, IFMA; Stevenson Alloso, Director, RRC International Education.

Red River College officials are meeting this week with partners from federal institutes in Brazil, to discuss a newly-announced government program that will see 100,000 Brazilian students studying overseas.

Earlier this fall, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced “Science without Borders,” a new initiative in which 100,000 Brazilian students will be sponsored to study overseas — 75,000 of them by the Brazilian government, 25,000 by the public sector. The program aims to help Brazil cultivate a “scientific and technological elite,” and to assist learners in developing a global vision while building peaceful relationships with other countries.

Red River College is taking part in the project as a means of building on relationships established during the “1,000 Women” project — an earlier initiative that cultivated strong working relationships between Canada and Brazil, and served as the pilot for the Science without Borders program.

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Ding Tinxuan, President of Henan Business College, with RRC President Stephanie Forsyth.

Red River College has expanded its international reach with the recent signing of an agreement with Henan Business College (HBC) of Zhengzhou, China, to offer a joint program in Hotel Management.

Under the terms of the agreement, students will complete two years of study at HBC, followed by a year at RRC’s soon-to-open Paterson GlobalFoods Institute. Succesful graduates will receive a diploma from both institutions. RRC will also send instructors to China to teach courses to HBC students enrolled in the joint program.

“This agreement builds on our existing relationships with colleges and universities across Asia,” explained David Leis, Vice President of Business Development for RRC. “Red River College is a Canadian leader in providing hospitality management education, and joint programs like this allow us to share our expertise with the rest of the world.”

HBC has already recruited 40 students for the initial intake of the program, and the first class is expected in Winnipeg in September 2013.

Founded in 1960, Henan Business College offers programming in business administration and applied arts to over 11,000 students. Henan is Manitoba’s sister province in China.

Thanks to a continued partnership with Manitoba’s Immigration Centre, Red River College is helping recent arrivals to the province “tap in” to their full potential.

As part of the Immigration Centre’s aptly-named Tap-In Program, RRC (via the School of Continuing and Distance Education) provides training courses to low-income students working to improve their marketable skills.

The program is similar to flying standby on a commercial airline: Applications are submitted to program administrators two to three weeks prior to their start dates. If spaces are available, they’re allotted to Tap-In participants, who access the courses at a reduced fee.

Some clients are working towards certification, while others are just topping up their resumes, or upgrading their skills. To date, Tap-In clients have accessed upwards of $225,000 in training from post-academic institutions in Manitoba, while working towards careers in such fields as Applied Arts, Business and Management, Basic Computer, Community Services, Trades and Industrial, Health Sciences, French, Education, Information Technology, and Safety.

“It’s a partnership we’re extremely proud to be involved in,” says Raeann Thibeault, Dean of the School of Continuing and Distance Education. “We’re thrilled to be working with the Immigration Centre in helping newcomers attain the education they need to provide a better life for themselves, and in helping with the supply of the skilled workforce in Manitoba.”

Not surprisingly, Tap-In participants are equally effusive.

“I am the kind of person that always wants to excel in my life, and one of my priorities has been my education,” says Miguel Rodriguez, a student from Colombia who’s currently enrolled in RRC’s Justice and Public Safety program. “Unfortunately, I have never attended college because of money restrictions … This is why I thank God that through Red River College and the Tap-In Program, I am achieving my dream.”

Click here for more information about the Tap-In Program.