More than 30 international students attending Red River College’s Language Training Centre Summer Institute put their language training into practice — and got a taste of Manitoba’s passion for sport — at this week’s 2017 Canada Summer Games women’s volleyball match between Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The students and instructors are in Winnipeg until Aug. 11, visiting from both the Shenyang Institute of Engineering in Liaoning, China, and the Shaanxi Polytechnic Institute in Shaanxi, China to enhance their English language skills.

“We are pleased to once again welcome international students and instructors to Red River College’s Summer Institute for the fifth year – most of whom are visiting Canada for the first time,” says RRC president Paul Vogt, himself a member of the 2017 Canada Summer Games Board of Directors.

“This program is essential to our continued work building relationships with educational institutions overseas and showcasing the bright future Red River College and the province of Manitoba can offer future international students.”

The focus of the Summer Institute is to balance fun and interactive classroom sessions at RRC with outings to some of the city’s most popular attractions, while helping students build confidence by using English in the classroom and in everyday situations. Since arriving in Winnipeg, students have visited RRC’s three campuses in Winnipeg, and enjoyed learning excursions to CF Polo Park, Assiniboine Park, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canada Summer Games, and Folklorama. Read More →

As thousands of athletes and spectators descend on Winnipeg for the 2017 Canada Summer Games, a group of Red River College students will be on hand to show them some of our trademark hospitality.

The five students — all of whom are completing the final stages of RRC’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program — are volunteering as team leads overseeing the set-up and operations of the Athletes’ Village at the University of Manitoba.

Their work at the Village will help them fulfill the final co-op term required to complete the second year of their program, in which all five are majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

They first became involved with the Summer Games back in February, when instructor Krista Mask invited Jordon Lanthier, chair of accommodations for the event, to speak to her Rooms Management class about volunteer opportunities.

Mask says the students were immediately enthused, noting the Summer Games experience is perfect for those making their first forays into the industry.

“Many of my students have no work experience when they come to [RRC],” she explains. “And how do you build a resume without having had any paid positions?”

“This is a great opportunity, for them and their resumes — not only do they get to network with different people from all over, it’s also a huge boon in terms of tourism. And without volunteers, these types of events just don’t happen.” Read More →

A set of hockey sticks used by members of the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose have been given new life at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre (WASAC), where they’ll be used by local youths dreaming of becoming the next Mark Scheifele or Jocelyne Larocque.

The sticks, which were damaged or broken during game play last season, were donated to Red River College by True North Sports and Entertainment, and repaired to nearly-new quality by students in RRC’s Aerospace Manufacturing program.

As part of the program’s curriculum, the students fixed the sticks using a variety of composite materials, then delivered them to WASAC, which since 1999 has been providing Indigenous and inner-city youth with access to sport and leisure activities.

“The kids and staff at WASAC really represent the spirit of community, and we are thrilled to provide them with this new equipment,” says RRC President Paul Vogt. “This project is a fantastic training opportunity for our students, who are learning to work with different composite materials, and as a bonus we are able to provide the younger generation of Winnipeg’s youth with opportunities to grow through sport.”

Vogt was joined at WASAC by RRC instructor Terry Morris (who led the project along with Chris Marek), to present the 18 sticks to WASAC participants, and join them in a game of hockey.

“We are humbled and excited to be recipients of NHL hockey sticks,” says WASAC Kids Camp coordinator Kate Doer. “These sticks were given to our children at summer camp and I know they’ll create many special road hockey memories as the kids imagine themselves as their hockey heroes.” Read More →

Red River College, in partnership with the Peterbilt Motors Company, today welcomed its first group of students to the newly established Peterbilt Technician Institute (PTI) at the Notre Dame Campus.

A first for Peterbilt in Canada, the Institute is a manufacturer-paid training program offered to graduates of RRC’s Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic program, and to those interested in advancing their skills and training so they can become certified Peterbilt technicians.

“[The] College’s strengths in delivering this program come from our faculty’s connection to industry and the expertise they bring along with it,” says Tom Grant, Chair of Transportation and Heavy Apprenticeship Trades at RRC.

“Having this program delivered here will help Peterbilt develop their next generation of technicians, and we’re excited to play an important role in supporting them.”

While the trucking and transportation industry plays a big part in driving Canada’s economy — with more than 25,000 people employed in Manitoba alone — RRC’s experience delivering industry-specific training programs made it an ideal choice when Peterbilt began exploring options for their Canadian dealerships and employees.

“Partnering with RRC will allow us to address the industry-wide shortage of qualified and certified Peterbilt service technicians,” says Kyle Quinn, General Manager at Peterbilt.

“Our partnership will attract the next generation of Peterbilt technicians, who will exceed expectations through exceptional service for our customers and their vehicles.”

The new training program will run for 12 weeks, with the first intake running from June to September. A spring intake is planned for March 2018.

Cypher Environmental and Red River College are marking the launch of a new product line developed by Cypher in collaboration with RRC students.

Cypher’s new Dust Stop Municipal Blend product is designed as a non-corrosive and environmentally friendly alternative to road salts such as magnesium chloride and calcium chloride, offering superior road dust control results.

“Cypher’s new product is a perfect example of how Red River College partners with industry to foster innovation right here in Manitoba,” says RRC President Paul Vogt. “It’s a real success story, as students and faculty worked on this project, our facilities were used, and both the Cypher president and company staff are College graduates.”

The product was launched today at an event attended by provincial Minister of Sustainable Development Cathy Cox, along with a delegation of political representatives from the Belarusian province of Mogilev, who’ve shown interest in the product.

Earlier in the day, RRC took the delegation on a tour of the campus facilities used to develop the Dust Stop Municipal Blend.

“We have been working hard on getting this new product up and running, and we’re very excited to be able to officially launch,” says Todd Burns, president of Cypher Environmental. “This product will create new jobs and revenue for the province of Manitoba and we have a growing international market to cater to.”

Cypher Environmental is a Winnipeg-based company that engineers environmentally friendly, high-quality dust control, soil stabilization, and water remediation solutions and now exports to over 30 countries.

Work on the new product was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).

A group of Red River College Hospitality students got a head start on their summer this year, travelling to Belize in May for two weeks of culinary exploration.

The six second-year students — from RRC’s Culinary Arts and Professional Baking and Patisserie programs — made the trip alongside 14 students from Vancouver Island University.

While in Belize, the group spent time in five different cities and town, exploring everything from bakeries to banana plantations, marketplaces to Mayan ruins, and spice farms to sustainable nature preserves.

They also got a first-hand look at the region’s version of the farm-to-table movement, learning how the raw ingredients in coffee, chocolate, and corn tortillas (among other products) make their way from farmers’ fields to your plate.

“It was incredibly enlightening,” says RRC instructor Cameron Tait, who accompanied the students on the trip.

“There are very few people in the world who get to go from picking fruit in the jungle to making their own chocolate — pouring their own bars and wrapping the finished product themselves. You may get to see bits and pieces of that process if you’re lucky, so to see the whole thing unfold was fascinating.”

In addition to the cultural component of the trip — which also included visits to animal habitats, organic gardens, jungle tours and rum distilleries — the students were able to incorporate a charitable element, as well.

As part of their fundraising efforts, they collected several suitcases worth of school supplies, which they donated to an elementary school in the village of Blue Creek.

A recent Red River College graduate has received this year’s Student Award of Excellence from the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) and Canada Newswire (CNW).

Trenton Burton, who graduated this week from RRC’s Creative Communications program, was awarded the 2017 CPRS/CNW Student Award of Excellence at a gala event in Kelowna on May 30.

The award recognizes student excellence in the field of public relations. Candidates are nominated by their instructors and program coordinators; winners receive a $1,000 cash award from CNW and a complimentary affiliate membership — designed specifically for new practitioners — from CPRS.

A singer-songwriter who earlier this year released an album in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Burton recently started a new position as corporate communications representative for Manitoba Blue Cross.

He’s previously worked as communications coordinator for Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, and currently serves on the board for CPRS Manitoba.

“When I found out I won [the award], I almost didn’t believe it,” says Burton, who couldn’t attend the ceremony in Kelowna, but sent thanks via a short acceptance video. “There are so many PR students around the country doing great work, and I was honoured that CPRS and CMW chose to recognize me.

“A lot of the credit goes to my PR instructor, Melanie Lee Lockhart, who taught me so much in the past couple years. And of course, I couldn’t have done it without the Creative Communications program in general, since it gave me so many opportunities I wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

Congratulations to the most recent recipients of Red River College’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Medals for Proficiency, who’ll pick up their awards as part of our 2017 Spring Convocation ceremonies on June 6 and 7.

Each year, a maximum of four medals are awarded to RRC students who best combine good character, academic and technical achievement, and involvement in College and/or community activities. This year’s winners are:

Nella DeRosa: A proud graduate of RRC’s Early Childhood Education Workplace program, DeRosa says she was drawn to the field because she was determined to build a profession that was both challenging and exciting.

DeRosa says her instructors enhanced her experience at RRC, noting they took the time to get to know her as a person rather than just a student. “They believed in you even when you though the impossible wasn’t possible,” says DeRosa, who cherishes the relationships she made with students and instructors during her time at RRC, and looks forward to continuing these friendships in the future.

A graduate of Oak Park High School, DeRosa currently works as an early childcare educator at Linden Meadows Child Care. When not at work or in school, her interests range from fashion and travel to cooking and baking. She loves being involved in her children’s extra-curricular activities and enjoys thinking about her future and all the possibilities that it holds.

Lauren Slegers: A graduate of RRC’s Business Administration program, Lauren Slegers will stay on at the College for another year as she embarks on her newest role as president of the RRC Students’ Association.

Slegers will act primarily as an advocate for students, helping to publish the student newspaper and planning a variety of different activities throughout the school year.

A Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate grad, Slegers entered Business Administration with the hopes of creating a meaningful career. She says doing so was easy, as the skills and information she learned can be applied to her career, and to her everyday life.

In her spare time, Slegers enjoys baking and crafting.

She’s spent her entire career working with at-risk children and youth.

But in her current role as an instructor for Red River College’s Youth Recreation Activity Worker program, Kerry Coulter gets to re-connect with many of those same kids as they prepare to make a similar difference in the lives of others.

“My students are youth with multiple barriers, so often times they’re kids I used to work with, but now they’re all grown up and seeking access to post-secondary [education], and a supportive environment in which to be successful,” says Coulter.

“It’s full circle. These students want to go back and be helpers in their own communities … They grow up, come to college, and are trained and educated in how to be helpers themselves.”

The recipient of this year’s RRC Students’ Association Teaching Award of Excellence, Coulter has been a Youth Rec instructor since 2002. Before that, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba (and later, a Masters degree in Education from Central Michigan University), and worked for a number of child and youth care organizations, including Child and Family Services and adolescent treatment centre New Directions.

Each year, the College’s Youth Rec program trains 16 participants — many of whom face socio-economic barriers themselves — to work with inner city youth as recreational leaders. Graduates of the program often find jobs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg (a program partner) and other inner city youth agencies, or as childhood educators and teachers’ aides. Read More →

Dental Assisting students from Red River College’s Winkler and Winnipeg campuses are again gearing up for a dental and medical mission to Guatemala, where they’ll provide free clinical care for residents of remote villages.

As part of their trip to the region, six RRC students — in partnership with Dr. John Baird, North Dakota State Medical Officer — will provide free dental care to up to 1,700 Guatemalans — many of them children and residents displaced from their homes by an earthquake.

“Past team members have personally gained a lot from their experiences, and feel fortunate to have worked with the people they encountered,” says Dental Assisting instructor Athena Wilford. “In spite of poverty and meagre living conditions, the people we met were very gracious.”

This year’s team will spend time working with children at the Shadow of His Wings orphanage in Monjas, as well as an encampment near San Marcos, where hundreds of residents affected by the earthquake are still living in tents. They’ll also provide care to up to 100 residents of a women’s prison in Xela.

The trip takes place July 9 to 20; students have already begun fundraising efforts to offset their travel costs.

Last year, graduates travelled to six different sites, where they worked alongside medical and pharmaceutical teams from Minnesota and North Dakota.

This year’s team will be comprised of Dental Assisting students Madison Smith, Carissa Lariviere, Lauren Martin, Jessica Friesen, Christopher Hiebert and Robyn Knight.

To contribute to this year’s fundraising efforts, please contact Wilford at cawilford@rrc.ca or 204.632.2589.