From left: Apprenticeship and Certification Board Chair Leonard Harapiak; Minister of Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald; RRC alum Nina Widmer (Bricklaying Apprentice); Reg Toews, Coordinator, Red River Technical Vocational Area High School Apprenticeship Program; RRC President Stephanie Forsyth.

More than 230 youth will gain awareness and exposure to the skilled trades through the province’s new Building for Tomorrow summer program – a series of educational camps and work experience programs delivered by Red River College and a network of other business, community and educational partners

“This summer, many of our children will have new opportunities to have fun while learning about a potential future career in various trades, including construction and transportation, trade and technology, hospitality and the culinary arts,” said Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald. “Our government is focused on helping families and youth in exploring the many paths to good jobs and rewarding careers right here in Manitoba, and starting that conversation while kids are still in school.”

The province will support more than a dozen new camps during the summer, including RRC’s Girls Exploring the Trades and Technology (GETT) camps, which gives girls aged 12 to 14 the opportunity to design and build their own go-carts, while learning about the importance of science, math and industrial arts-based courses in high school.

Other camps include:

• RRC’s Portage Campus will offer two one-week programs, introducing 32 Aboriginal youth (Grades 6 to 8) to various skilled trades; Assiniboine Community College will offer 15 participants introductory experiences in carpentry or culinary arts.

• Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Association Inc., in partnership with RRC, will offer 15 Aboriginal youths (Grades 9 and 10) with opportunities to experience different trades, with a special focus on the culinary trades, while learning about the apprenticeship training model; participants will receive certified food-handler training and workplace hazard information system training.

• University College of the North will provide 80 Aboriginal youth in Flin Flon with the basic skills needed for a successful career in the skilled trades.

• Career Trek Inc., in partnership with the Manitoba Construction Sector Council and Winnipeg Technical College, will provide 24 Grade 9 youth with exposure to the carpentry trade.

Read More →

From left: Melanie Wight (MLA, Burrows); Manitoba Finance Minister Jennifer Howard; RRC President Stephanie Forsyth; and Wescan Capital President Peter Jessiman.

A new pilot program at Red River College this fall will provide individuals with intellectual disabilities full access to post-secondary educational opportunities and a successful transition into the workforce.

The 20-student Transforming Futures program will begin in September 2014, and will include hands-on learning in career exploration, essential employability skills and full integration into RRC programming if a student chooses this option. Students will complete classes leading to their certification, which will help them get ready for future employment.

“Red River College’s vision aligns with the goals of this program: to enable all students to build a career, enhance quality of life and contribute to Manitoba’s economic and social prosperity through exceptional applied education and research,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “This is the largest college in the province, and we are uniquely positioned to deliver accessible, innovative programming for students with intellectual disabilities. With the financial support of the province – and support of community champions and private donors – this pilot project is ready for launch.”

The 2013 Assuring Income Security and Equality for Canadians with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families report from the Canadian Association for Community Living estimated that 70 per cent of adults with intellectual disabilities are unemployed or out of the labour force, and are three times more likely than non-disabled Canadians to live in poverty.

“Training opportunities are essential in transforming an individual’s inherent talents and interests into marketable skills,” said Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald. “Removing barriers and increasing accessibility to education is one key way to ensure Manitobans with intellectual have the opportunity to take part and further strengthen the work force.” Read More →

The College’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts has entered into its second partnership with a training facility in France, signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) this morning with the Lycée d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Alexandre Dumas in Illkirch-Graffensatden.

The new agreement aims to benefit students and staff at both institutions, by encouraging and facilitating academic collaboration, educational exchanges and joint research projects for mutual benefit.

This includes the development of mobility programs allowing students from both schools to further their studies abroad, as well as opportunities for staff and student development through cultural exchanges.

“The signing of this MOU further benefits our students, staff and programming at the PatersonGlobal Foods Institute,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “We look forward to the opportunities this partnership represents, and the economic opportunities we both will realize.”

Last November, the College entered into a similar agreement with the Institut Paul Bocuse Worldwide Alliance in Lyon, France, making RRC the only Canadian partner to be inducted.

Earlier this year, Culinary Arts students Alex Wong and Nicole Boudreau were chosen to be the first Canadians to take part in an intensive four-month training internship over the summer.

From left: Levinia Brown, RRC elder-in-residence; RRC President Stephanie Forsyth; MMF President David Chartrand; Joan Ledoux, Minister of Education, Louis Riel Institute.

As part of its commitment to improving opportunities and outcomes for Métis people in Manitoba, Red River College has entered into a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Manitoba Metis Federation and Louis Riel Institute.

Signed this morning at RRC’s Roblin Centre, the new MOU creates a joint working group with representation from all three organizations — one that focuses on education, business and growing industry partnerships to increase economic prospects for Manitoba’s Métis populations.

In addition, a new $400,000 bursary for Métis students was announced — one made possible through matching $200,000 investments by the MMF and RRC.

“[Today] signals an extremely satisfying phase of accomplishments for Red River College,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “Driven by the mission of the College and that of our Strategic Plan, [this] announcement reflects our goal of serving the educational needs of Aboriginal students.”

“The collective efforts of those involved … will benefit Métis people in Manitoba [by] improving access to training and employment opportunities,” says David Chartrand, President of the Manitoba Metis Federation. “We applaud Red River College for their leadership and contributions towards today’s announcement.”

The latest recipient of a joint industry award from Red River College and the Project Management Institute (PMI) says she so enjoyed her time as a student, she was sorry to see it end.

“I felt like I was losing my best friends,” says Alexandra Cristea, a 2013 graduate of RRC’s Project Management program and the recent recipient of a $1,000 student achievement award from the College and the Manitoba chapter of PMI.

“It was absolutely wonderful, and very helpful,” she says. “They really prepared us for the real world.”

Cristea moved to Canada from Romania in 2001, while still working as an operations manager for SGS, a Swiss-based inspection and certification company. In order to expand her skill set, she made the move to project management in 2011 — landing a job as project manager with Assiniboine Credit Union, just before signing up for the program through RRC’s School of Continuing Education.

“I had been part of project work myself, either as support or a team member or consultant, and I realized the value of project management,” says Cristea. “I applied for the job with Assiniboine Credit Union and they hired me, but they said it was also good to have formal certification, which I completely agreed with.”

Currently on maternity leave from Assiniboine (she has a six-month-old baby at home), Cristea earned a perfect GPA for her efforts. She says she’s humbled to have been singled out by the College, crediting her instructors and colleagues as inspirations, and wholeheartedly recommending the program to employees of all stripes.

“Not only to project managers, but any kind of manager or supervisor or even team member,” says Cristea. “It’s very valuable … and it really goes across industries. My colleagues and I are from all over the place — construction, banking, telecommunications, everywhere. It’s not just limited to one industry.”

Click for more information about RRC’s Project Management program.

Students from the broadcasting stream of RRC’s Creative Communications program have earned a pair of prestigious national awards for their efforts on both a student newscast and a record-setting televised fundraiser.

For the second year in a row, RRC’s Broadcast Journalism class, shown above, won the Best Student Newscast (Video News or News Magazine Show) award from the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada (BEAC), beating out competitors from more than 20 post-secondary institutions across Canada, including Ryerson and Carlton Universities, as well as BCIT, SAIT and NAIT.

The award recognized the students’ work on Red River College TV News, a weekly assignment in which students create and produce an evening newscast while working to the same deadlines and conditions as a typical newsroom.

“They start the day at 8:00 a.m., and create a full local newscast with news, weather, entertainment and sports,” says Joanne Kelly, Broadcast Journalism instructor at RRC. “The students do everything on their own. They run the control room, produce, write and report, and do all on the on-air. The [BEAC] judges have said our show could stand up against most professional local newscasts.”

Members of Kelly’s Live TV Production class were also recognized by BEAC, earning the Best Student Special/Live Remote award for this year’s nine-hour telethon benefitting the Winnipeg Humane Society. As with the newscast, RRC students handled all behind-the scenes tasks — including production, camera work, editing and directing — as well as on-camera duties such as reporting and hosting. They also earned a record $72,000 for the Humane Society in the process.

Both entries are also up for the President’s Prize Award (Best of Video and Audio). Students will pick up their awards during the annual BEAC conference and award ceremony, taking place this year in Niagara Falls from May 23-25.

“We are not only so proud of our students for their talent, hard work and teamwork,” says Kelly, “but we are so proud to help raise the awareness of our incredible program across Canada.”

Click here for more information about the Creative Communications program at RRC.

They’re ‘awesome,’ a ‘mouthful,’ and ‘kim-cheesy’ – and they’re the winners of The Winnipeg Foundation’s first-ever Recipe for Success Video Cooking Contest.

For several months, kids from all over Winnipeg have been working to create delicious, nutritious and outrageous sandwiches, as part of a contest launched by The Winnipeg Foundation in partnership with Red River College.

Over the weekend, the winning teams gathered at RRC’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, to take part in a Junior Master Chef Culinary Adventure led by instructors from the College’s Culinary Arts program.

“Cooking is a valuable life skill,” says Keith Müller, Dean of RRC’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. “We are excited to host these budding chefs … and to give them the opportunity to add a few new skills to their culinary repertoire.”

While at PGI on Saturday, students toured the Culinary Arts program’s facilities, learned to use equipment in the cooking labs and helped prepare a healthy lunch for themselves and their guests. They also took part in an awards ceremony, and received feedback from Müller on their recipe submissions.

• Grand Prize: Wrap of Awesomeness, Strathcona Elementary School
• Runner-up: Mulvey Mouthful, Mulvey School
• People’s Choice: Maple Bacon “Kimcheese” Sandwich, École Van Walleghem School
• Wild Card: Picnic Sandwich, École Lacerte
• Wild Card: BLT Mega, Polson School

Prizes for the teams included three $500 grants to support healthy food initiatives and five Junior Master Chef Culinary Adventures, plus the Wrap of Awesomeness will be featured at RRC’s Culinary Exchange.

“We are thrilled with the caliber and variety of the recipes submitted in the contest,” says Richard Frost, CEO of The Winnipeg Foundation. “The goal was to get kids talking about, preparing and eating healthy food. The success of the contest shows that’s exactly what

To watch the videos or learn more about the contest or Nourishing Potential, visit www.wpgfdn.org/recipe-for-success.

(From left): Third-year Construction Management students Yared Melketsadik, Linh Trinh, Prohor Kernos and Jarrod Serens.

A team of Construction Management students from Red River College has tied for first place in a bid simulation contest pitting them against colleges throughout Canada.

The RRC team — comprised of third-year students Prohor Kernos, Yared Melketsadik, Jarrod Sarens and Linh Trinh — tied for first in the “Most Professional” category of The Construction Institute of Canada’s 2014 Student Bid Competition.

The annual contest requires students to successfully complete each step of the bidding and estimation process for a simulated construction project, just as they would if they were working in industry. Team members study drawings, estimate the quantity of materials needed, and apply realistic pricing — all while working to a strict deadline.

“We are very proud of the effort and dedication on the part of the students, who undertook this competition outside of their regular coursework,” says Jerry Johnstone, Chair of RRC’s Civil Engineering Technology department. “The work ethic they exhibited will serve them well in their future careers.”

RRC’s team members had originally ranked eighth out of 62 teams from 10 participating colleges, but were recently informed they’d tied for first after judges discovered an error in scoring. While preparing their bid, RRC students worked closely with coach (and instructor) Adam Ding, Barb Boroskae from the Winnipeg Construction Association, and mentor James Melendez from PCL Construction, who was named “Esteemed Mentor” by contest judges.

Other contest categories include “Most Accurate and Complete Bid Package”, and “Closest to the Target Price”. RRC’s first-place ranking in the “Most Professional” category comes with a $1,000 prize.

Click here for more information on RRC’s Construction Management program.

Hon. Theresa Oswald (left), with students and instructors from RRC’s School of Transportation, Aerospace and Manufacturing.

Federal and provincial employment ministers paid a visit to Red River College yesterday, to sign a trio of agreements aimed at connecting Manitobans with available jobs.

Hon. Jason Kenny, Minister of Employment and Social Development, joined Hon. Theresa Oswald, Manitoba Minister of Jobs and the Economy, at RRC’s Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC) to finalize three key agreements related to skills training and employment programs.

The Canada Job Grant takes an employer-driven approach to helping Canadians gain the skills and job training required to fill available jobs. Delivered through the Canada-Manitoba Job Fund, the Grant requires increased contributions from employers, which Kenney said will result in training that leads to guaranteed jobs.

“The Canada Job Grant is part of our commitment to address the paradox of too many Canadians without jobs, in an economy of too many jobs without Canadians,” said Kenney. “Helping employers train Canadians for jobs that need to be filled will help their business grow and succeed. And that is good news for the Manitoba economy.”

Under the agreement, the province will receive $18 million a year for a variety of training programs. The funding works out to $15,000 per person for tuition and training; that amount includes up to $10,000 in federal contributions, with employers required to cover one-third of the total costs, on average.

“By working with business to provide skills training opportunities, we are helping young Manitobans find good jobs right here at home,” said Oswald of the new agreements. “Together, the new Canada-Manitoba Job Fund and our five-year, $5.5-billion infrastructure plan will grow our economy, create jobs, and put Manitoba on stronger, more competitive footing for the future.” Read More →

From left: Culinary Arts student Nicole Boudreau, Chef Takashi Murakami, and Culinary Arts student Alex Wong.

Fun, food and philanthropy were on the menu at last week’s inaugural Top Chef Award Dinner, where Red River College honoured a Canadian culinary icon, while helping provide educational opportunities for the next crop of industry stars.

Held April 17 at The Fort Garry Hotel, the event gave RRC a chance to celebrate the lifetime achievements of Chef Takashi Murakami, executive chef at St. Charles Golf and Country Club, and an internationally recognized cuisinier.

Widely hailed as one of the most talented chefs in Canada, Japanese-born Chef Murakami has spent the last 40 years elevating food preparation to an art form at St. Charles.

During that time, he’s also picked up an impressive array of industry awards and honours, among them a series of gold medals (and a World Championship) as a member and coach of Culinary Team Canada, a Chef of the Year designation by the Manitoba Chefs Association, membership in the Canadian Culinary Federation’s Honour Society, and a 2005 appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada.

“He has taken the art of food preparation to astounding new levels and along the way has mentored and developed thousands of graduates from RRC’s Culinary Arts program,” said RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “It’s very hard to find a chef who hasn’t in some way benefited from Chef Takashi’s experience.” Read More →