News

Would you like to meet someone new, from another country and culture? Are you proud of where you study or work? If so, then please help us welcome new international students to Red River College! We’re looking for ambassadors to serve as a friendly, welcoming face when our international students first arrive in Winnipeg.

RRC first piloted an Airport Pickup Service for international students during the fall semester of study in 2013. The service is made possible by volunteers from RRC’s staff, faculty and student communities.

Since the program’s inception, we’ve been able to welcome many international students as soon as they arrived in Winnipeg, but in order to continue this service, RRC’s International Education office needs your help.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the time commitment? Do I just complete the student pickup and drop-off?

The time commitment is usually two hours. You’re simply expected to pick up the student from the airport and bring them to the location where they’re staying. If you would like to take them for a tour (or go shopping, etc.), you can do so, but it is not the expectation of this initiative.

Can I specify a time I’m available?

Your availability is a key factor when matching up our arriving students and our volunteers, so you’re more than welcome to identify times when you are not available. Since the students arrive on various dates and times, we’re not able to specify the time until the request for pickup comes in. Our pickup service will be offered from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. only.

International Education will handle the coordination and scheduling of all pickups. In addition, your parking at the airport will be reimbursed.

If you would like to volunteer, or have any questions, please email international@rrc.ca.

Red River College’s Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) Camp is among nine Building for Tomorrow programs helping Manitoba youth gain skilled trades experience this summer.

Jobs and the Economy Minister Kevin Chief visited RRC’s Notre Dame Campus today to highlight the importance of the GETT Camp and other Building for Tomorrow programs, which provide training and education opportunities to groups that are typically underrepresented in the skilled trades.

“This summer, many young Manitobans will be given the chance to have fun while learning about potential careers in the trades — such as construction and carpentry — or in the technology sector,” said Chief of the camps, which are part of the province’s Gateway to Apprenticeship and Certification Initiative.

“Our government is committed to helping students and their families explore the many paths to rewarding careers right here in Manitoba.”

According to the Buildforce Canada 2015 report, Manitoba needs 11,800 new skilled workers by 2025 in order to sustain economic growth. Initiatives like RRC’s GETT Camp — a one-week program in which girls 12 to 14 learn to build go-karts and gain other technical skills — provide opportunities to get young Manitobans thinking about careers in the skilled trades. Read More →

Red River College has been awarded $1.75 million over five years from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), to establish the Centre for Building Envelope Performance (CBEP) at the Notre Dame Campus.

Lawrence Toet, MP for Elmwood-Transcona (shown above, at centre), was on campus yesterday to announce the new funding, which comes in the form of a Technology Access Centres Grant under NSERC’s under College and Community Innovation (CCI) program.

Work on the CBEP will see RRC partnering with the local construction industry to conduct applied research, provide specialized education and training, and support innovation in building envelope design and construction.

“Colleges play a key role in supporting innovation and business, and RRC has been a leader in applied research for more than 10 years,” says Interim RRC President David Rew (above, second from right).

“This grant will help enhance our ability to serve Manitoba’s construction sector with advanced graduates and professional training, as well as foster innovation in a critical component of building design and construction.”

The CBEP is expected to significantly increase access to the College’s facilities, equipment and expertise for Manitoba’s building industry, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises whose products and services directly impact a building’s envelope. Read More →

Red River College’s Board of Governors announced today that Paul Vogt has been named the College’s fifth president and CEO, effective Aug. 17, 2015.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Paul Vogt to Red River College,” says Lloyd Schreyer (above, at right), chair of RRC’s Board of Governors. “Paul’s extensive background as an administrator and public service leader, and his contributions to education policy in Manitoba, will be an asset as Red River College continues to evolve and grow as a leading post-secondary institution in Manitoba.”

Vogt (above, at left) was head of the public service in Manitoba for eight years. He joins RRC after serving as an executive in residence at the University of Manitoba and advising on the development of a multi-year post-secondary education strategy. He also helped to establish the province’s new Advisory Committee on Advanced Education.

“While Paul’s extensive background is well-suited for institutional leadership, his relationships within the community are key to driving strategic planning initiatives with various stakeholders who contribute to the mission of the College,” says Schreyer. “I look forward to working with Paul as the College continues to prepare skilled graduates to drive Manitoba’s economy.” Read More →

Elder Mae Louise Campbell, currently approaching her tenth year as an Elder in Residence at Red River College, is among the 20 members of the City of Winnipeg’s newly-struck Mayor’s Indigenous Advisory Circle (MIAC).

Campbell (shown above, with Mayor Brian Bowman) was present at a press conference yesterday in which Bowman officially debuted the new Circle, explaining its members will advise the city on policies aimed at building awareness, bridges and understanding between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities.

“The circle is a symbol of unity,” Bowman said. “To create unity and equality, we must build understanding. Through MIAC, much of the important work building strong bridges in our community will continue.”

Wab Kinew, local broadcaster and Associate Vice-president for Indigenous Relations at the University of Winnipeg, will serve as chair of MIAC.

“I’m looking forward to working with the mayor to advance the project of reconciliation,” Kinew said. “I look forward to ushering in an era when First Nations, Metis and Inuit cultures are celebrated by all Winnipeggers.”

An initiative determined through the hundreds of submissions received through Bowman’s website 1winnipeg.ca, MIAC was created to help “establish a means to educate and create awareness of the rich Aboriginal culture, people and heritage that are at the roots of the city and nation,” according to a city press release. Read More →

For the next 20 years, Red River College will be able to offer joint diplomas with the Shenyang Institute of Engineering (SIE) in China, one of RRC’s oldest international post-secondary partners.

As part of the new agreement, signed earlier this week, RRC and SIE will offer joint diplomas in Electrical Engineering Technology, Power Engineering Technology, and Hospitality and Tourism Management, giving students and instructors from both institutions the opportunity to participate in exchanges and study abroad.

“We have enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership with the Shenyang Institute of Engineering for more than 27 years,” says David Rew (shown, seated), interim president at RRC. “This new agreement will allow us to continue to offer high quality education to our students, and to grow our international education program here in Manitoba.”

The College’s work in international education began in 1987, when the partnership with SIE was first struck. Following that, the College continued to expand its mandate and in 1994 opened the Department of International Education — welcoming a Malaysian student as RRC’s first official international learner.

“As a leader in applied learning, RRC is in a very strong position to work with institutions like the Shenyang Institute of Engineering, to develop these joint programs and expand our abilities to continue to attract international students,” said Eddy Lau (shown above, at left), RRC’s acting director of International Education.

“We continue to recruit more international students each year, and our international students continue to enrich the global learning environment we have cultivated at the College.”

This year, RRC has over 800 international students participating in studies and joint programs. On average, the College has seen a 27 per cent increase in international student enrolment from year to year.

Red River College’s Bridge to Civil Technologies (BCT) program has been recognized with a national award for Best Initiative in the category of Workplace Integration, at this year’s International Qualifications Network (IQN) Awards.

The BCT program — a joint partnership between RRC’s Language Training Centre (LTC) and its Civil Engineering Technology department — was recognized by the federal government’s Foreign Credentials Referral Office for its efforts to improve foreign credential recognition and assessment.

The BCT program was piloted in 2014, and included three components: a five-month gap fill term, a five-month paid co-op term, and Year 3 of RRC’s Civil Engineering Technology program — in either the Municipal, Structural, Architectural or Environmental majors.

Students graduated earlier this month with a diploma in Civil Engineering Technology, and will be eligible for a Certified Engineering Technologist designation from the Certified Technicians and Technologists Association of Manitoba (CTTAM) after one year of Canadian work experience.

Of the 13 students who began the program in January 2014, 12 are already working full-time as civil engineering technologists. Read More →

Congratulations to the most recent recipients of Red River College’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Medals for Proficiency: Katrina Clarke (Civil Engineering Technology) and Lauren MacLean (Business Administration).

Each year, a maximum of four Lt-.Gov.’s Medals are awarded to RRC students who best combine good character, academic and technical achievement, and involvement in the College and/or community. This year’s winners embodied every aspect of the award.

Katrina Clarke (Civil Engineering Technology)

Originally from Miniota, Man., Clark (shown above, at left) graduated from Birtle Collegiate in 2009. After working for a surveying company after graduating, she enrolled in RRC’s Civil Engineering Technology program, where she majored in Municipal Engineering Technology.

In May of this year, Clark began working as part of Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Wetlands Restoration Team — as an engineering technologist dedicated to restoring drained and damaged wetlands throughout Manitoba.

Currently living in Brandon, Clark is heavily involved with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and is passionate about animals and the outdoors. While at RRC, she was a member of the Rebels Women’s Soccer team, making her the third Rebels athlete in two years to win a Lt.-Gov.’s Medal. (Fellow Rebels Kimberly Cowan and Abby Silva won in 2013.)

Lauren MacLean (Business Administration)

A 2010 graduate of Morden Collegiate, MacLean originally enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s U1 program, with the hopes of transferring into the Faculty of Engineering.

After “failing miserably” in her first year (her words!), she opted to instead enroll in RRC’s Business Administration program, with a major in Accounting. She also ramped up her extra-curricular involvement, joining the RRC Students’ Association as a class rep and later running successfully for SA president.

MacLean now works for Richardson as an accounting clerk in the Engineering department. She remains passionate about her RRC roots, and plans to continue along the educational path the College helped her develop.

A film festival submission about a tattooed hipster puppet has earned a pair of Red River College students a $2,500 prize.

Modern Love, a five-minute short by first-year Creative Communications students Matthew Dyck and Tedi Gilmartin, was the third-place winner at this year’s Big Rock Eddies Short Film Festival in Calgary.

The humorous short, which details the “un-traditional” romance between a woman named Blaire and a puppet (sorry, “plush person”) named Zane, began as a student project for Gilmartin and Dyck’s advertising class.

The pair then entered the project in the Eddies’ inaugural short film festival (newly rebranded after 22 years celebrating mock ads and commercials for Big Rock Breweries.)

This year’s event drew close to 50 submissions — all based on the theme of “tradition” — which were then reviewed by a panel of judges that included Emmy-winning producer Chad Oakes and Hell On Wheels star Anson Mount.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that CreComm students have placed in the competition, and the first year that a CreComm video entry brought home an award.

Visit the Big Rock site to view the top three winning entries.

Red River College will pay tribute to a pair of community leaders and passionate Manitobans at tomorrow’s spring convocation ceremony at the Centennial Concert Hall.

This year’s Honorary Diploma recipients are Dave Angus (Business Administration), President and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce (shown above at right) and Ace Burpee (Creative Communications), local radio host and community advocate (shown at left).

“Both recipients are leaders in their community; their contributions are widely known and well respected,” says Interim RRC President David Rew. “On behalf of the Board of Governors and the Awards Committee, I congratulate both individuals for their outstanding contributions to our community and for their work as advocates for Red River College.”

Angus has been a long-standing fixture in Winnipeg’s business community, having served as the Chamber of Commerce’s chair and as its president and CEO since 1999. Under his leadership the Chamber has increased its membership to the highest level in its history, and has been recognized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as an Accredited Chamber with Distinction.

Angus also played an instrumental role in bringing a World Trade Centre to Winnipeg, and in establishing Leadership Winnipeg, Yes! Winnipeg and the BOLD initiative — a grassroots public policy campaign designed to mobilize community support for forward-thinking ideas that will increase prosperity in the city.

Host of The Ace Burpee Show on 103.1 Virgin Radio, Burpee has been a leader in Winnipeg’s broadcast industry for more than a decade, and is well known for the hundreds of charitable events and causes — both local and international — that he donates his time to every year.

Through his tireless efforts, he has helped to raise millions of dollars for countless charities, while raising awareness of many important social and community issues. Read More →