News

The province has tabled new legislation that would provide Red River College with its own enabling act, and ensure appropriate spending and financial oversight while supporting the College’s mandate.

“Red River College is an essential part of our plan to grow the economy and create opportunities for young people to get the skills they need to get a good job here in Manitoba,” Education and Advanced Learning Minister James Allum said today.

“The proposed new Red River College act would strengthen the College’s financial oversight and governance, so it can continue to meet the needs of students and industry, and remain an important part of Manitoba’s strong post-secondary education system.”

The standalone legislation would build on the Colleges Act by introducing important measures that will allow RRC to continue to fulfil its mandate. Key elements of the proposed legislation would include: Read More →

Red River College’s early childcare training took on a distinctly Italian flair last month, during a six-day conference aimed at teaching the value of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, and the importance of pedagogical research in early child development.

From April 20–25, students of RRC’s Early Childhood Education programs explored Reggio Emilia, a teaching method based on the principle that children are capable and competent, and should have some control over the direction of their learning.

Developed in Italy after the Second World War, the philosophy is making headway in Canadian schoos and daycares — transforming cultural assumptions about children and their intellectual abilities.

“What we want to achieve … is to see how other childcare centres in Winnipeg are benefitting from this type of early childhood education, and to also learn from the experts as to how we can further improve our implementation of the program and how to properly track children’s development through their early years,” says Sue Narozniak, Coordinator of Early Childhood Education at RRC, and chair of the Reggio Inspired Coalition of Educators.

During the conference, Italian childcare experts Filippini Tizianna and Laura Rubizzi (shown above) joined participants as they visited childcare centres across Winnipeg, where they evaluated programming and conducted roundtable discussions about Reggio Emilia and the importance of tracking children’s progress through the early years. Read More →

National Leasing has opened up new doors for students in Red River College’s Business Administration and International Business programs, through a $50,000 donation that has enabled research in the emerging area of social innovation.

The first step of the resulting student project — which culminated last week with a series of judged presentations — was for students to learn exactly what social innovation is, and to identify ways in which it can be implemented in different communities.

Tatjana Brkic, instructor of Applied Commerce and Management Education at RRC, says the ‘social innovation’ tag is one people are still struggling with.

“Social innovation is something that we as a global community have to figure out how to unravel,” Brkic said.

In its most basic form, social innovation occurs when an organization or concept meets a community’s needs. Social innovation fills gaps, addresses social issues, and develops the community. It’s about reducing negatives — like crime and poverty — and boosting economic development. Read More →

For the fifth year in a row, Red River College has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers. This annual award acknowledges RRC’s environmentally-friendly policies, and programs that effectively engage staff in their sustainability efforts.

“Red River College continues to be a champion of sustainability in Manitoba, and I congratulate Sara MacArthur, Kristine Koster and Sue Hayduk from our Sustainability team for their efforts in continuing to cultivate a culture of sustainability,” said David Rew, Interim President and CEO, Red River College.

“As the only post-secondary institution in Manitoba to receive this honour each year for the past five years, this is something every member of our College community takes pride in.”

RRC works hard to be designated one of Canada’s Greenest Employers and is proud of the many sustainable initiatives launched by the College, including: Read More →

Red River College’s Culinary Arts students already benefit from having access to the finest chocolate, and now a new agreement ensures that arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future.

The in-kind donation comes from a partnership between RRC’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute and Cacao Barry and Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products. Originally signed in 2012, the successful union continues with a three-year extension that will see Barry Callebaut provide RRC with an expanded line of chocolates and fillings.

“Cacao Barry and Callebaut’s top-end chocolates have been a huge resource for the college, and have taken the chocolate lessons we provide to a higher level,” says Don Pattie, pastry instructor in the Culinary Arts program. “Continuing with this partnership is an outstanding opportunity for our students that places them well above students in a lot of other colleges.”

In addition to the chocolate, RRC will continue to send one Culinary Arts instructor each year to Barry Callebaut’s chocolate academy in Montréal. Barry Callebaut’s chocolatiers will also visit RRC every second year to run demonstrations for aspiring chefs. Read More →

She’s devoted years to the development of a global online resource that links early childhood educators with the latest in research and knowledge.

So it’s no surprise that Red River College’s Janet Jamieson — Research Chair for the School of Health Sciences and Community Services, and the driving force behind the College’s world-renowned Science of Early Child Development (SECD) research project — has been nominated for a 2015 Women of Distinction Award.

Jamieson (shown above, at centre) was nominated in the category of Community Activism and Social Enterprise — a perfect match, given she’s been the principal researcher and lead developer on a series of projects for RRC that are grounded in the advancement of social equity, and have in turn led to the advancement of economic and environmental priorities.

The most notable of these is SECD, a knowledge mobilization initiative designed to make current research accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the profound impact of the early years on lifelong health and well-being.

First developed as a tool to help share the emerging science about early brain development and its implications for practice across sectors, SECD has grown and evolved into three online living textbooks, as well as other educational resources. Updated regularly, it brings research and concepts to life with hundreds of readings, videos, links and interactive activities. There have been many versions and modules developed to support its use with a variety of audiences throughout the world. Read More →

Congratulations to recent Continuing Education grad Fay Hartwick, this year’s winner of the Red River College and Project Management Institute (PMI) Top Student Award.

Hartwick, who graduated from RRC’s Project Management program in Fall 2014, picked up her award — and associated $1,000 cash prize — at PMI Manitoba’s annual Professional Development Days Spring Conference on April 15.

Each year, program instructors nominate one deserving graduate for the award, basing their decision on a mix of criteria that includes academic achievement, attitude, drive, determination, initiative and teamwork skills.

Hartwick currently works for the Life Science Association of Manitoba (LSAM), where she’s been the office manager since March — working closely with a program manager on event planning and general operations. Before that, she was the Program Director responsible for large conferences at NDG Financial Corporation, parent company to E-Care Contact Centers.

Hartwick, who also has her Management Development credentials from RRC, says she chose the College because of the convenience and comprehensiveness of Continuing Education’s delivery model. Read More →

Check out the ingenious creations and talents of Manitoba’s best and brightest as they compete in the 18th annual Skills Manitoba Competition on Thursday, April 9, from 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. at Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus.

Approximately 500 young Manitobans will compete in over 40 Olympic-style, hands-on contests at the secondary and post-secondary/apprentice levels. You’ll see a showcase of skills in robotics and manufacturing, 3D character computer animation, construction trades, hairstyling, and many others.

Winners of many of the competitions will advance to the Skills Canada National Competition in Saskatoon from May 27–30, 2015.

Hosted by Skills Canada Manitoba, this event is designed to provide much needed awareness of Canada’s skilled workforce shortage. Maria Pacella, Executive Director of Skills Canada Manitoba, says most people are unaware of the merits of post secondary training in trades and technology. Notes Pacella, “The skilled trades offer opportunities for positions with great pay, job security and flexibility. There is a continuing significant worker shortage in many of these areas.”

While visiting the competition, you’ll also have the change to learn more about how Grade 8 girls are being introduced to career options in the trades and technology field, at this year’s Young Women’s Conference.

Also hosted by Skills Canada Manitoba, this one-day event features entertaining and informative keynote speakers and team activities, plus an opportunity to talk to mentors from employers such as Manitoba Hydro, Boeing, Standard Aero and Manitoba’s Apprenticeship Branch.

Red River College is extending the VIP treatment to its graduates this spring, through a newly-launched promotional campaign that celebrates the achievements of not just our alumni, but also the diverse organizations where they find employment after graduating.

As part of the new campaign, RRC invited employer organizations to partner with them on a creative, co-operative advertising blitz. The cost-sharing model provided an opportunity for industry partners to promote their brands, while also showcasing a VIP (and RRC grad) within their ranks.

“RRC alumni are known throughout Manitoba and the world for possessing the necessary skills to be VIPs in their chosen fields,” says David Rew, interim president at RRC.

“It’s just one of the many reasons RRC Grads Get Hired. This spring, we’re celebrating the role our alumni play in driving Manitoba’s economy, and how they are leaders in their careers and their workplaces.”

Appearing this spring throughout Winnipeg and rural Manitoba, the new billboards, bus benches and digital ads feature more then 40 members of RRC’s accomplished alumni community.

“This is an excellent opportunity to partner with RRC and recognize a valued member of our executive team,” says Paul Soubry, president and CEO of New Flyer Industries, whose vice-president of human resources, Janice Harper, is featured on one of this year’s billboards. (See above.)

“Red River College develops skilled grads who are driving Manitoba’s economy, and New Flyer is pleased to provide meaningful employment in our community.”

Visit RRC’s Marketing and Web Presence site for a sneak peek of the full campaign.

Creative Communications students proved their industry training has gone to the dogs (and cats) this month, while helping to find homes for neglected animals during the Winnipeg Humane Society’s annual fundraising telethon.

On Sunday, March 22, students took part in their fourth Liberty Tax 1001 Donations event, a live nine-hour telethon on Shaw TV that’s produced entirely by students from all four CreComm majors — advertising, journalism, public relations and media production.

Students were responsible for filling every moment of screen time with alternately heart-breaking and heart-warming content, shooting and editing nearly 30 behind-the-scenes stories depicting how WHS staff and volunteers care for injured, abused and abandoned animals.

Students were also responsible for creating all graphics and promotional materials, and on the day of the telethon, for all control room and camera work, as well as on-air hosting and live interviews.

“The show was such a success, almost every available animal was adopted,” says CreComm instructor Joanne Kelly.

Fundraising totals are still being tallied, but the telethon has already drawn raves from the Canadian broadcasting industry.

In May 2014, Kelly’s Live TV Production class earned the Best Student Special/Live Remote award from the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada (BEAC), for their work on the 2014 telethon, which raised a record $72,000 for the Humane Society.