2017 graduating class, Peterbilt Technician Institute

All six students enrolled in the first class of a specialized mechanics and technology course will walk out the doors of Red River College and into new careers as certified technicians for Peterbilt Motors Company.

The students are graduates of the new Peterbilt Technician Institute (PTI), launched in partnership with the College earlier this year. The Institute is a manufacturer-paid training initiative offered to graduates of RRC’s Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic program, and to those interested in advancing their skills to become certified Peterbilt technicians.

For Alexandra Pratt, the experience means getting her foot in the door of a great career.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to get started in a career with such a well-known and reputable company,” ays Pratt. “I learned so much through this program, and would recommend it to anyone looking to start a career with the Peterbilt family.”

The six students were the first to complete the comprehensive training program, earning ten key certifications to earn their designation as Peterbilt Master Technicians.

This new program allowed the students to gain experience in all aspects of the work done at a Peterbilt dealership. Peterbilt Motors Company supplied the curriculum, laptops for the students, three trucks, two engines and specialized tools to help ensure the students’ success in becoming confident in their skills and career-ready by the end of the 12-week session. Peterbilt also trained RRC instructors to deliver the program at the College.

“Red River College is built on supporting the backbone of not only Manitoba’s economy, but many important sectors all across the country and throughout North America,” says Arnold Boldt, RRC’s executive director, Academic. “This new partnership with Peterbilt was a perfect fit when it came to accessing our expertise and state-of-the-art facilities.” Read More →

Avoid the rush and get your textbooks now.

View the fall term booklist and order your textbooks here: Campus Store

The Campus Store can ship textbooks to you or you can pick them up at the Notre Dame or Exchange District Campuses.

Last week, the School of Continuing Education launched its second summer camp for kids: Kids Design Camp.

16 children ages 10-14 had the opportunity to design their own products and living spaces — tracing the path from concept to drawing board to production. They worked with Josephine Pulver, professional designer, in the drawing studios at the Roblin Centre. They learned about top views, cubic volume, designing to scale and used their incredible creativity, individually and collectively, to create forts, wallpaper patterns and to-scale models of their bedrooms, family rooms and homes.

See what they designed →

You can now register for Fall Term classes. Many sections fill up fast so check on the online catalogue to ensure to your spot.

The Program Guide contains descriptions of the 100-plus part-time and full-time certificate and diploma programs offered by the School of Continuing Education. The document also includes general information, registration forms, and important phone numbers.

Review the Fall Program Guide to see what courses are required in each program. Always review the online schedule as the print schedule is subject change.

Download the 2017 Fall Program Guide →

Today, Red River College, along with the Peterbilt Motors Company welcomed its first group of students to the newly established Peterbilt Technician Institute (PTI) at the Notre Dame Campus. This is Peterbilt’s first training institute in Canada.

PTI is a manufacturer-paid training program offered to graduates from RRC’s Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic program and Peterbilt employees who are interested in advancing their skills and training to become a certified Peterbilt technician.

“Red River College’s strengths in delivering this program come from our faculty’s connection to industry and the expertise that they bring along with it,” said Tom Grant, Chair, Transportation and Heavy Apprenticeship Trades, Red River College. “Having this training 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 industry plays a big part in ‘driving’ Canada’s economy – with more than 25,000 people employed in the trucking and transportation industry in Manitoba alone – Red River College brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise in delivering industry specific training programs to help manufacturers develop their workforce.

In addition to PTI, RRC also provides a variety of other industry specific training programs for many vehicle manufacturers in Canada, which made RRC an ideal choice when Peterbilt began exploring options to establish their first training institute in Canada to make this program available to their Canadian dealerships and employees.

“Partnering with RRC will allow us to address the industry-wide shortage of qualified and certified Peterbilt service technicians. Our partnership will attract the next generation of Peterbilt technicians who will exceed expectations through exceptional service for our customers and their vehicles,” said Kyle Quinn, General Manager, Peterbilt Motors Company.

This new training program will last 12 weeks with the first intake running from June to September. A Spring 2018 intake is also planned for next March.

Interested students should visit rrc.ca/pti to learn more.

Convocation ceremonies will be held at the Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Tuesday June 6, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
• School of Continuing Education

Live Stream of Ceremony:
Family and friends who are unable to attend the ceremony can view the live webcast of the ceremony. A link to the live webcast will be made available at www.rrc.ca/convocation on the day of convocation.

For more information, visit: http://www.rrc.ca/convocation

Congratulations Grads!

Between them, they have a combined 32 years of experience as instructors for Red River College’s School of Continuing Education.

And this year, they find themselves the very worthy recipients of ConEd’s Teaching Excellence Awards, presented annually to those who demonstrate innovative and effective teaching practices, a willingness to assist and mentor students, and an appreciation for (and response to) diversity among students.

Debbie Phythian, 2017 Teaching Excellence Award winner

The first of this year’s winners, Debbie Phythian, has taught ConEd’s Aboriginal Child Care post-diploma certificate for more than two decades.

A dedicated mentor who is student-centric in her approach, Debbie is known for going above and beyond to ensure her students get the most from their learning experiences.

For their part, students tend to appreciate how quickly Debbie responds to their questions and concerns, and how committed she is to providing helpful and informed feedback on their assignments and their progress.

“She is passionate about the program, the content and her students — and it shows,” according to her nominators. Read More →

Dimitrios Athanasiou, 2017 Walter Kenneth Morris Memorial Scholarship winner

Congratulations to Red River College Continuing Education student Dimitrios Athanasiou, winner of this year’s Walter Kenneth Morris Memorial Scholarship Fund, which recognizes the province’s top Transportation Systems student.

Awarded annually by the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation (CITT), the $500 scholarship recognizes a Manitoba student who excels in the organization’s Transportation Systems course (online or in class) and who goes on to excel in Transportation Processes.

A Winnipeg resident for the last three years, Athanasiou worked until recently as an inventory clerk at Piston Ring Service. He has completed six out of 11 courses required for his CCLP (CITT-Certified Logistics Professional) designation, all of them with honours.

He also has a BA (Hons) in Marketing from the University of Wolverhampton in the U.K., and seven years experience in the fields of international trade, customer service and logistics from prior employment in retail, transportation and manufacturing/trading in Greece.

“I wish the CCLP designation to update my knowledge of the Canadian logistics industry, and to upgrade my professional credentials as a permanent resident of Canada,” he says. “The Walter Kenneth Morris Memorial Award and Scholarship is very welcome — a nice feeling, for which I am very thankful.”

CITT is Canada’s leading professional development organization in the supply chain and transportation logistics sector, and serves as a collective body of knowledge in the field.

Through joint efforts with post-secondary institutions such as RRC and the University of Manitoba, students are able to earn professional designations in Logistics. The College is considered to be an integral part of CITT’s Level 1 and 2 programming.

The Walter Kenneth Morris Scholarship fund was established in 2006 to honour Morris, who taught both Transportation Systems and Transportation Processes in Manitoba, and who held CITT council positions at both the provincial and national levels.

Learn more about the Transportation and Logistics Management Certificate offered at RRC.

Rodney Braun (Professional Photography Lead Instructor), Nichole Valgardson, Joe Kerr (Professional Photography Instructor)

After an intense day of shooting, editing and judging, a Red River College Professional Photography student brought home a gold medal from last week’s Skills Manitoba Competition.

Congratulations to Nichole Valgardson on her Gold medal finish. This is the second year that a RRC Professional Photography student won gold in this category.

More that 500 students show off their trades- and technology-related talents, as they compete in hands-on, Olympic-style contests. Many of the individual competition winners will advance to Skills Canada National Competition, being hosting this year in Winnipeg from May 31 to June 3.

Read more about Skills Manitoba and 2016 photography medal winners.

Talk about a stitch in time. Jan Bones has been teaching clothing design for nearly 40 years.

An instructor teaching Apparel Design courses at Red River College, Bones began her teaching career in 1978 at the University of Manitoba.

In 2008, after courses at the U of M were discontinued, Bones seamlessly transitioned to RRC, albeit with the help of a human ecology lab at the university for the first two years. Now, the Apparel Design courses are housed in the Heritage Room at RRC’s Princess Street Campus.

Bones says teaching students about pattern design and garment construction is still spools of fun, even four decades in.

“For me, it’s the giving of information and watching people take that information in a way they can fit it into their choice of design work,” Bones says. “It’s watching the lightbulbs go on in class.”

“I enjoy the students immensely. I enjoy the classroom setting, I enjoy their questions, and watching them shine, watching them learn something new and shine.”

“Everybody has a creative spirt. They might be a fabulous bread maker or great mechanic or a great house painter — everyone has something in them that is creative. I have the joy of helping students figure out if designing patterns is their creative spirit.” Read More →