Earlier this month, RRC Polytech launched Career Bridge, a new online job board that aims to connect job seekers with employment opportunities. Open to all RRC Polytech students and alumni – both job seekers and employers – Career Bridge helps smooth the transition from school to workplace.

Just like its predecessor, Job Central, Career Bridge allows students to search for specific jobs and career fields, or simply browse all postings on the site. New employment opportunities are posted daily, including full-time, part-time, term, and seasonal positions – all of which are plentiful, as RRC Polytech students and graduates continue to be in high demand in a multitude of industries, both in the province and beyond.

Career Bridge is free for students, alumni, and employers. Students can use their RRC Polytech login credentials for six months after their last class. After six months, they can switch to an alumni account to continue to have access to the site.

A major perk of Career Bridge is the ability for applicants to upload and save resumes, cover letters, and application packages directly to the site. This creates a much more streamlined and effortless application process, allowing students and alumni to put their best foot forward in starting (or continuing) their career journeys. Job seekers can also keep track of applications and manage upcoming interviews, centralizing each step of the job search and application process in one easy-to-use platform.

Career Bridge offers employers immediate access to RRC Polytech’s current students and graduates, all trained for the future of work. The College offers more than 200 full-time and part-time hands-on degree, diploma, certificate, and apprenticeship programs, with students and graduates all eager to get to work in their respective industries.

The RRC Polytech Students’ Association (RRCSA) is accepting applications to fill its opening for an ex-officio alumni position on the Board of Directors. All interested alumni members are invited to submit an application!

The RRCSA is run by a student-led board of directors. The alumni representative on the RRCSA board brings industry knowledge and experience, and provides insight, direction, and mentorship to the team.

“The alumni representative plays a vital role on the SA board. We’re lucky to have the guidance of a graduate to help with planning and making decisions,” said Manpreet Kaur, President of the Students’ Association for the 2022-2023 school year.

The SA board oversees a $3 million budget for projects, initiatives, trust funds, and donation requests, all to support and enhance the student experience at RRC Polytech. Decisions made by the board impact the RRC Polytech student body, the entire RRC Polytech ecosystem, and the wider community. The alumni representative will help guide the creation of the SA’s Strategic Plan and sits on the trust fund committee, which oversees capital projects.

Last year, RRC Polytech graduate Jerri-Lynn Orr (Honours Graduate, Aboriginal Language Specialist, 2007) held the alumni ex-officio position on the board.

“Being able to give back to RRC Polytech by working alongside and supporting students is a really rewarding experience — especially those students who have stepped up to be a part of the RRCSA. It was amazing to see what they are capable of and help cultivate that possibility,” said Orr.

This volunteer board member position is a one-year term from September 2022 to September 2023, with an opportunity to extend per interest and approval. Meetings are held in-person monthly, with nine meetings a year.

The deadline to apply is August 19, 2022, at 3 p.m. For more information and to apply, visit the RRCSA website.

Red River College Polytechnic’s Animal Care Committee (ACC) is seeking applications to fill the role of community representative – all interested RRC Polytech alumni members are encouraged to apply!

The ACC is dedicated to setting and maintaining high standards for animal use and care at RRC Polytech. The ACC community representative brings an outside perspective to the committee, providing insight, direction, and unbiased feedback. The ideal candidate for this volunteer role has a love and passion for animals and their wellbeing. Community representatives on the committee cannot be employees of RRC Polytech or employed in the Veterinary field.

The community representative will sit as a volunteer on the committee and attend two to three meetings per year. The ACC seeks to fill this role before the next committee meeting, scheduled for December 3, 2021. To apply, send a short biography and describe your interest in the role to Curtis Aab, Chair, RRC Polytech Life Sciences.

Deadline to apply is November 30, 2021. For more information, contact Curtis Aab at caab@rrc.ca.

In past years, RRC Polytech’s Sustainability team and Alumni Engagement have hosted a daylong Winter Market featuring staff, student, and alumni makers to celebrate the holiday season and encourage buying local. It is one of our absolute favourite events!

While we’re thrilled to see in-person markets starting up again, RRC Polytech is not yet fully open to the public – so instead of an in-person market experience, we’ll once again be highlighting our awesome network of makers online.

Last year, in place of an in-person market, we created a maker directory – a compiled list of alumni, staff, and student makers who have participated in past Winter Markets – so we could continue to support these businesses during last year’s challenging holiday season.

This year, between December 1-16, we will be running a “12 Days of Holiday Shopping” campaign both internally for staff and students, and externally via social media, where we’ll be promoting a number of makers each day. We want to make sure we’re doing our part to elevate our makers and support local!

“When you buy local from small businesses and artisan makers, you’re supporting creative makers in our community and the local economy,” says Sara MacArthur, Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability at RRC Polytech.

Red River College has legacy of being employer-driven and future-focused. Since our early days responding to a post-depression and post-war world in the 1930s and 40s, to our new reality adapting to a pandemic, we’ve always been an institution where learning mirrors the market.

Today, we’re embracing a new model that fully represents who we’ve always been, who we are today, and who we’re growing into: Red River College Polytechnic.

The term polytechnic is used around the world to identify institutions focused on strategic workforce development. As Manitoba’s polytechnic, our top priority is preparing students to thrive in a rapidly changing world of work. We’re embracing a bold approach that shows our community and industry partners we’re not only ready to meet rapidly shifting demands, but also ready to lead the way forward.

The Red River College Students’ Association (RRCSA) is seeking applications to fill one ex-officio board member position. All interested alumni members are encouraged to apply!

The alumni representative to the RRCSA board brings industry knowledge and experience to the student leadership on the board, providing insight, direction, and mentorship. The SA board oversees a $3 million budget for projects, initiatives, trust funds, and donation requests, and decisions made by the board impacts the RRC student body, the entire RRC ecosystem, and the wider community. The alumni representative also sits on the trust fund committee, which oversees capital projects.

The successful candidate will serve on the board as a volunteer for a one-year term from September 2021 to October 2022, with the opportunity to extend per interest and approval. Meetings are held monthly during the evening via video conferencing.

Deadline to apply is September 8, 2021. For more information, visit rrcsa.ca.

In response to Manitoba’s growing game development industry, which has seen tremendous growth over the past five years, Red River College is launching a new two-year program geared toward video game design and programming.

“We previously had some classes at the College that covered some aspects of game development,” said Thomas Lepp, RRC Instructor and program coordinator for Game Development.

“Through consultation with industry, we designed a two-year program that focuses on video game development, with two distinct streams.”

The “Design” stream focuses on visual design and technical art production, while the “Programming” stream focuses on the implementation of game mechanics and design tools to optimize game production, as well as applied game mathematics and coding to support the creation of interactive gaming experiences.

While the Design stream is a perfect match for technical artists, the Programming stream is geared toward people who like to engineer solutions and solve technical programs using code and math. The best part? Students from both streams in this two-year, five-term program will collaborate on projects. Working in teams, students will create prototype games to explore and develop design and programming tools.

“Communication with teammates and instructors is a key skill we hope to develop as students explore and implement loop theory, which is the process of producing game design within a set of given requirements or constraints,” said Lepp. “To learn about games, we make games.”

As Manitoba becomes an ever-growing hotbed for movies, TV, and other digital production, it has never been a better time for graduates and industry professionals to take the next step in their careers.

That’s the goal behind the new Digital Film and Media Production post-graduate diploma program. Designed to cater to those already established in their careers, the program aims to improve existing abilities and help students expand their tool belt in an industry that rarely involves being good at just one thing.

“The goal is to make students versatile enough to gain employment as producers, videographers, editors, and production assistants in film and media,” said Dean Cooper, RRC Media Production Instructor and Digital Film and Media Production program coordinator.

“As well, we want to give students skills on how to run a freelance business. In an industry like this, you have to have a large skill-set and be ready to take on different roles both behind the camera and as a producer.”

The new one-year diploma program has a September 2021 entry date and will take place at RRC’s new Innovation Centre at the Exchange District Campus in downtown Winnipeg. Graduates will earn a host of skills to take into the next phase of their careers, including producing freelance videos, operating 4K professional video equipment, operating and legally flying a video drone, and working effectively with a professional film crew.

The curriculum and learning outcomes have been developed in close partnership with local professionals, including Doug Darling, CEO and Executive Director of Tripwire Media Group.

“As someone who graduated from [Creative Communications] in 2006, I learned a lot — but having this course as an option would have put me ahead by years of real-life learning,” said Darling. “This program will have people so much more prepared to have the skills that employers are looking for.”

More than a decade ago, CreativeMornings was launched out of a desire for ongoing, accessible events for creative communities to connect. Today, these communities gather in 223 cities across 67 countries — including right here in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg chapter of CreativeMornigns not only celebrates our city’s creative talent, but also promotes an open space to connect with like-minded individuals. From design legends to hometown heroes, speakers are selected by each chapter based on a global theme. April’s theme? Procrastinate – why we put things off, and how can that help or hinder the creative process.

Winnipeg’s Shaun Vincent, Red River College grad and owner of Vincent Design Inc., will be leading a talk about being a professional procrastinator during a pandemic on Friday, April 30 from 8 – 9 a.m. CT. Registration is open and the virtual event is completely free.

Vincent graduated with an advanced diploma in Graphic Design in 2003, and is a graphic designer and marketing strategist with more than 18 years of experience. He applies his deep knowledge of graphic design to creating work of enduring strength and quality that stands out in the field.

With roots firmly planted in his hometown of Winnipeg and the Métis community, Vincent has earned a reputation for his steadfast commitment to each client and project, high professional standards, a personable working style, and his careful intention to create authentic, memorable work that speaks volumes.

Vincent has also been recognized for his volunteer work throughout the city and currently sits on numerous boards including youth mentorship, Indigenous leadership groups and community centre development.

The motto of CreativeMornings is “everyone is creative, everyone is welcome” – a perfect fit for Friendly Manitoba. Don’t procrastinate – register now to attend Vincent’s presentation on April 30.

Advanced business and project management skills at core of new program

Red River College’s new post-diploma Communication Management program targets advanced business and project management training to help professional communicators “level up” in their careers.

Designed for Creative Communications grads who specialized in Advertising and Marketing Communications or Public Relations and Communication Management — or professional communicators with similar education and work experience — this in-depth program combines essential theory with exceptional applied learning opportunities to boost career potential, making grads of this program more employable and promotable.

“We cover a lot in the two years students spend with us in Creative Communications. With this new post-diploma program, we’re building on the solid education and experience our grads already have so they can lead strategy, projects, and teams effectively,” said Melanie Lee Lockhart, RRC Public Relations instructor and Communication Management program coordinator.

Whether you’re a Public Relations grad looking to upgrade your skillset and take your career to new heights, or you have been working in a communication management role for the past few years and want a competitive advantage, this program is uniquely suited for communicators who want to progress to the management level.

Professionals with backgrounds in advertising or marketing will also gain advanced skills in public relations not previously learned in school or in the workplace.

The pandemic has made the importance of professional communicators even more apparent than it was before – and it isn’t over. So, we’ll begin by offering this program part-time and primarily online this fall, so you can build your business acumen without taking a pause from your career.

The deadline to apply for the first year of Communication Management is June 4 and the program has a competitive application process. To learn more, those interested can contact Melanie Lee Lockhart at mleelockhart@rrc.ca.