From left: AWMAC President Curtis Popel, RRC apprentice Leonard Derksen, and RRC instructor Todd Birtwhistle, at last year’s National Apprenticeship Contest.

Best of luck to the RRC students taking part in this weekend’s Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC) Cabinetmaking Apprenticeship competition.

The nine-hour event will unfold at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus this Saturday, during which time eight apprentices will compete for the top spot, and for prizes supplied by AWMAC and RRC’s Cabinetmaking Apprenticeship Fund.

The winner will advance to the nationals, where his or her project will be judged against winning projects from throughout Canada.

Last year’s provincial winner, Leonard Derksen (shown above), went on to take top honours at the National Apprenticeship Contest. The following RRC apprentices are competing in this year’s provincial round:

• Mike Baker
• Alicia Demare
• Travis Devisser
• Marcus Dyck
• Derek Friesen
• Adam Hajkowski
• Marc Lindenberg
• Julia Smith Read More →

Keep your eyes peeled for a brand new advertising campaign positioning Red River College as a compelling first choice for education.

The newly-launched, province-wide bus and billboard campaign achieves a number of key goals – chief among them that of celebrating our graduates and their success stories, while at the same time showing prospective students all that can be accomplished with an RRC education.

The campaign also strengthens partnerships with the countless employers who hire RRC grads, identifies programs and industry areas that may be of interest to prospective students, and showcases RRC’s core strengths, including employment success and employer satisfaction rates.

The billboards feature 27 RRC alumni, and will be visible for 12 weeks (March 3-May 25, 2014).

See the campaign in its entirety →

Red River College’s (RRC) 2014 winter convocation saw 107 students graduate from the inaugural Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree program.

“Red River College is proud to offer this degree program, designed by us for the benefit of Manitoba students and the provincial health care system,” said Stephanie Forsyth, RRC’s President & CEO.

“I congratulate the staff in RRC’s Nursing Department and the leadership of Dean Louise Gordon and Program Chair Karen Wall for developing and implementing this innovative program.”

RRC first launched its Bachelor of Nursing program in 2010, in order to provide an accelerated alternative to the four-year programs offered at universities. RRC’s first class of graduates completed their studies in August 2013, and crossed the stage during winter convocation ceremonies held Tuesday, February 4, 2014.

Read More →

RRC grad Sandra Sukhan, who currently serves as a curriculum consultant and teacher-educator for the College, will be on campus this week reading from a newly-released book about her childhood experiences in Guyana, and her sometimes difficult transition to life in Canada in the 1970s.

In Search of the Blue Lotus tells Sukhan’s story of growing up in Guyana during the 1960s, a time of political upheaval and racial unrest resulting from British efforts to colonize the nation. It also documents her arrival in Canada in 1970, following her move here at the age of 16 for an arranged marriage.

From the official bio: “Through a first-person reflective narrative, Sandra takes you on her very personal journey of her arrival in Canada to complete high school, her work as a hairstylist, her efforts to challenge systemic injustices of schools, and in later years during her academic studies toward a doctoral degree, her growing awareness of some of the issues of her youth that affected and impacted her life.”

A professional hairstylist with a doctorate in Environmental Studies, Sukhan is also a graduate of RRC’s Teacher Education program. Her story will be of interest to anyone working in the field of technical and/or vocational education.

RRC’s Library is proud to host two readings from the book, both of which will include conversation and refreshments:

• Wednesday, Jan. 29: Notre Dame Campus Library 3-4pm
• Thursday, Jan. 30: Exchange District Campus Library, 3-4pm

Click here for more information on In Search of the Blue Lotus, and here to register for one of the readings.

Don Streuber, President Bison Transport and RRC President & CEO, Stephanie Forsyth

A plaque was unveiled at RRC’s Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre student lounge to recognize the partnership between the College and Bison Transport.

“The Bison Transport Student Lounge naming reflects the tremendous support of Bison Founder, Mr. Duncan Jessiman and President, Mr. Don Streuber,”said Stephanie Forsyth, President & CEO, Red River College. “Staff and students not only benefit from the generous gift of $100,000 but we are extremely grateful for the gift of service Don Streuber has afforded. He is an incredible ambassador for the College and a volunteer who champions for continued industry growth and development at HETC.”

“Bison Transport is known as North America’s Safest Fleet and our maintenance department plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of our equipment on the road,” said Bison President Don Streuber. “We are happy to play a role in the development of the next generation of technicians graduating from Red River College.”
Read More →

Since the 1930s, Red River College has delivered programs to provide a skilled workforce and drive Manitoba’s economy.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, a special ceremony took place at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus to mark the College’s 75th Anniversary. Live-streamed to all nine campuses, the celebration paid tribute to the countless staff, students, alumni, donors and friends of the College who over the years have helped to make RRC one of North America’s leading post-secondary institutions – and Manitoba’s only polytechnic.

“Red River College has become a network of choice for post-secondary education and is a critical source of knowledge, training, research and innovation,” said Stephanie Forsyth, president and CEO, Red River College. “We’ve come a long way in 75 years and – as proud as we are of the past – we are equally excited about the vision for the future.”

“My sincere congratulations to Red River College on their 75th anniversary,” said the Hon. Erin Selby, Manitoba’s minister of advanced education and literacy. “The College plays an integral role in meeting our government’s target of adding 75,000 workers to Manitoba’s labour force by 2020.”

“On behalf of students past and present, I want to congratulate the College on their 75th Anniversary,” said Jocelle Cuvos, president of the Red River College Students’ Association. “The College has always been dedicated to students’ success and the SA is proud to be a partner in the continued success of students at RRC.”

Annually, Red River College has more than 30,000 enrolments in full- and part-time degree, diploma and certificate programs. Through award-winning instruction and training on state-of-the-art equipment, RRC prepares its students to become leaders in their fields, while partnering with industry to conduct research and ensure curriculum remains up-to-date.

Find out more about RRC’s 75th anniversary festivities →

Photo courtesy the Boys & Girls Clubs of Winnipeg.

Alumni and staff from RRC’s Culinary Arts program will take part in next month’s 100-Mile Dinner in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Winnipeg.

The fall charity bash, taking place Sept. 8 at the Caboto Centre on Wilkes Avenue, features an impressive lineup of local chefs, including RRC staffers Luc Jean and Jonny Royal, and culinary grads Adam Donnelly (head chef and co-owner of Segovia Tapas Bar & Restaurant) and Mark Teague (head chef at Sydney’s at The Forks).

The chefs will join other culinary stars  — including reps from Peasant Cookery, Deer + Almond, and Bistro 7 and 1/4 — to serve up a mouthwatering meal made of fresh, seasonal and locally-grown ingredients found within 100 miles of Winnipeg.

RRC Hospitality instructor Janet Townsend and current students from that program will also lend their support, providing front-of-house service at the event.

Now in its third year, the 100-Mile Dinner raises funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Winnipeg, which provide after-school, athletic, educational and leadership opportunities for more than 4,100 disadvantaged children and youth in Winnipeg.

Individual tickets are $125 each; to order, email marcial@wbgc.mb.ca, or call 204.982.4940.

Congratulations to RRC grads Dylan Pereira (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, 2013) and Jacob Bell (Apprenticeship Bricklaying), who were both awarded Medallions of Excellence at the WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 competition in Germany earlier this month.

The men competed as part of WorldSkills Team Canada, whose 35 members (shown, above) were chosen from the thousands of contestants in provincial and national Skills Canada competitions held over the last year. In Germany, Pereira (shown, directly behind Mike Holmes) earned a medal in the Aircraft Maintenance category, while Bell (back row, fourth from left) medalled in Bricklaying. Read More →

A rockin’ power chord salute and a round of flying windmills go out to the students at Ecole Selkirk Junior High, who under the tutelage of RRC alum Kris Hancock (Industrial Arts/Technology Teacher Education) have raised more than $100,000 to help support the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The students raised the scratch through their wildly successful B.O.S.S. (Building on Students’ Success) Guitar Works program, in which kids are taught to make functioning electric guitars after school. Once built and painted, the guitars are sent to visiting rock stars and other high-profile celebrities for signatures (among them, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, Gene Simmons and The Tragically Hip), before being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Last week, ESJH students presented the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights with a cheque for $68,421, the proceeds from two guitar auctions — one online, the other live — held in May 2013. That amount, in combination with the $32,579 raised during the program’s inaugural auction in 2011, brings B.O.S.S.’s total CMHR donations to $101,000. Read More →

Congratulations to Continuing Education grad Arlene Ebora (Project Management, 2013), who was honoured earlier this week with a $1,000 student achievement award at PMI Manitoba’s annual conference.

Ebora, who immigrated from the Philippines in 2007 through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee program, now works as a technical account manager at Microsoft Enterprise Services in Winnipeg.

She received the award from PMI Manitoba and Red River College based on a combination of academic excellence, outstanding teamwork skills and personal drive, having impressed both her instructors and her employers with her enthusiasm and intelligence.

“Having a teacher for a mother has instilled in me the value of education,” says Ebora. “When given the opportunity to enroll in RRC’s Project Management program through work, I felt excited to be a student again, and nostalgic to walk the halls of an academic building again.” Read More →