From left: Melanie Wight (MLA, Burrows); Manitoba Finance Minister Jennifer Howard; RRC President Stephanie Forsyth; and Wescan Capital President Peter Jessiman.

A new pilot program at Red River College this fall will provide individuals with intellectual disabilities full access to post-secondary educational opportunities and a successful transition into the workforce.

The 20-student Transforming Futures program will begin in September 2014, and will include hands-on learning in career exploration, essential employability skills and full integration into RRC programming if a student chooses this option. Students will complete classes leading to their certification, which will help them get ready for future employment.

“Red River College’s vision aligns with the goals of this program: to enable all students to build a career, enhance quality of life and contribute to Manitoba’s economic and social prosperity through exceptional applied education and research,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “This is the largest college in the province, and we are uniquely positioned to deliver accessible, innovative programming for students with intellectual disabilities. With the financial support of the province – and support of community champions and private donors – this pilot project is ready for launch.”

The 2013 Assuring Income Security and Equality for Canadians with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families report from the Canadian Association for Community Living estimated that 70 per cent of adults with intellectual disabilities are unemployed or out of the labour force, and are three times more likely than non-disabled Canadians to live in poverty.

“Training opportunities are essential in transforming an individual’s inherent talents and interests into marketable skills,” said Jobs and the Economy Minister Theresa Oswald. “Removing barriers and increasing accessibility to education is one key way to ensure Manitobans with intellectual have the opportunity to take part and further strengthen the work force.” Read More →

Red River College is pleased to announce it will host the Colleges and Institutes Canada 2015 Annual Conference, an event that will afford opportunities to showcase both our institution and our city to executives and academics from across the country.

The College unveiled its plans to serve as co-host, along with Assiniboine Community College and the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, at the organization’s recent 2014 conference in Ottawa (the last to be held under its former name, the Association of Canadian Community Colleges).

The theme of the 2015 conference is “Leading Change” — a particularly appropriate theme for RRC, and one that allows us to shine a spotlight on such innovative initiatives as our new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, our ever-expanding applied research capabilities, our culturally-enriched approach to aboriginal education, and the transformative community programming we’ve undertaken in partnership with organizations in the North End.

“With all of the positive changes going on in the city, it wasn’t hard to entice [conference organizers] to come to the centre of Canada,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth, who teamed with Tourism Winnipeg to secure host city status.

“This will not only enhance Red River College’s reputation as one of Canada’s top institutes of applied learning, it will also help us to share one of the best-kept secrets in Canada — the city of Winnipeg.”

The 2015 conference is scheduled to take place May 24-26 at the RBC Convention Centre. Upwards of 1,000 delegates from colleges and polytechniques across Canada are expected to take part in the event.

Click on the image below to watch the video unveiled at this year’s conference as part of RRC’s announcement.

From left: Levinia Brown, RRC elder-in-residence; RRC President Stephanie Forsyth; MMF President David Chartrand; Joan Ledoux, Minister of Education, Louis Riel Institute.

As part of its commitment to improving opportunities and outcomes for Métis people in Manitoba, Red River College has entered into a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Manitoba Metis Federation and Louis Riel Institute.

Signed this morning at RRC’s Roblin Centre, the new MOU creates a joint working group with representation from all three organizations — one that focuses on education, business and growing industry partnerships to increase economic prospects for Manitoba’s Métis populations.

In addition, a new $400,000 bursary for Métis students was announced — one made possible through matching $200,000 investments by the MMF and RRC.

“[Today] signals an extremely satisfying phase of accomplishments for Red River College,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “Driven by the mission of the College and that of our Strategic Plan, [this] announcement reflects our goal of serving the educational needs of Aboriginal students.”

“The collective efforts of those involved … will benefit Métis people in Manitoba [by] improving access to training and employment opportunities,” says David Chartrand, President of the Manitoba Metis Federation. “We applaud Red River College for their leadership and contributions towards today’s announcement.”

In a case of perfect timing, Red River College will wrap up the Victoria Day long weekend by getting ready to welcome actual royalty to its Exchange District and Stevenson Campuses.

On Wednesday, May 21, the College will play host to Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as part of a four-day excursion to Canada that also includes stops in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

On Wednesday morning, the royal couple will tour RRC’s Stevenson Campus, where they’ll be greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, St. Boniface MP Shelly Glover and RRC President Stephanie Forsyth, among others. The couple will arrive just in time for Aviation & Aerospace in Manitoba Day, an annual event that showcases the province’s thriving aerospace and aviation industry for the benefit of more than 700 Grade 6 students.

Later the same day, Prince Charles will join President Forsyth for a tour of RRC’s Roblin Centre, where they’ll be joined by representatives from Prince’s Charities Canada, an organization that works with existing Canadian charities on a number of core objectives.

The last time RRC hosted visiting royalty was in 2002, when Prince Philip took part in the opening of The Roblin Centre (then called the Princess Street Campus).

Visit Stephanie Forsyth’s blog for more information on the 2014 visit.

Red River College President Stephanie Forsyth recently addressed the College community with respect to concerns about the projected deficit, staff departures and stories in the media.

Read the memo on her blog →

From left: Culinary Arts student Nicole Boudreau, Chef Takashi Murakami, and Culinary Arts student Alex Wong.

Fun, food and philanthropy were on the menu at last week’s inaugural Top Chef Award Dinner, where Red River College honoured a Canadian culinary icon, while helping provide educational opportunities for the next crop of industry stars.

Held April 17 at The Fort Garry Hotel, the event gave RRC a chance to celebrate the lifetime achievements of Chef Takashi Murakami, executive chef at St. Charles Golf and Country Club, and an internationally recognized cuisinier.

Widely hailed as one of the most talented chefs in Canada, Japanese-born Chef Murakami has spent the last 40 years elevating food preparation to an art form at St. Charles.

During that time, he’s also picked up an impressive array of industry awards and honours, among them a series of gold medals (and a World Championship) as a member and coach of Culinary Team Canada, a Chef of the Year designation by the Manitoba Chefs Association, membership in the Canadian Culinary Federation’s Honour Society, and a 2005 appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada.

“He has taken the art of food preparation to astounding new levels and along the way has mentored and developed thousands of graduates from RRC’s Culinary Arts program,” said RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “It’s very hard to find a chef who hasn’t in some way benefited from Chef Takashi’s experience.” Read More →

Red River College was awarded new funding today from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), to continue applied research in the fields of electric vehicle (EV) testing, large building envelope research, and robotics innovation.

A total of $327,842 was awarded as part of NSERC’s College and Community Innovation Program Applied Research Tools and Instruments grants.

“This funding allows us to purchase and install specific research tools and equipment that will have an immediate impact on our applied research capacity across several industrial sectors,” said Stephanie Forsyth, President and CEO of RRC.

The tools and equipment being purchased and/or built include an EV rapid charging station and battery testers, a building envelope test chamber to test wall sections and materials, and new end-of-arm and imaging tools for existing robotics.

“These are assets that will directly support our industry partners’ research and training needs as well as enhancing student and instructor applied learning at the College,” said Ray Hoemsen, Director of Applied Research & Commercialization at RRC. “They support our strategy to drive Manitoba’s economy in an innovative and sustainable way.” Read More →

Red River College is pleased to see infrastructure and skills training identified as top priorities in the Federal Budget 2014.

“We welcome a collaborative approach with government, industry and community partners in expanding our ability to train Manitoba’s workforce,” said Stephanie Forsyth, President & CEO, Red River College. “This approach will ensure we meet the needs of education in the 21^st century and prepare students for the demands of the modern workforce.”

With the creation of the Canada Apprentice Loan, additional funding by the federal government will reduce waiting lists for access to education and meet employer demands for skilled workers. This can help address youth unemployment at the same time.

The government’s pledge of $305 million over five years to extend and enhance broadband high-speed Internet access for rural and Northern communities is welcomed. This aligns with RRC’s strategic plan in ensuring access to education for all Manitobans. RRC is equipped to provide distance education via Internet training but we are hampered in rural areas, particularly in the north for Aboriginal students. Expanding broadband networks and making the Internet more available is a way to open the door to post-secondary education for many, while also providing another solution to the anticipated skills gap.

Read More →

Red River College plays a supporting role in the new Winnipeg comedy series debuting online tomorrow at winnipegfreepress.com/windcity

On January 7, the first Winnipeg-centric, locally-produced digital sitcom hits the airwaves. What started as one person’s idea to celebrate Winnipeg as a city and boost local pride has grown into something much bigger. Season 1 of WindCity finds a man embarking on a mission to reclaim his business and the love of his life — only to find inspiration in the most unlikely place.

Kyle Nobess plays “Sam” an RRC Student.

WindCity character Sam Fortier is a Red River College student interning at the RBC Convention Centre. Sam (played by Kyle Nobess) is a proud Métis and an energetic, passionate, ever-helpful goofball. He always speaks his mind and gets away with it because of his positive disposition. Sam is a leader on campus, and has made himself the unofficial welcoming committee to RRC’s international students. Sam loves Winnipeg, and is happy to show off his pride – as well as his famous jigging skills, which can be viewed here.

“Red River College is proud to be a partner in this innovative local project,” says Stephanie Forsyth, President & CEO of Red River College. “RRC’s character in the series is a fun representation of a student on campus and we believe our exposure in the show will showcase some of RRC’s best assets, such as our brand new student residences in the heart of the Exchange District.”

“This is truly Winnipeg’s series and we’re happy to have so many local stars supporting it, both on camera and behind the scenes,” says Creator and Producer Paul Vieira. “The excitement has been building during production and we look forward to the public’s reaction when it finally launches.”

WindCity’s cast includes: Adam Hurtig (as Dylan), Rebecca Gibson (as Kate), Sierra Noble (as Switch), Kyle Nobess (as Sam), Sarah Constible (as Julia), Trish Cooper (as Loni Chase), Ali Tataryn* (as Morgan), Karl Thordarson* (as Duke) and Abbey Thickson (as Olivia).

*RRC Grads

Take a minute and enjoy the trailer for Season 1 of WindCity.

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 →