Northwest Community College Connections

Labour board issue resolved at NWCC

TERRACE – An agreement has been reached between Northwest Community College (NWCC) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) related to a Labour Relations Board application made by CUPE.

The agreement was reached in a settlement meeting chaired by mediator Ken Saunders, March 27 and 28.

"We are pleased that we were able to resolve this issue through this informal process," said NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning. "A formal hearing would have been costly for both the Union and the College.

"We are pleased with the outcome of this process and look forward to moving forward with a plan immediately that ensures that the consultative process set out in the CUPE Collective Agreement is followed.

"Our priority is to ensure that NWCC employees, who belong to CUPE and may be affected by layoffs, have the opportunity to exercise their rights."

Christines Blog - China

EVER WANTED to be popular? The quickest way to be a celebrity (paparazzi included) is to dye your hair blonde and go to China. Let me tell you, there is nothing like being a blondie in China!

In April of 2011, seven NWCC students from Prince Rupert and Terrace went to China for six weeks of school. We took courses like “Business in China”and “Introduction to Mandarin”, learned about Confucius, and giggled over the Chinglish. What is Chinglish, you ask?  There are occasions when the translations of certain phrases or instructions to English turn into something much more comedic than was originally intended.

We embraced the Chinese culture in every way possible. Most days between classes our hosts would take the Canadian students and introduce us to something new. Highlights included learning how to use nun chucks from a Chinese warrior (no big deal!), discovering the traditional art of paper cutting, cooking (we made and ate dumplings), exploring the Great Wall of China, and being guests at a traditional meal in a Chinese home.  By the end of the trip I was able to speak just enough Mandarin so I could go shopping on my own (and I definitely did just that!).

The food was so amazing my belly smiles just thinking about it. At one of our cafeterias at school we had a man  who made pasta from scratch as you ordered it, hot plates, freshly steamed buns and squid on a stick for 50 cents. Dinner cost about 80 cents and beer was a mere 30 cents for a jumbo bottle (not that I’m speaking from experience!).

The people we met will be friends forever and the trip was amazing. I’m so happy I was able to go, and thankful that NWCC gave us the opportunity to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christine Leclerc is NWCC's first ever full-time student blogger! She's a second-year Business Administration student in Terrace who took part in a study exchange to China earlier this year. Over the fall and winter semesters, she'll be giving her take on student life at NWCC. We're excited to see and read her posts and encourage you - the college community - to follow along. She's looking forward to getting your feedback and maybe some inspiration, too, throughout her blogging experience. And in case you're wondering, that's her beloved English bulldog Maddox!

College eyes trades boom

From the Terrace Standard March 21, 2012 edition

NORTHWEST COMMUNITY College is looking for nearly $1.5 million to better train people for jobs at major projects in the region.

The money, in the form of grants from the federal government’s Western Economic Diversification Canada program and from Northern Development Initiative Trust, would buy heavy equipment simulators and, later on, heavy equipment itself.

College trades dean Margo Van der Touw describes the need for heavy equipment operators as just part of a growing demand for skilled labour.

“This is a once in a life-time opportunity,” says van der Touw of a list of projects covering everything from mines to power lines to liquefied natural gas plants to hydro-electric facilities and of employees required for each.

Conservative estimates place the dollar value of the projects at more than $10 billion and the job numbers in the thousands.

NWCC trades students walk by examples of the demand everyday – postings and newspaper ads from companies looking for people cover a bulletin board in the hallway of the college’s trades building here in Terrace. Listed wages rates of more than $30 an hour  and attractive benefits are common.

Van der Touw said the college is ideally suited to provide the kind of training that’s needed thanks to its network of campuses and its experience in the region. That’s why she and college trades chair Brian Badge emphasize the college’s ability to take training to where people live.

That mobile ability including packing up everything needed for a heavy equipment operator course, including a mobile simulator, and taking it to Atlin this year.

“We had the carpenters so we were able to build crates for shipping,” said Van der Touw.

The mobile simulators have a TV screen in front of an operator’s seat containing controls and one TV screen behind the seat, displaying exactly what a person would experience in the field.

They’re used in what the college calls the heavy equipment operator foundation program in which a person is trained right up to the point where they can step into the cab of an actual piece of heavy equipment, said Badge.

Hands on training comes from taking the heavy operator equipment technician’s course.

Van der Touw and Badge use a January 2012 study on industrial employment requirements as one of their guides to program development.

Prepared for BC Hydro and originally tied to its Northwest Transmission Line and projects which could develop because of the line, the study also looked at other potential developments.

It concluded that while jobs could soon flood the northwest, area residents need to be trained to take advantage. It also forecasts a skilled labour shortage based on development expectations.

There’s a need, for instance, for drillers and blasters and the college would love to put on a course training people to be commercial arborists, said Badge and Van der Touw.

Badge is also getting used to company representatives turning up at his office door saying they want to hire people. Others tour the college’s trades training facilities.

“Companies know their construction schedules. They know when they will need people” he said.

Unstated in the college’s planning is knowing that if northwesterners aren’t trained, people from elsewhere will be taking those jobs.

“Our goal is to train as many people as we can from our area to benefit from the jobs in the area, “ said Badge. “What we also need to do is make people more aware of the opportunities.” he said.

Badge and Van der Touw say companies have a  vested interest in hiring local people because paying to bring people here costs extra. people from elsewhere and then put them up in accommodation.

“We know that people trained in the north, stay in the north,” said Van der Touw.

And they’re quick to point out that while the focus may be on training for skilled construction and construction-related jobs, there are plenty of opportunities for other skilled trades as well in occupations ranging from culinary arts workers to accountants.

Northwest B.C. jobs plan roll out underway

From the Terrace Standard March 21, 2012 edition

THE PROVINCE is spending more than $500,000 on the start of a plan to train people to work on industrial projects in the region.

Provincial jobs minister Pat Bell said his ministry is spending $540,000 on determining what kind of employees companies need and then starting to train people to fill those needs.

He described the effort as developing a top ten jobs list for the northwest.

“Some of these will be evident, but what we’re really trying to do here is determine what jobs will be needed two, three, four years from now and then work to fill that demand,” said Bell.

The minister expected that jobs list to be finished fairly quickly so the stage can then be set to prepare people for the work.

“We’ll be using Northwest Community College to deliver those programs,” said Bell, adding some of the first may include everything from first aid to brushing up on math and reading skills.

The jobs ministry’s impetus comes from a BC Hydro-organized study which looked at the employment impacts stemming from its Northwest Transmission Line.

Construction has already started on the line which will stretch up Hwy37 North. When finished, the line will spur mine and hydro electric development.

The BC Hydro $217,000 labour market research study, completed late last year, conservatively estimated that large industrial projects will create 4,000 direct and indirect jobs from now until 2021.

Optimistically, the study indicated the number could climb to 5,700 or as high as 12,000.

But it also indicated there was not only an existing gap between skills northwest residents have and what companies need, but that the gap will continue to grow.

“Training for many of these high-demand occupations is only available outside the Northwest,” read the document.

“Local people are available to fill many of the jobs, but a mismatch often exists between the skills of potential workers and the needs of employers,” it continued.

Bell said the demand for skilled labour has already started to grow and will be more evident by the time summer arrives.

“There’s going to be quite a difference from when I first began visiting the region three or four years ago,” said Bell in recalling his days as forest minister.

Bell was also quite clear in saying his ministry’s money was just the beginning of provincial jobs training spending here.

“It won’t be just us. There will be the Industrial Training Authority and the advanced education ministry. It’s going to be a cross-ministerial effort,” he said. “There’s lots more to come.”

The Industry Training  Authority, which finances apprenticeship and other training programs, is a provincial crown agency. It already covers the cost of wages and related expenses for trades programs at Northwest Community College.

NWCC promotes First Nations and industry partnerships in Yukon

SMITHERS – Northwest Community College (NWCC) is on the road again, promoting First Nations and industry partnerships, as modeled in its award-winning School of Exploration & Mining (SEM).

Beverly Moore-Garcia, NWCC's Vice-President of Education and Student Services, was invited to present at the third annual Yukon First Nations Resource Conference & Student Job Fair in Whitehorse. The conference, which runs from March 20-21, is a chance for First Nations, governments and resource companies to learn best practices and techniques for working together in a cooperative and beneficial manner. 

"We went with three goals in mind," said Moore-Garcia, who presented yesterday, March 20. "First, we wanted attendees to understand that the SEM training model - which incorporates practical, hands-on and cultural learning in real life work camps – works and why it works. Second, our graduates are skilled, certified and ready to enter the workforce. Third, NWCC is willing and able to deliver SEM programs in the Yukon and other remote areas."

"The scope of exploration going on in the Yukon is exactly the type of work SEM students are trained for," said Tony Harris, SEM's Employment Advisor & Industry Liaison, who also attended the conference. "We actually expect some of our students will work in the Yukon this summer."

Topics at the conference included working effectively with Aboriginal people, education and training, successful community outreach and engagement, and much more. Participants and attendees were comprised of First Nations leaders and elders, recruiters, engineering and environmental consultants, government personnel and financiers. 

In partnership with Smithers Exploration Group and the Province of BC, SEM develops industry-related courses and programs, and offers training in various areas of mining and exploration. Since its inception in 2004, the school has graduated more than 850 students, and 83 percent of grads have either found work or returned to school. 

Through workforce training for the exploration, mining and natural resource industries, Northwest Community College’s School of Exploration & Mining seeks to build capacity and engagement in communities involved with minerals exploration and other resource development.

NWCC's Sandi Lavallie recognized as inspirational leader

HOUSTON – Northwest Community College's (NWCC) Sandi Lavallie was honoured recently at a community event marking International Women's Day. Lavallie, the Career & College Prep (CCP) coordinator and instructor at NWCC's Houston Campus, received a Recognition Award for an Honorable Woman of the Community. 

Below is the letter/bio, written by Lavallie's colleague Dee McRae, which was read at the presentation by event organizer, Naomi Himech:

Inspirational Woman of Houston Recognition: Sandra Lavallie

Sandi Lavallie is a brilliant educator. She is deeply smart and able to grasp concepts on a variety of topics, teach herself almost anything and then take that and turn around and make it understandable for anyone who walks into her office. She teaches physics, accounting, real estate, computing, horse training, psychology, math, English, essay writing, you name it. If there is a course, available anywhere and you need support while you are taking it, Sandi will help you. She will teach herself the content if she does not know it already, and then teach you. She is a bit on the compulsive side, so when you put those together, you get a brilliant teacher thinking 24 hours a day of how best to connect Person A with Topic B and Person C. That is another aspect of her brilliance; she is the navigator for folks. She directs them along a path that includes courses and people and projects (that she dreams up) in a way that allows participants to get a wee glimpse of where their course work is taking them.

There is a joke at the campus that there is a path worn in the floor to her door. It is not a joke. There is a path worn to her door. People come, reluctantly at first, because they have heard she is a good teacher. Reluctantly, because these are folks who have not exactly had success with teachers and education. She wants to know their story. She figures out a eclectic mix of courses and bits of courses  that work for them. She tries to figure out how they learn. She ends up learning about all kinds of other aspects of the person's life and when the inevitable meltdown happens, they walk that same path and sit in that same chair while she calls counselors, connects the person to needed services and generally takes care of their needs in the same creative way she takes care of their learning.

Not all students are successful. They leave. But in a week, a month, or a year or a few years, they are back on that path, visiting Sandi, ready to give it another go. They are welcomed like old friends and the process begins once more. The successful ones revisit that path as well. They come to say thanks. They come to say you changed my life. They come to say I have another thing I am pursuing. Will you help?

All the students, successful or not, come bearing gifts. Soup, bannock, cookies, candy, toys, cards, photos, books, artwork and more. They want to show her how much they appreciate what she has done for them. I could not count the number of people who would say that Sandi has changed their lives. And I know I see only part of the iceberg.

Sandi is an inspirational woman. She truly is an educator. She really changes lives. Oh, and on top of all that she joins a million committees, mentors every new instructor that steps foot on our campus and does all her paperwork in triplicate.
 
She is deserving of this recognition.

Dee McRae

 

Along with Himech, event co-organizers were Bev Lyons (Pleasant Valley Restaurant), Northern Society of Domestic Peace and NWCC. Congratulations, Sandi!

 

New plaque unveiled at Prince Rupert Indigenous Gardens

Tsimshian Elder Leonard Alexcee, centre, blesses the new plaque that will be installed at NWCC Prince Rupert Campus's Indigenous Gardens. NWCC instructor Judy Thompson, right, holds the plaque, while NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning, left, holds up an umbrella for an Elder.

PRINCE RUPERT – Local Elders joined staff, students and invited guests at Northwest Community College's (NWCC) Prince Rupert Campus March 9 in a short ceremony to bless a bronze plaque that will mark the Indigenous Garden.

Judy Thompson, NWCC First Nations Studies instructor and Nancy Mackin, MRAIC Phd (who originally designed the garden), invited the Kaien Elders from the Prince Rupert Friendship House to a presentation during a meeting of the College's First Nations Council.

In a moving and powerful event, First Nations representatives from throughout the Northwest met and introduced themselves, many sharing their First Nations names and lineage. The Elders joined the First Nations Council, including NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning, for lunch. After lunch, everyone proceeded to the Indigenous Garden where Elder Leonard Alexcee, a member of the Tsimshian Nation of Lax Kw'alaams from the Killer Whale Clan, blessed the bronze plaque. The plaque is embossed with the Sm'algyax words SUWILAAY'MSGM S'NOODYN A TAX'NII GOO and the English translation of "The Learning Garden of Everything".

The plaque will be fixed on a rock in the middle of the garden providing a centrepiece for the many varieties of Indigenous plants. The garden supports the Prince Rupert Campus's journey towards incorporating Indigenous knowledge in post-secondary education.

"Listening to the Elders and members of the First Nations council speak of their connection to their territories was both moving and humbling," said Wendy Prystay, NWCC Prince Rupert Campus Manager. "We were very proud to host this event and look forward to the continued involvement of the Elders on our campus."

NWCC created Indigenous Gardens at its Prince Rupert and Terrace campuses in 2008. They showcase local plants and flora with symbolic meanings for the College community, including staff, students and the region's Aboriginal people.

Northern Quebec's Inuit People hope to replicate NWCC School of Exploration & Mining

SMITHERS – Northwest Community College's (NWCC) award-winning School of Exploration & Mining (SEM) is poised to share its training expertise with the Inuit People of Quebec’s far north as a result of presenting at a minerals exploration forum there last month.

Tony Harris, SEM's Employment Advisor & Industry Liaison, attended the Nunavik Mineral Exploration Conference in Kuujjuaq from February 14 - 17. At the event, he talked about NWCC’s School of Exploration & Mining hands-on and culturally sensitive training techniques and in particular, its Workforce Exploration Skills Training (WEST) program. 

"The presentation was met with enthusiasm from members of the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) the Village Elders, industry stakeholders and other conference attendees. They were impressed with the teaching model used by Northwest Community College and could visualize using it in the Nunavik region," said Harris.

As in Northwest BC, major projects and thousands of jobs are coming to the area, yet a shortfall of skilled workers has been projected.

“That means, similar to here in Northern BC, by training local residents such as the Inuit for those jobs, there’s a real opportunity to ramp up capacity and increase benefits to the region,” Harris said. 

Margaret Gauvin, KRG’s Director of the Sustainable Employment Department, said “We are hoping to set up a similar program for Inuit here in Nunavik. We will be visiting SEM this summer to see the program working, and hope that a collaboration between the NWCC and KRG will result.

She continued, ”Training young persons about exploration and mining through an experience on the land is the way it should be done. Hands on experience, certification, cultural learning, with the help of experienced trainers and counselors – that’s a winning combination.”

Most presenters at the Kuujjuaq Mineral Exploration Conference were major mining and exploration companies speaking about their work in the area. Attendees included the general public, delegates from 13 outlying villages, and members of the Kativik Regional Government and Makivik Corporation, which supported Harris’ trip to the conference. 

Harris was the last speaker at the conference; as a result of plane troubles, he missed his original time slot and almost didn’t get to speak.

“This turned out to be a blessing,” he said. “It ended the conference on a positive subject that everyone could support. The projects planned for the Nunavik region through Québec’s Plan Nord are staggering and though locals are keen for work, they have some concerns about social and environmental impacts.”

In partnership with Smithers Exploration Group and the Province of BC, SEM develops industry-related courses and programs, and offers training in various areas of mining and exploration. Since its inception in 2004, the school has graduated more than 850 students, and 83 percent of grads have either found work or returned to school. 

Through workforce training for the exploration, mining and natural resource industries, Northwest Community College’s School of Exploration & Mining seeks to build capacity and engagement in communities involved with minerals exploration and other resource development.

Christines Blog - KONY 2012

FIRST THINGS first, my apologies for no blog last week. I have been gallivanting around in Bermuda the past couple weeks and now am back to reality *tear*.  I had a great extended reading break and was able to do the number one thing on my bucket list – I got to swim with the dolphins! Words cannot begin to explain how amazing it was.

When I got back, I was surprised to see how popular one video had gotten on Facebook and in the media. KONY 2012 is the definition of a video gone viral. With over 70 million views in its first four days of being made public, it’s the perfect example of how social media can make something popular.

The video is an awareness campaign put on by ‘Invisible Children’ about a Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony who is the leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). The LRA is accused of various heinous crimes for the past 26 years, such as mutilation, murder, abduction and turning young girls into sex slaves and young boys into soldiers. Worse yet he goes after children, so far over 30,000. He is not fighting for any cause, just to stay in power, and uses peace talks to re-arm and murder. Kony is apparently number one on the International criminal court list of persons to arrest.

On Oct 14, 2011 Obama ordered the deployment of 100 US military soldiers to act as advisors with regional forces in Uganda to remove Kony from battlefield. KONY 2012 was to help spread awareness of Kony in order to increase the involvement of the United States. Invisible Children Inc have asked people around the world to cover their streets on April 20^th with KONY 2012 posters, and to buy their action kit which includes campaign buttons, posters bracelets and stickers to help spread the word.

So what’s the problem you ask? When I first watched the video, I was divided between two thoughts. First and foremost, I thought GREAT! It’s awesome to see people fighting for a better world; for once something was making the news that wasn’t all negative. With that being said, their request for donations, especially from our youth who have only a few dollars to spare, didn’t sit well with me (and others). This is only a start of the controversy with the video. People want to know where Invisible Children Inc is putting their money, accusing them of spending only 30% of proceeds directly on the Kony project.

Another problem is conflicting articles and information across the internet. Some accusing KONY 2012 of spreading incorrect facts and some saying Kony has not been a problem since 2006 and this is just creating problems for local Ugandans.

I asked on my Facebook page what people thought of the issue and a friend of me helped me out and put it on her page as well (thanks Tash!).

“I have been following this horrible story for years, what is unreal is how many people were unaware but I am so very relieved that someone has managed to bring it to the world’s attention, no small feat. I too have "friends" also, unlike so many managed to escape from these atrocities. They come with deep, deep wounds both physical and mentally” D. Henderson

“True everyone is entitled their own opinion, other than some think it's a scam due to it popping up in Canada all of a sudden, because we never heard of it. I believe this is true I believe KONY should be found and arrested. As well not stop there either there's lists bother big time criminals on that page other than Kony” N. Mickey

The consensus was pretty strong in support of the video. Even though the Invisible Children organization is being accused of not using their money wisely, spreading false facts, going out too strongly when this has already been happening for 26 years, and many more claims, people genuinely seem to be pro KONY 2012 (*on board with the video, not supporting Kony). 

The KONY 2012 video is one example of how messages are spread quickly through social media and how this forum promotes awareness and discussion.  Maybe we don’t need to blindly follow what the creators of the video say, but it’s a new take on the norm when mass media finally takes notice and starts reporting on a story that was popularized through social media channels and a lesser known organization like Invisible Children. What do you think about this hot topic and is there anything you are going to do about it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Christine Leclerc is NWCC's first ever full-time student blogger! She's a second-year Business Administration student in Terrace who took part in a study exchange to China earlier last year. Over the fall and winter semesters, she'll be giving her take on student life at NWCC. We're excited to see and read her posts and encourage you - the college community - to follow along. She's looking forward to getting your feedback and maybe some inspiration, too, throughout her blogging experience. And in case you're wondering, that's her beloved English bulldog Maddox

Young competitors shine as NWCC hosts trades fair

TERRACE – Several up and coming skilled trades students booked their ticket to the provincial-level BC Skills Competition at Northwest Community College (NWCC) today, one of the highlights of a full day centred on the opportunities of a career in the trades.

As part of a Trades Career Fair on the NWCC Terrace Campus, a total of 50 students from across the Northwest region put their skills on the line in the Skills Canada NWBC Regional Skills Competition. The competition featured three streams, one for post-secondary, one for students in high school and one open to elementary and junior high school students.

The post-secondary and high school students competed in five individual competition categories and the deserving winners were:

Automotive Service - Marcus Wilman (Caledonia Senior Secondary), first place; Mat Demelo (Caledonia Senior Secondary), second place; and Keifer Larson (Hazelton Secondary), third place.
Carpentry - Katie Julseth (Skeena Junior) was the winner; Steven Morrison (Kitwanga) in second place; and Brandon Stella (Caledonia Senior Secondary) in third.
Culinary Arts/Professional Cook - Stephen Bolton (NWCC), first place; John Hollaar (NWCC), second place; and Marvin Samuel (NWCC), third place.
Electrical Wiring - Tommy Prauteau (Charles Hayes Secondary), first place; Avery Green (Caledonia Secondary) in second; and Justin Watson (Charles Hayes Secondary) taking third place.
Welding, post-secondary category (see picture) - Crystal Pottinger, right, (Smithers Secondary) in first; Kyle Clement, left, (Mount Elizabeth Secondary), second; and Walker Sturko, second from left, (Caledonia Senior Secondary) placing third. Second from right is NWCC Welding instructor Rich Seinen.

At the high school level, ACE IT student Shanna Shirey won first place in the Culinary competition. Also at the high school level, the top three finishers in the Welding competition were: Daniel Dahler (Mt. Elizabeth Secondary), first place; Nathaniel Velho (Mt. Elizabeth Secondary), second place; and Andrew Brais (Skeena Junior Secondary), third place.

These winning students earned prizes donated by event sponsors and first place winners qualify for a spot at the provincial-level competition. Winners at the BC level could go on to compete at Nationals or even the World Skills event held bi-annually!

In the Junior Skills category with teams of students in grades 6-9, the Grade 5 boys team from Thornhill Elementary prevailed in the exciting Spaghetti Bridge Building competition, edging out two other teams, the Grade 6 girls (2nd place) and the Grade 7 boys, all from Thornhill Elementary.

The Skills Canada NWBC Regional Skills Competition was just one part of NWCC's day-long Trades Career Fair. At least 500 people attended throughout the day, bringing industry representatives and potential employers together with job-seekers and NWCC Trades department with all the information about training options offered at the College. There were hands-on skills demonstrations, Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) simulators to try, bus tours to the live site of HEO training, trades shops and campus tours, plus a free barbecue lunch prepared by NWCC Culinary Arts students.

The Northwest is on the verge of an economic boom expected to bring up to $30 billion in investment. Of the jobs associated with the major projects, roughly two-thirds of them are in the Trades, Transport and Equipment Operator-related fields. In short, it's a great time to get Trades training at NWCC, where students can choose from Trades Foundation and Apprenticeship training in a number of fields, plus industry-ready certifications that employers are looking for. After all, BC Stats show that 78 percent of projected job openings in the province will require training at the post-secondary level.

Competitions provide a forum for pre-college students to develop and showcase their technical skills. And while the competition is for fun, the rewards are potentially great. On the line for the competing post-secondary and secondary school-aged students are prizes and places for category winners to advance to provincial-level competition. Winners at the BC level could go on to compete at Nationals or even the World Skills event held bi-annually!

Skills Canada British Columbia is a provincial, not-for-profit organization that works with employers, educators, associations, labour groups and government to promote skilled trade and technology careers to youth.

Seabridge Gold was the Platinum sponsor for both events, and other sponsors were BC Hydro, Progressive Ventures, Ridley Terminals, Maher Terminals, Imperial Metals, Kitimat LNG/Apache, Bechtel Canada/Rio Tinto Alcan, and Enbridge Northern Gateway. Industry sponsorship is vital to the success of both these events and other collaborations with NWCC.