Laura Formusa, Hydro One President & CEO, and Brian Tamblyn, Georgian College President and CEO, extend the partnership between the two organizations for another four years, to continue advancing education opportunities to train the future utility sector workforce.

Five years ago Hydro One launched a partnership with Georgian College to promote careers in the utility sector and train more students to become the company’s future workforce. The partnership has been so successful that Hydro One announced it will continue the partnership with a second $750,000 investment in Georgian College’s School of Engineering Technology.

The funds support scholarships, curriculum development, co-op placements and equipment to enhance hands-on learning opportunities.

With up to 30 per cent of Hydro One’s workforce eligible to retire in the next five years, promoting careers in the utility sector is a timely initiative.

“The results are in from the first phase of this partnership and they are outstanding,” says Laura Formusa, President and CEO of Hydro One. “The four colleges have been very effective in attracting more students to their electrical programs, ensuring a stronger workforce for Hydro One and the entire utility sector. This is good news for the people of Ontario.”

•  The Hydro One College Consortium consists of Georgian, Algonquin, Mohawk and Northern colleges. Each college will receive $750,000 in support of its electrical engineering programs and recruitment, over the term of this four-year partnership.

•  Since the partnership began, Georgian has doubled the enrolment and graduation rates of its three-year Electrical Engineering Technology program and created a new two-year Electrical Engineering Technician program.

•  A portion of Hydro One’s first investment supported the construction of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Barrie Campus, which has increased Georgian’s capacity to about 200 students a year between the two programs.

“Our direct relationship with Hydro One is very appealing to students,” says Bob Emptage, Dean of Engineering Technology and Environmental Studies and Chair of the Hydro One College Consortium. “Our application rate has substantially increased over the past five years to the point where we now have a waiting list for these two programs.”

Emptage says one of the highlights of the partnership so far has been the interaction between students and senior representatives from Hydro One.

“Laura Formusa has taken time to meet with students on a couple of occasions. In 2008 she hosted a mentorship event for students where she and her senior staff discussed trends in the sector, what Hydro One looks for in future employees and then directly answered student questions.

“What a wonderful experience for our students to interact directly with the CEO of one of the province’s major employers,” says Emptage.

Students also receive hands-on learning through co-op placements at Hydro One. In 2011, Hydro One hired 56 Georgian co-op students, making the college a leader in co-op placements at the company.

In this second phase of the partnership, Georgian College will continue its student recruitment push, with a new focus on increasing the number of women and aboriginal people studying electrical engineering and subsequently joining the Hydro One workforce.

Hydro One will also work with Georgian faculty and students on applied research projects, to test new ideas it wants to bring to the marketplace.

“This is a great example of an innovative partnership that is at the heart of Georgian’s mission. It is helping us to strengthen our industry connections to advance student access and success,” says Emptage.

Formusa agrees that partnerships with colleges are an asset to her company.

“The colleges are able to implement curricula that meet the needs of our growing and evolving industry. Future applied research projects will help keep Ontario at the global forefront of smart grid technologies,” said Formusa.

Hydro One was awarded the 2008 Ontario Colleges Community/Corporate Partnership Award in recognition of its contribution to the advancement of Ontario’s college system. In the same year, it also won the Distinguished Partnership Award from Georgian College’s Board of Governors.

A “Windows of Opportunity” Expo Career Fair will be hosted by Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation students at the Barrie Campus of Georgian College on Feb. 7.

Leading employers in the hospitality, tourism, culinary and recreation industries are coming to the college to network with students and the public looking for careers in the field. They will be seeking new employees to work in food and beverage, event planning, office administration, customer service, adventure recreation and leisure and much more.

Businesses from our own backyard and across Canada will be represented. This is the perfect opportunity for those looking for successful and rewarding careers or co-operative seasonal employment.

The fair takes place in the gymnasium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome and admission is free.

For further information, check out the Expo Facebook page – search Georgian College HTR Expo 2012, or call the Expo office at 705-728-1968, ext. 6211.

Brian Tamblyn, President and CEO, Georgian College

Georgian College President and CEO Brian Tamblyn announced today that Georgian will lead a partnership to respond to the Simcoe County District School Board’s call for proposals for the Barrie Central Collegiate site.  Georgian’s response features an allowance for a joint college-university centre of excellence in downtown Barrie.

Georgian is responding to a call for proposals by the Simcoe County District School Board for financially viable partnerships that could rebuild or redevelop the Central Collegiate site. Faced with declining enrolment for the secondary school and an aging school building, trustees are seeking creative ideas for making the most of the site while keeping a high school presence in downtown Barrie.

“Georgian will lead a team of public and private sector partners to create a strong and innovative plan. Details of the plan will be released within the context of the School Board’s request for proposal process, expected later this winter or spring,” Tamblyn said.

“Georgian is focused on achieving this opportunity for Barrie and for Georgian, as well as our community. We, along with our public and private partners, will be moving to a design stage for a portion of the Barrie Central site, in response to the School Board’s request for proposals,” said Tamblyn.  This work will be co-ordinated with the City of Barrie’s Master Site Plan, expected to be completed this winter, for the block of land surrounding Central Collegiate.

Over a year ago, Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman invited the community to respond to the potential for partnerships at the Barrie Central site. Georgian has been developing its proposal since that time.  Tamblyn said Georgian’s groundwork to date has included a number of visioning sessions with potential partners and stakeholders to determine the strongest approach.

The City of Barrie has long envisioned a downtown campus for Georgian, and the potential for the college to collaborate with a university is significant. Tamblyn calls this a major opportunity.

The concept being developed by Georgian for the School Board’s consideration also coincides with the Ontario Government’s plans to create three new satellite university campuses through a competitive Request-For-Proposal process.

Georgian’s proposal will focus on an allocation of land for the satellite university campus, incorporating a “Centre of Excellence” that hosts both college and university programs in an as yet unspecified field of study (e.g. Design and Visual Arts, Business, etc.).

“This is the right location and the right time for a public-private partnership (P3) on the Central lands and the adjacent lands owned by the City of Barrie,” says Tamblyn.  P3 development is an approach in which public organizations such as Georgian join with the private sector to achieve mutual benefits and reduced costs for major capital projects.

“I agree with Mayor Jeff Lehman’s vision for the Central Collegiate site,” said Tamblyn. “We should work together to keep a secondary school in the downtown core in a way that is both innovative and viable. The school must also meet the School Board’s long-term planning needs. By working together, we can create post-secondary investment on that site that complements the Board’s plans.”

“The stars are aligned and I believe that Georgian must take a leadership role and work with the City in achieving this downtown post-secondary campus goal for our community,” said Tamblyn.

“Details on what a specific academic centre of excellence could look like will need to wait until the province announces its selection process for new university campuses. That’s when we will work with universities that are interested in a Barrie campus to create a true partnership in post-secondary opportunity.”

Backgrounder

• At the same time as the Simcoe County District School Board is seeking proposals for partnerships, the Ontario government is planning three new satellite university campuses.
• The government has not yet announced how the selection process will work. Queen’s Park alone will determine which universities will be permitted to expand and which municipalities will benefit.
• “It is absolutely clear that the government will select the university, not Georgian, and not the City of Barrie. We want to be ready to attract this important post-secondary investment for Barrie, the broader community and for our students,” Tamblyn said.
• “This is the time to focus on winning this for Barrie,” said Tamblyn. “The provincial government’s selection process will be a competitive one. For Barrie to win, we need the innovative alignment of Georgian’s existing and planned programming, along with those of whichever university is selected.”
• Georgian is committed to working with all interested universities to create the strongest and most innovative proposal possible for Barrie and the surrounding community.

Georgian College’s Robbert Hartog Midland Campus is hoping to meet industry need with its free 35-week Pre-Apprenticeship Welding, Small Engine and Marine program, which starts Feb. 6, 2012.

This training program, funded by the Government of Ontario, supports the province’s focus on increasing the number of new entrants to apprenticeship programs. The curriculum covers job and trade readiness and academic upgrading and includes a 12-week paid placement.

Georgian will provide each participant with textbooks and tools, safety boots, certificates/tickets and additional value-added educational services.  

Applicants must be 16 years of age or older, a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, and not currently be registered as an apprentice.

Limited seats are available.

For more information, contact Denyse Wigglesworth at 705-526-3666, ext. 3707 or dwigglesworth@georgianc.on.ca.

The Premier’s Awards are granted to six individuals annually and celebrate the outstanding contributions college graduates make to Ontario and throughout the world. More than 100 nominations were submitted by Ontario’s 24 public colleges in six categories: Business, Creative Arts and Design, Community Services, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent Graduate.

Stephens began his career as a summer student working for his father’s road building company, Capital Paving Inc. He learned the business from the ground up, progressing through a range of positions and gaining valuable experience. He became president and controlling owner of Capital Paving Inc. at age 35 and has since grown its revenue from $18 million to $80 million in just over 10 years. The company consistently obtains contracts for the largest infrastructure projects throughout southwestern Ontario.

Stephens says he has benefited from the depth and breadth of his three-year Georgian College Business Administration program. What he learned at Georgian has allowed him to bring a complimentary skill set to Capital – a predominantly engineering-based company. Fiscal prudence and exceptional financial management have been the hallmark of his leadership. 

Stephens says courses in accounting, economics and business set the foundation for his discipline. Courses in organizational behaviour helped him recognize that human capital is the primary basis for true sustainable advantage. He has invested significantly in attracting, retaining and developing top talent. Marketing courses showed Stephens the value of establishing a recognizable brand for Capital, with a distinctive logo, tagline (“Quality Construction by Quality People”) and bold company colours.  

Capital has earned an enviable reputation for technical quality and has won numerous awards.  Capital Paving’s gross earnings have consistently surpassed industry benchmarks. In 2010 Capital was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. Stephens and his partners, Jim Kelly, VP Construction and Larry Wilson, VP Aggregate and Asphalt Operations, were honoured to receive this award – a mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million. In addition, Capital is the only company to have won the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s prestigious Paver of the Year Award three times (2000, 2006, 2008). Capital has also earned numerous  awards for environmental excellence, progressive rehabilitation of lands and community involvement. 

In 2010, Stephens was selected for the Quantum Shift™ for Entrepreneurs program at the Richard Ivey School of Business. He was one of only 40 business owners across Canada granted the opportunity to participate in this elite program.

Stephens is also a leader in his community. He has been actively involved in fundraising initiatives for the Alzheimer Society of Cambridge and Guelph-Wellington Chapters as well as and the Homewood Foundation of Mental Health of Guelph.  He has led Capital employees in numerous community initiatives, helping to raise more than $100,000 for a local recreation facility through a Farm to Fork culinary event, establishing a “Greenest School” contest and restoring the historic Ellis Chapel and improvements to Victoria Glen Park.  He is particularly proud of Capital employees who are developing a significant community fundraising campaign for Alzheimer’s called “Miles for Memories.”

Four other accomplished Georgian nominees were considered for the 2011 Colleges Ontario Premier’s Awards. They included David Edgar, a Police Studies graduate nominated in the category of Recent Graduate; Jonathan Gushue, a double diploma graduate from Hotel and Resort Management and Culinary Management,  nominated in the Creative Arts and Design category; Kathleen Yake, a Dental Hygiene graduate  nominated in the Health Sciences category; and Ted Vandevis, a Civil Engineering graduate who was nominated in the Technology category.

“We are very proud of Geoffrey Stephens, as well as all our other nominees of past and present. They are all shining examples of how a college education can be a springboard to incredible life and career success,” said Lisa Eveleigh, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Georgian College.

To find out more about the other winners and nominees, visit www.co-awards.org.

Georgian College has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in a national competition – for the fifth time in 10 years.

Canada’s Top 100 Employers is an annual competition that recognizes Canada’s best places to work. The project aims to identify companies and organizations across Canada that lead their industries in attracting and retaining employees.

“What is common to all winners is that each is an industry leader. From architectural firms to community housing agencies, the employers chosen this year are leaders in their industry in attracting and retaining quality employees,” said Richard Yerema of MediaCorp, which sponsors the award.

Georgian President and CEO Brian Tamblyn said he is elated with the award and noted that winning such a prestigious designation is the result of years of hard work on the part of the college and the people who work there.

“We have consciously worked toward the goal of creating an outstanding workplace that will attract and retain the best staff in the Ontario college system,” he said. “With staff members who are highly engaged and connected to their workplace, we are able to offer an outstanding environment where students can learn and excel.”

In its strategic plan Vision 2015, Georgian specifically sets a goal of championing employee engagement, in part by fostering employees’ passion for student success.

“Our staff help to make Georgian a Top 100 employer,” said Tamblyn.”People want to work here. We receive dozens, if not hundreds of applications for every job posting.”

Judges for the Top 100 award sift through applications from more than 10,000 Canadian employers before selecting the best in each category. All winners will be honoured at an awards ceremony in Toronto Nov. 28. Previously, Georgian earned the distinction in the years 2001 to 2004 inclusive.

Canada’s Top 100 Employers cites many reasons for choosing Georgian, ranging from an outstanding physical workplace to superior financial and family-friendly benefits. Employee engagement is given an “A” rating, as is Georgian staff involvement in the community.

Additional reasons cited by judges for selecting Georgian include:

• Georgian offers great family-friendly benefits including outstanding maternity and parental leave top-up payments (to 93 per cent of salary for 52 weeks) and hosts a  daycare centre with more than 100 spaces on its Barrie campus
• Georgian encourages ongoing employee development with subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation, financial bonuses for some course completion, in-house and online training programs and career planning services
• Georgian helps older workers prepare for life after work with retirement planning assistance, options that let employees gradually decrease their hours, and contributions to a defined benefit pension plan
• New employees start with a minimum of three weeks paid vacation

Employers are evaluated by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers using eight criteria – physical workplace, work atmosphere, health, financial and family benefits, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development, and community involvement.

Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Georgian is currently ranked as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2011, in a separate competition also administered by MediaCorp.

The largest expansion in Georgian history, the Sadlon Centre for Health and Wellness spans 172,000-square-feet and houses all Health and Wellness programs at the Barrie Campus, along with six community health clinics: Oral Health, Massage Therapy, Georgian College Optical, and in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Georgian Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. Two additional clinics will open in January, the Spa and Esthetics Clinic and the Harmonize for Speech, Hearing and Language Clinic.

Students are gaining hands-on experience in the community health clinics, getting them a step ahead as they prepare to start their careers in health care.

Third-year Massage Therapy student Joline McAneney knows what a positive impact her time in the new Massage Therapy Clinic will have on her future career.

“The hands-on experience that I get in the clinic is absolutely key for my career,” says McAneney. “It’s amazing to be able to apply the skills we learn in class to a real clinical scenario.”

McAneney dreams of working in a health care facility and eventually owning her own massage business.

“I already have up to five appointments per week with clients, which is great,” adds McAneney.

In addition to providing hands-on clinical experience for students, Georgian is also blazing a new trail by partnering with the Barrie Family Health Team and introducing electronic medical records software training into the curriculum. Students will become accustomed to using a program called Accuro® through Optimed Software Corporation. It will be taught in the classroom and used in the community health clinics. This program is already being used by many health care institutions in the Simcoe County region, so students in programs such as Massage Therapy, Dental Hygiene and Office Administration– Medical will already be well versed in the program before entering the health care workforce.

“Georgian College is the first college in Ontario to partner with a Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic and the Barrie Community Family Health Team, which represents many family health teams,” says Dr. Cassandra Thompson, Dean, School of Health and Wellness. “This is truly an interprofessional initiative, which really supports the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s vision to bring together different health care providers to co-ordinate the highest possible quality of care for patients in our communities.”

Many community members in the Barrie area and beyond are already benefiting from the care provided by students and health care professionals in the community health clinics. Kerry Pinkerton has been a client of the Oral Health Clinic, originally located at the Orillia Campus, for more than a year.

“I like coming to the Oral Health Clinic for my dental care,” says Pinkerton. “It’s a bright, comfortable atmosphere and the students are great. I know they need the experience, so I’m happy to help provide them with that.”

It’s also very affordable for those who may not have access to health benefits.

“I don’t know where I would receive my dental care if not for the Oral Health Clinic at Georgian,” says Pinkerton. “It’s a great price for the services I receive.”

The centre’s $62.5-million price tag was funded by federal and provincial contributions from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, as well as municipal, corporate and individual donors to the college’s Power of Education campaign. The new building will eventually enable enrolment in Health and Wellness programs to double, allowing 3,000 students to be accepted into Health and Wellness programs.

Two of Georgian’s newest programs in the School of Health and Wellness are Esthetician and Pharmacy Technician. An additional program being introduced for fall 2012 is Occupational Therapy Assistant/Physiotherapy Assistant. They will join existing programs such as Opticianry, Paramedic, Personal Support Worker, Practical Nursing and many others.

For more information about the Sadlon Centre for Health and Wellness, community health clinics or Health and Wellness programs at Georgian College, please visit choosegeorgian.ca/healthandwellness.

Marty Gervais

Award-winning journalist, photographer, poet, playwright, historian and editor Marty Gervais shares his secrets on how to get published, at a free Barrie Camnpus event Nov. 24.

Gervais’ talk, “How to Get Published and What I Have Published”, begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Campus Gallery.  It is presented by Georgian’s University Partnership Centre.

Gervais’ work covers a huge variety of topics. His most recent book is A Show of Hands, a collection of photographs of boxers from Windsor and Detroit. The photos formed part of one of the most successful exhibitions in the history of the Art Gallery of Windsor.

Gervais has written more than a dozen books of poetry, two plays and a novel. His most successful work, The Rumrunners, was a Canadian bestseller. Another book, Seeds In The Wilderness, stemmed from interviews he conducted with such notable religious leaders as Mother Theresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Hans Kung and Terry Waite. Gervais also photographed many of these world leaders for his book.  Another book, My Town, is based on his columns in The Windsor Star. Recent books of poetry include Wait For Me and Lucky Days: New Poems.

Gervais also brings to his talk many insights into the publishing business. He is founder and co-owner of Windsor-based Black Moss Press.

The pieces are handcrafted sterling, titanium, brass or bronze.

Rare finds designed by students; prices range from $25 to $300

FACT:    Many of today’s professionals will change jobs 12 times in their careers.

FACT:    More jobs are being created by small business entrepreneurs than by corporate Canada and government institutions.

Learn how to be your own boss – and start your own business! Check out Georgian College’s new Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management eight-month graduate certificate program.

• Develop a comprehensive business plan, along with a detailed implementation/start-up plan
• A new program designed specifically for you – a student with a GREAT idea, who wants to run his or her own business
• Curriculum and support programs developed by the world-renowned Kauffman Foundation
• Supported by the resources and expertise of the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre

For more information:

• Barb Watts, Associate Dean, 705-728-1968, ext. 1141, bwatts@georgianc.on.ca
• Gary Boydell, Co-ordinator, 705-728-1968, ext. 1488, gboydell@georgianc.on.ca or drop by H209 (Barrie Campus) during Georgian College Open House Saturday, Nov. 12, anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.