On December 12, Durham College (DC) celebrated its Whitby campus’s 25th anniversary surrounded by employees, alumni, corporate partners, donors and local politicians.

Once a Cadbury chocolate factory, DC purchased the property in 1992 and began the process of turning its vision for a training facility, focused primarily on skilled trades, into a reality.

The first group of students was welcomed in 1993. Fast forward to 2018 and DC’s Whitby location has evolved into an active post-secondary campus that is home to a range of programs across multiple disciplines. Corporate Training Services (CTS) has also been delivering client-focused and results-driven training solutions for decades, providing businesses and organizations with access to top experts and specialists in their respective fields.

“We are really proud of all we have accomplished at the Whitby campus,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “We’ve come a long way since its inception. The physical footprint and program offerings are constantly changing and evolving to meet the demands of both the marketplace and our students; and we will continue to grow as we head into the next 25 years.”

Home to more than 2,000 post-secondary skilled-trade students, 1,300 skilled-trade apprentices (which includes 150 high school level Ontario Youth Apprentices), 1,000 post-secondary students pursuing non-trades studies and 1,000s’ of other part-time students and corporate training clients through the college’s School of Continuing Education and CTS, the Whitby campus provides numerous opportunities for experiential learning.

Whether in the fields outside the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, in the two houses used as learning labs, working in the kitchen at the college’s teaching-restaurant Bistro ‘67 or the Industrial Maintenance Shop, students are able to use the skills they are being taught in realistic settings.

“We are only scratching the surface of the potential for the Whitby campus,” said Lovisa. “It’s grown in phases, from when we first made it a full campus by adding services, amenities and additional supports for students, to recently breaking ground on a new student residence for those studying here. It will need to continue to grow to further accommodate more students, more programs and new partnerships with industry. We will remain forward thinking in the days, months and years to come to ensure the history of excellence already established here in Whitby continues.”

On December 7, TeachingCity partners the City of Oshawa, Durham College (DC), Trent University Greater Toronto Area and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology gathered together for the inaugural City Idea Lab student showcase.

City Idea Lab, which is part of TeachingCity, is an innovative, curriculum-based program that draws on the knowledge and creativity of college and university students who work directly with faculty and City staff to co-design solutions through active community research. Each course focuses on a particular City-identified problem statement embedded in the academic curriculum.

Supported by RBC Future Launch, the first City Idea Lab cohort included DC students and upper-year undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, who were asked to address the challenge question “how might the City of Oshawa better engage youth in priority neighbourhoods?”

Held at the TeachingCity Hub, the showcase was also the debut of a new mural within the space. Entitled, “The Balance” and designed by DC alumna Leana Anderson, a young Indigenous artist and graduate from the college’s Fine Arts – Advanced program, the piece is meant to embody ethical innovation.

In the next term of the City Idea Lab, DC students from the School of Media, Art & Design will take part in the Community Collaborations and Service Learning course.

Durham College (DC) has been named one of the Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2019. This is the eighth time the college has received this honour, which recognizes organizations for their progressive and forward-thinking employee programs.

DC is proud to be acknowledged for its commitment to ongoing employee development through programs such as Leave for Change, which offers faculty and staff the opportunity to transform their vacations into short-term leaves so they can volunteer in a developing country.

The fact employees can provide direct feedback to college leadership through programs such as the annual Retreat with the President was also noted, as was DC’s encouragement of healthy, active living through subsidized access to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre and the suite of services including massage and dietary counseling available in the Campus Health Centre.

“We are so pleased to once again be recognized for the college’s efforts to support our employees,” said Dr. Scott Blakey, chief administrative officer. “One of our greatest strengths is our people. It is through their talent and dedication that we can deliver on our mission that the student experience comes first.”

Greater Toronto’s Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the Greater Toronto Area employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Organizations are judged on several categories including physical workplace; work and social 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.

For more information, please visit www.canadastop100.com/toronto/.

On November 12, five Durham College (DC) students put the field back in field trip as they traveled to St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Pickering to break ground on the first phase of the Grassroots project, guiding high school students as they built micro-greenhouses and planted a fruit tree orchard.

Part of Enactus DC and in partnership with the Durham District Catholic School Board (DDCSB), Grassroots is an initiative that aims to educate elementary and secondary school students about food-related issues in a sustainable outdoor education environment.

Cold frames for the micro-greenhouses were designed by students in DC’s Horticulture – Food and Farming and Building Construction Technician programs and use passive solar energy to absorb heat from the sun and built-in vents to regulate temperature, extending the growing season of produce and encouraging students to develop their own sustainable social enterprise and connect with their community year-round.

In the future, Grassroots will continue to work with St. Mary and the DDCSB to build an accessible food and farming hub that will help students learn about plants, food production, climate, sustainability, regeneration and resiliency.

Enactus is an international non-profit organization dedicated to creating social change through entrepreneurship. DC’s chapter was introduced to the college in 2016 through FastStartDC, the college’s entrepreneurial centre, to create a club of student leaders looking to make a positive economic and social impact on society. DC’s chapter now has over 60 student members.

On November 6, Durham College (DC) welcomed president of the Treasury Board, Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, as well as MPP Lorne Coe to its Whitby campus for a roundtable discussing skilled trades and apprenticeship reform.

They were joined by Pam Stoneham associate dean of DC’s School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology, Dr. Rebecca Milburn, executive dean and principal, Whitby campus and Dr. Elaine Popp, DC’s vice-president, Academic, as well as faculty from the college’s welding, millwright, crane and elevating devices programs.

Grant Hawkins, a Level 1 apprentices in DC’s Elevating Devices Mechanic program, and Haley Barnes, who is in her second-year of DC’s Welding Engineering Technician program, were also on hand to share their experiences as current students.

Participants at the roundtable discussed areas where they felt changes are needed including streamlining the apprenticeship application process and bringing clarity to the journey of becoming an apprentice.

Reaching out to and promoting skilled trades earlier in a student’s education was also highlighted. Whether through offering exposure to those fields through events, such as DC’s recent Young Women in Science, Technology and Trades Conference, or working with guidance counsellors to advocate for skilled trades, it was emphasized that helping students understand the value, potential and importance of these professions is a key factor in assuring the future prosperity of the trades in Ontario.

“Apprenticeship is so important,” said Stoneham. “Our program advisory committees are indicating they want the college to have more apprenticeships and by extension apprentices but we need to review the current system and address ongoing misconceptions about the value of skilled trades; that is a challenge.”

Carla Carmichael, vice-president, Project Assurance and Contract Management at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), also attended the roundtable, stressing that the skilled trades shortage is very real and impacting businesses both small and large.

As the company responsible for approximately half of the electricity generation in the Province of Ontario, OPG is also one of the province’s largest employers however, the biggest threat to its Darlington Nuclear Generating Station refurbishment project is a lack of skilled trades’ workers.

“Our contractors anticipate hiring thousands of skilled trades within the next five years to support the current planned refurbishment activities. This includes boilermakers, millwrights, electricians, steamfitters and carpenters.” she said. “We are working closely with our industry partners such as Bruce Power to ensure the success of the project.”

Of the call for apprenticeship reform, Minister Bethlenfalvy said “the evidence pointing to a skilled trades shortage and issues with the structure of the apprenticeship system is why our Government for the People is taking swift action to transform and modernize the apprenticeship system. There is tremendous value in coming to Durham College today and listening to your feedback. You are on the ground floor of training our next generation of skilled trades’ workers.”

With more than 1,300 students studying in nine apprenticeship programs offered at the college, DC has advocated extensively for apprenticeship reform and welcomed the opportunity to share its thoughts with the minister and MPP Coe.

On November 10, Durham College (DC) welcomed more than 2,700 prospective students and their families as it opened its doors to visitors at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and Pickering Learning Site for the college’s Fall Open House.

The event gave prospective students the opportunity to explore DC’s extensive facilities, check out support services, including Financial Aid and Awards and the Access and Support Centre, and learn about the college’s more than 140 full-time programs and hundreds of continuing education offerings.

During the day, the new Centre for Collaborative Education at the Oshawa campus was abuzz – visitors met AI robots in the 360insights Entrepreneurship Centre, explored the Durham College Spa and First Peoples Indigenous Centre, and experienced a unique demonstration in the Global Classroom. At the Whitby Campus, prospective students attended baking and cooking demonstrations in the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food and learned about exciting upcoming plans for expansions to the campus.

On hand throughout the day was DC president Don Lovisa, dean and principal of the Whitby campus Rebecca Milburn, as well as current students, alumni, faculty and staff who eagerly connected with community members and shared their first-hand knowledge and experience related to all things DC.

Fall Open House also gave curious students the opportunity to learn more about DC’s first degree program, the Honours Bachelor of Health Care Technology Management – which welcomed its inaugural class in September, and the Artificial Intelligence Analysis, Design and Implementation graduate certificate, a new offering beginning in 2019.

Anyone who missed the Fall Open House is still in luck. Campus tours and information sessions can still be requested online, via email or by calling 905.721.3126.

DC will also hold its Spring Open House on Saturday, March 23, 2019.

Durham College (DC) is pleased to announce the signing of two General Agreements of Cooperation (GAC) on October 31 with German post-secondary institutions Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm (THN).

The GACs will provide opportunities to promote international development and stimulate educational, professional and intercultural activities and projects among students and employees within FAU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, THN’s School of Engineering and DC’s School of Science & Engineering Technology.

Moving forward, DC will work with FAU and THN to explore exchange opportunities for students, staff and faculty, facilitate curriculum exchange for distance learning and training programs, and identify opportunities for conducting applied research in industrial and community development and teaching and learning.

This past summer, Dr. Elaine Popp, vice-president, Academic, at DC was part of the delegation from the Durham Region that traveled to Nuremberg, Germany to investigate business and educational development opportunities. On October 30, the Region, DC and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology welcomed the German delegation, including Dr. Jens Helbig from THN Institute of Chemistry Materials and Product Development, Alexander Nasarow from FAU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Dr. Michael Fraas, deputy mayor, Economic Affairs from the City of Nuremberg.