The demand for mechanical engineers in the challenging industrial environment is growing. In fact, in 2014, 79 per cent of Durham College (DC) Mechanical Engineering Technology students found employment in a related field after graduation according to the college’s Graduate Employment Report.

Using the skills they acquired at DC, a number of these graduates are carving out careers at Thinkpath Engineering Services (Ontario) Inc. (Thinkpath), a global leader in engineering and design services. In 2013, Eddie Riby, an engineering account manager at Thinkpath met with several students in the third year of DC’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program. Impressed by their strong familiarity with the computer-aided design (CAD) software currently being used by Thinkpath, Riby has hired 14 DC graduates since that initial meeting.

“I find that Durham College graduates have a good foundation of 3D modelling and drafting skills,” said Riby. “During the program, students are trained using Siemens NX, the CAD software we use at Thinkpath Engineering Services. Having an understanding of this software before graduation is an asset they can build throughout their design career with Thinkpath.”

One of the DC alumni who joined the Thinkpath team is Riley Tomiuck, a 2014 Mechanical Engineering Technology program graduate. There he uses the skills he acquired during his time DC to provide mechanical design services to several clients. In addition, he delivers technical presentations outlining engineering issues he is responsible for discovering and resolving for clients. 

“The professors at DC really went above and beyond my expectations,” said Tomiuck. “In addition to facilitating hands-on training, they inspired us by sharing their extensive knowledge, personal experiences and advice. Our professors also passed along interview tips, which made me far more confident when job searching.”

The college’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program prepares graduates to work both independently and as part of an engineering team to provide technical support and service in fields such as manufacturing, construction and energy generation. In the third year of the program, students have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving skills in the college’s 8,000-square-foot Integrated Manufacturing Centre, a world-class training facility located at the Oshawa campus.

Each year, Durham College supports the York Region Secondary School Mock Trial Competition held at the Newmarket Courthouse. 24 high schools compete by conducing mock trials before Judges in the Superior Court of Justice.

This year, Stephanie Ball, executive dean of the School of Justice & Emergency Services and School of Interdisciplinary Studies, joined the coordinating committee comprised of the Chief Justice of Ontario, the Crown Attorney for York Region, Senior Regional Chief Justice of Ontario, and York Region Deputy Chief of Police. 

Durham College (DC) students from the Paralegal program were thanked by Ball for inspiring high school students as she opened the ceremonies. In her speech, she shared the stories of how students often pursue a career in the field of justice because of these mock trials.

Current DC student Andrew Keeping participated in the competition when he was in high school and credits the experience with leading him to DC and the Paralegal program.

“I would say that my experience with the mock trial was incredibly educational and beneficial in many ways. The most apparent way was that I benefited from the competitive nature of the event and I really enjoyed interacting with real legal professionals and real judges, in a real courtroom.  You can’t get more real than that,” said Keeping.

Tasif Chowdhury, also a DC Paralegal student was unsure as a high school student if pursuing an education in law was the right option for him, the mock trial helped convince him it was the correct choice.

“When I decided to join the Mock Trial team in high school I was unsure of how much I really enjoyed law. But, after having worked with lawyers to prepare for the trial and having the experience of being in a court room, I ended up changing my mind. Being involved with the mock trial was actually fun, and only confirmed my interest in pursuing a career within the legal field.  Now at Durham College, I continue to gain all of the skills needed to succeed. There is nothing more empowering than the knowledge I have gained in this program and looking back I now know I made the right choice,” said Chowdhury.

The mock trials were created to help high school students develop their interest in the legal field while exposing them to a fully integrated, hands-on experience. DC supported the event administratively through Professor Burger, a lawyer teaching in the paralegal program, and Nicole Davidson, Student Recruitment and Admission Services.

DC’s Paralegal program is accredited by The Law Society of Upper Canada (Law Society), the regulatory body governing professional paralegals in the province. The program prepares students for the Law Society’s paralegal licensing examination, enabling them to provide legal services within authorized areas of law practice and represent clients before Small Claims Court, Criminal Court (summary convictions), Provincial Offences Court and government tribunals.

Although Canada’s need for skilled workers is no secret, according to Statistics Canada women’s representation in the trades remains low, accounting for only five per cent of all skilled trades workers in the country. To help fill this gap, Durham College (DC) will launch a new, all-women Elevating Devices Mechanic (EDM) pre-apprenticeship training program at the end of February.

“Ontario is expecting to see a high demand for skilled workers such as elevator constructors/mechanics and crane operators over the next 10 years,” said Christine Murphy, manager, Access Programs and Employment Services, DC. “These professions offer exceptional opportunities for employment yet women are still not entering them in any significant number. We want to get the word out about these careers, encourage women to pursue them and prepare our students to seize these opportunities in the job market.”

The need for certified EDMs is high due to the ongoing high-rise boom in cities, aging infrastructure in need of modernization and increased safety and maintenance standards. EDM is also one of many skilled trades facing a transitioning workforce as baby boomers retire in record numbers.

As one of only two organizations in Ontario to offer an EDM apprenticeship program, DC is known for its training expertise in this area, making the women’s EDM pre-apprenticeship program a natural fit for the college.

Through the program, which will see up to 15 women enrolled in full-time studies, students complete the in-school apprenticeship training for EDM Level 1; gain exposure to a secondary trade through an Industrial Mechanic Millwright course; and gain industry experience through a placement opportunity. Students will also receive safety and workplace preparedness training tailored for women entering a skilled trade.

To deliver this training, DC is partnering with the Microskills Community Development Centre (MCDC). MCDC will instruct students on a variety of topics, including recognizing and responding to unsafe scenarios; personal integrity and ethical practices; maintaining personal and professional boundaries; forms of harassment and strategies to address the situation; problem solving for work-life balance conflicts; and job mobility and developing leadership potential.

The program is being funded through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program, which seeks to increase the number of new participants enrolled in apprenticeship programs while addressing skilled-trade shortages.

Firefighting doesn’t typically bring to mind snow, sleet and ice. Yet for first responders in Canada, treacherous, freezing conditions are as much a part of the job as smoke and flames. In spite of this, safety concerns and other limitations have made hands-on cold weather training tough to come by for firefighting students.

On January 26 and 27 that all changed for students in Durham College’s (DC) Firefighter Pre-service, Education and Training (PFET) program when they participated in an Environmental Stress Simulation Workshop. Held inside the climatic wind tunnel of the Automotive Centre for Excellence (ACE) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the two-day workshop saw students execute a series of drills designed to test their physical and mental capabilities under intense environmental conditions.

With ACE providing simulated weather conditions in a safe, controlled setting, students executed several drills. This included dragging a 110-pound mannequin around an icy chamber; riding a stationary bike through blustering snow; performing hot room victim search-and-rescue procedures in the dark; and battling wind and rain while practising dismounts from a full-size firetruck, extending hose lines and performing forcible entries — all while wearing full personal protective equipment and a self-contained breathing apparatus. Lastly, they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a simulated moving ambulance that took them on a winding, bumpy ride.

Seizing the opportunity to work in a setting unique to their field, students in DC’s Fitness and Health Promotion (FHP) program also got in on the action. FHP students outfitted their PFET peers with state-of-the-art body metrics compression shirts in order to measure their heart rate, breathing rate and breathing volume. The data was then used to determine how their bodies reacted under the adverse conditions.

“Firefighting has tremendous physical demands,” said Michael Williams-Bell, a professor with the FHP program. “Providing students with an understanding of how their body reacts to typical job tasks will enable our firefighting students to make better decisions when responding to an emergency.”

Emerging frost-covered from a sub-zero chamber, PFET student Tyler Austin was surprised by how the cold affected his performance. Even as a seasoned ski patrol officer used to working in frigid temperatures, Austin found the cold-weather drills challenging. “It was interesting to see how much the cold affects our equipment and breathing apparatus,” said Austin. “I realized I had to slow down and use my skip-breathing techniques. Being able to simulate what it will be like out there on a cold winter day was a great way to get hands-on experience that backs up all our theory work.”

That’s exactly the kind of insight PFET instructor Rick Bowler hoped students would gain; in the 16 years he’s been teaching at DC, he’s never seen anything like the Environmental Stress Simulation Workshop.

“Firefighting is a fiercely competitive field, so offering students truly innovative experiences like this demonstrates how committed DC is to helping them gain a real, competitive advantage,” said Bowler. “I always have certain goals in mind for my students’ experience and this has surpassed any of them by far.”

As part of DC’s ongoing commitment to aligning its programs with the needs of students, employers and job market conditions, the School of Justice & Emergency Services and the School of Health & Community Services will now review the workshop and the possibility of making it an ongoing part of the PFET and FHP curricula.

Despite the cold weather happening outside, Durham College Horticulture Technician students recently had an opportunity to put their green thumbs to use when they showed off their skills at Landscape Ontario Congress.

Taking place from January 12 to 14, the annual event, now in its 42nd year, is Canada’s largest green industry trade show and conference, showcasing cutting-edge suppliers, educational sessions and keynote speakers. In addition, post-secondary students enrolled in horticulture programs at colleges across Ontario, are invited to build a student garden for the conference, allowing them to experience real-world timelines and pressures while adding green space to the event.

During their second semester, DC’s Horticulture Technician students collectively decided on the theme and design of their garden. To honour the first harvest of the fields at the Centre for Food (CFF), they chose an agriculture theme, which included vegetables and wild flowers grown in the college’s greenhouse. Using knowledge acquired during their studies, students planted the seeds and timed the growth of the various plants to ensure they reached maturity during the show. The evergreen components of the garden were generously donated by Kobes Nurseries Inc. in Bowmanville, Ont.

The students then pre-built some of the garden’s elements during the fall, giving them time to work out any kinks and prepare for the installation of the display in January. In keeping with the rural theme, the display’s structure and fencing was made of rough-cut Hemlock wood secured with mortise and tenon joinery in place of typical hardware.

“This project provides invaluable experience and networking opportunities to our students,” said Shane Jones, program co-ordinator of the Horticulture Technician program. “They thrive in a professional atmosphere year after year, uphold high standards and conduct themselves respectfully and professionally. It’s an honour to stand with them as representatives of Durham College.”

In addition to creating and displaying a garden at the event, the students also attended the tradeshow on January 14 as active participants before disassembling their garden. In addition to the hands-on experience of designing, growing and building their display, they also had the opportunity to mingle with industry professionals and students from other colleges.

“Once again, Durham College students have done an excellent job communicating the values of the college to an audience of more than 13,000 horticultural professionals,” said Tony DiGiovanni, executive director, Landscape Ontario. “The Durham College garden reflects the strong connection between the landscape and food.”

Students in the Sports Business Management (graduate certificate) program this fall were given the opportunity to complete a project in partnership with Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment (MLSE). As part of the Selling Sport course, they received the rights to sell discounted tickets for four Toronto Marlies games, using the skills they acquired in their program to put together a preliminary sales strategy proposal, sell the tickets and then reflect on their successes and challenges in a post-sales recap report. In addition, Marc Lira and Colby Pridham, two members of the MLSE sales team, shared their experiences with the students during an in-class guest lecture.

“The project provided an excellent opportunity for students to use the skills and knowledge they learned in class and apply to a real-life selling situation,” said Scott Campbell, professor in the School of Business, IT & Management. “They really benefitted from having an organization like MLSE to partner with.”

However, for these students, this project was about more than just making the grade. For each ticket sold, $5 was donated to Camp Oochiegeas, a summer camp exclusively serving children with cancer. Together, the students were able to sell 409 tickets, raising more than $2,000 for Camp Oochiegeas, which is free to campers and is staffed entirely by volunteers.

“This project, was extremely rewarding. I would consider it a highlight of the term,” said Heather Lloyd, the top-selling student. “We appreciated the chance to not only push ourselves to achieve our personal sales goals, but to also be able to make a meaningful donation to Camp Oochiegeas.”

As the top-selling student, Lloyd, who sold 40 tickets, was rewarded with a career counselling meeting with MLSE. In addition, the top four sellers in the class each received a pair of tickets to an upcoming MLSE event.

 

It’s a time-honoured event that brings the country to the big city and once again Durham College (DC) is making its mark at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Sharing culinary expertise

This year Centre for Food (CFF) Chair David Hawey is providing his culinary expertise as he spends four days judging the semi-final and final competitions of the Egg Farmers of Ontario Road to the Royal chef challenge and the Toronto Invitational Chef Competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

“It’s a huge honour to be asked to participate,” said Hawey. “The focus of these competitions is on showcasing the ingredients and using local produce whenever possible, which is closely aligned to the CFF’s own field-to-fork philosophy. It’s nice to see top calibre chefs bringing the philosophy to life and I am pleased to contribute my expertise.”

Culinary students also appeared on-stage on November 7 and 8, as part of a partnership with the Ontario Apple Growers. Under the guidance of Hawey they developed one sweet and one savoury apple-based appetizer and demonstrated how to prepare them in front of a live audience.

“It was really exciting to share these recipes with fair goers,” said Kristin Atwood, a second-year student in DC’s Culinary Management program. “It was both challenging and fun to take the skills we were taught in-class and use them to develop the dishes.”

Sharing information

With over 300,000 visitors attending the Royal annually, it is also a great opportunity for DC to reach prospective students and their families. The college’s recruitment team is on-hand for the duration of the event to showcase the over 140 market-driven programs offered at the college. These include the extensive suite of field-to-fork programs offered at the CFF in the areas of baking, culinary, hospitality, events, food and farming and horticulture, as well as programs with a science and engineering focus including pharmaceutical and food sciences.

For anyone who wants to visit DC at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which runs until Sunday, November 16, stop by booth 518 in Hall A.

On November 3, Durham College (DC) welcomed a delegation of Cuban public officials including the Ambassador of Cuba to Canada, the Consul General of Cuba in Toronto and the First Secretary, Embassy of Cuba in Canada to its Whitby campus.  The tour was part of a larger visit planned by the City of Oshawa to showcase the City and broader region and further develop the relationship that exists between Cuba and Canada in the year of the 70th anniversary of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between the two countries.

While on campus, delegates were welcomed by President Don Lovisa and Vice-President, Academic Elaine Popp and taken on a tour of the college’s renewable energy labs, led by Mike McKenney, a professor in the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship and Renewable Technology. The guests had the opportunity to observe the campus’ renewable energy equipment including the rooftop solar panels and wind turbines. The group also enjoyed lunch at Bistro ’67, DC’s green-certified teaching restaurant located in the Centre for Food.

“It was an honour to meet with the Ambassador and host the Cuban delegation,” said Lovisa. “We learned more about priorities for Cuba in terms of developing partnerships and economic development of the country, while also sharing the work we are doing academically in the areas of renewable energy and about how we partner with local businesses. Our impact and partnerships are broad and directly benefit our campus and communities.”

Click here for more information about DC’s renewable energy programs.

Durham College (DC) recently welcomed representatives from the Centro Experimental de Formación Profesional (CEFOP), a technical and vocational college in Trujillo, Peru, completing a second training mission to share best practices between both institutions.

Four management-level colleagues from CEFOP spent two weeks at DC learning about institutional procedures: recruitment of vulnerable youth, admissions, team work, performance evaluation and leadership training, while also exploring the strategies used to administer and run the Centre for Food’s (CFF) culinary programs and green-certified teaching restaurant Bistro ’67, all of which are based on the field-to-fork philosophy.

This latest mission is the second between both organizations, who are working together to examine practices that will help them excel at home and abroad. The first visit saw representatives from DC travel to Peru in July 2015 after the college was awarded a contract from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). With the goal of partnering with CEFOP, DC is sharing its experience and expertise in the areas of culinary arts and gastronomy, while also helping to update and enhance their curriculum, build industry linkages and assist CEFOP in providing its students with the skills they need to further promote and enhance the world-renowned and growing reputation of Peruvian cuisine.

“Our partnership with CEFOP not only gives us a chance to share our expertise but stands to have a great impact on the college, its students and the wider community,” said Mark Herringer, executive director, International Education. “It is also a great example of post-secondary institutions from across the globe working together to build expertise and improve the student experience.”

Driven by Katie Boone, international project manager with the college’s International Office, and David Hawey, chair of the CFF, the DC team is looking at options for adapting its field-to-fork philosophy for CEFOP’s urban center, reinforcing industry engagement strategies, highlighting the importance of inclusive management and student-centered teaching strategies and facilitating improvements to revenue generation activities of CEFOP.

The project is ongoing until March 2017 with several more visits planned between both institutions.

For more information about DC’s CFF please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/academic-schools/centre-for-food.

 

 

Durham College (DC) alumni talked hockey, health care and their roads to success during the third-annual Alumni in the Pit, which took place on November 3.

The event saw Nicole Blackman, a registered nurse and Dylan Wade, director of partnerships and business development for the NHL Alumni Association, return to campus to share their experiences following graduation as they answered questions and provided guidance to students who are about to set out on their own career paths.

 “75 per cent of your day is spent working,” said Blackman, who graduated from DC’s Nursing program in 2004. “With that stat in mind it’s important to make sure you are doing something you love.”

“Patience is key,” added Wade, a 2007 graduate from DC’s Sports Business Management program. “You’re not going to get what you want if you don’t ask for it but also know it may not happen overnight.”

Blackman began her education in a completely different program but soon discovered her passion was nursing. She didn’t have the required grades to get into DC’s Nursing program so she completed academic upgrading and was subsequently accepted. She credits her college professors and the relationships she formed with helping her succeed and began looking for her first job five months before graduation – something she advises all soon-to-be grads to do. Her path has taken her to a remote community in Ontario’s far north to focus on Aboriginal health and back to the Durham Region again and she has continued to pursue her education along the way.

“I want to stress that learning never ends,” she said. “Be humble when you start out, seek guidance, ask lots of questions and take advantage of professional development activities. And don’t forget to start an RRSP, that’s where my first paycheque went!”

Wade also began his post-secondary studies in another program, and, like Blackman, realized he wasn’t on the right path. DC’s Sports Business Management graduate certificate was the solution and, after completing one semester in class, he embarked on a four-month field placement with the University of Hawaii; something he credits with helping him launch his current career. Upon completion of the placement and, after reaching out to his contacts, he landed his dream job with the NHL Alumni Association, where he’s remained working for the past eight years.

“I’m not necessarily the norm in the working world,” he said. “I’ve stayed in one spot and worked my way through the ranks. When my job has felt stagnant, I’ve advocated for a change and sought out mentorship from both within and outside the organization. My position with the association has changed because I put together a rationale and made a case for growth and more responsibility.”

Despite coming from very different programs both alumni agreed that finding your true passion, hard work and gratitude are the keys to success.

“We’re thrilled we could reconnect with two fantastic representatives from the college’s growing alumni community,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “This event gives our students the opportunity to learn first-hand from graduates who have been in their shoes and have successfully made their way in the working world. We’re so pleased that DC’s programs and employees have had such a positive impact on their careers.”