Durham College (DC) is proud to be a sustainable campus and works hard to encourage and empower the DC community to live sustainably every day. These efforts have also earned DC the greenest employer designation for the third year in a row.

As part of the college’s commitment to sustainability, DC hosted numerous green events throughout the month of April in celebration of Earth Month, emphasizing the small and big actions that students, employees and the greater community can take to contribute to sustainability. These events included:

• RecycleMania. On April 1, DC challenged students and employees to test their waste-sorting skills in The Pit. Faced with a collection of items that are commonly placed in the wrong bins, participants gave their best guess on whether each item could be recycled or was destined for the landfill.
• #MugLife Week. From April 8 to 12, as part of DC’s efforts to reduce the use of single-use disposable coffee cups and water bottles, the college invited all members of the DC community to share photos of them using reusable mugs on social media.
• Guided Nature Walk and Campus Clean-up. On April 17, DC and Ontario Tech University joined forces with a team of 25 students and employees to clean up litter along the west border of the Oshawa campus next to the Oshawa Creek. Joined by Traditional Knowledge Keeper Rick Bourque, the event began with a Smudging Ceremony and Rick shared the traditional history and importance of the Oshawa Creek, as well as information about traditional medicines that could be found nearby.
• Nature-Based Meditation. On April 22, which is also Earth Day, DC students and employees were treated to a guided meditation in Polonsky Commons led by health promotions co-ordinator, Heather Bickle. The meditation facilitated personal reflection on our connection to nature and the earth beneath our feet.
• Glow in the Dark Yoga. Hosted at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre on April 29, 20 employees participated in a yoga practice that encouraged intention setting for sustainable living. Held in the dark, with only glow sticks and glow paint as a light source, participants practiced mindfulness while reducing electricity consumption in the process.

On Earth Day, DC also announced that it has finished construction on its Simcoe Geothermal Field, and will begin harnessing 550 tons (1.9 megawatts) of clean, sustainable geothermal power through the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) to fuel the energy needs of the Gordon Willey block beginning this summer.

Above ground, the finishing touches on the EIC are under way, which will soon provide an exhibit-like atmosphere where students and the public can learn more about how the geothermal system works and view system diagrams and performance metrics.

The official opening for the Simcoe Geothermal Field and EIC is set for Fall 2019, but you can learn more at www.durhamcollege.ca/geothermal. The Simcoe Geothermal Field and EIC are being completed in partnership with Siemens Canada, who has provided not only valuable industry knowledge but has contributed as the primary contractor for the project.

Durham College (DC), Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) are pleased to announce they have joined together to offer a three-week pre-apprenticeship program, providing essential boilermaker industry training.

Managed and delivered through DC’s Corporate Training Services (CTS), the pre-apprenticeship serves as an introduction to the boilermaker trade and provincial apprenticeship program. Its inaugural session begins on Monday, April 29, with four additional intakes scheduled throughout the summer which will train 100 new pre-apprentices.

The training program was created to help address the projected skilled trades’ shortage of boilermakers in Ontario. OPG, Bruce Power, and the Electrical Power Systems Construction Association (EPSCA) have been working on a province wide plan to mitigate the resourcing risks for contractors and owners, ensuring sufficient capacity exists to execute the volume and complexity of work at all the utilities, safely and on budget. Successful applicants will be referred for work at OPG sites, training with senior staff and learning their craft in the nuclear industry. The program is also being supported by the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI).

Within the energy industry boilermakers build and maintain nuclear, hydroelectric and coal-fired generating stations, as well as oil-sands extraction plants, oil refineries, liquefied natural gas processing plants and other facilities. They also work in the mining, chemical, pulp and paper, cement and potash industries. The scope of a boilermaker’s work can include everything from specialty welding to hoisting, positioning and installing huge components of massive industrial plants, to project management and co-ordination of workers in other trades.

Those interested in a future boilermaker apprenticeship opportunity can visit www.boilermaker.ca/apply.

For the third year in a row, Durham College (DC) Sport Management students spent their fourth semester organizing a collegiate Hockey Helps the Homeless (HHTH) tournament in support of Durham Outlook. With tournaments held nationwide, HHTH lets hockey lovers skate alongside their peers while also making a difference in the lives of Canadians experiencing homelessness. The tournament on March 29 raised over $20,000, helping the 365-days-a-year soup kitchen continue to serve the most vulnerable residents of Durham Region.

On April 18, a cheque was proudly presented to Durham Outlook’s director of fundraising, Reisha Prasad, and directors Colin Deyong and Joanne Bolahood by Nadine Lamarche, program co-ordinator for DC’s Sport Administration and Sport Management programs, and her students.

A major project facilitated through their Sport and Event Marketing class, students began brainstorming for their HHTH event prior to the start of the semester and applied for co-chair positions last fall. During the class, students worked together to form sub-committees that focused on game day operations, sponsorship, player recruitment and marketing, which allowed them to apply their skills and interests to the planning, organization and execution of a real-world sporting event. Other groups from the class organized events such as the Esports Classic, a competitive gaming tournament, and Sport Management Alumni Reunion this semester.

“Within the sporting industry it’s imperative for students to receive hands-on training in a variety of areas of sport,” said Nadine Lamarche. “Experiential learning lets us show our students what it’s like working in various sectors and helps them gain networking skills and experience that will help grow their resumes prior to applying for their field placement and eventually for jobs post-graduation.”

While students were able to give back to their community in a meaningful way through HHTH, they also opened up opportunities for potential employment down the road. Three DC students, including one this year, have secured field placements with HHTH, helping the organization run tournaments across the country. Additionally, two DC grads have also found permanent work with the organization as tournament operations co-ordinators.

Durham College (DC) has received approval from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to launch a new Tower Crane Operator (339B) apprenticeship program. With the new program, DC will become the only college in Ontario to offer the Tower Crane Operator apprenticeship.

Developed by the college in direct response to requests by industry leaders, the program will help stem the shortage of qualified tower crane operators that is challenging builders in Ontario and across Canada.

“As an industry advocate, the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) is proud to support Durham College’s new Tower Crane Operator program. The skilled trades – including crane operators – need the kind of grassroots support that this will provide. Educating eager young minds to help the residential construction industry ultimately will add supply to a region that faces a housing crisis. We need the skilled, knowledgeable tower crane operators that the Durham program will produce,” says RESCON president Richard Lyall.

The Tower Crane Operator apprenticeship program is expected to launch in January 2021 and will be offered at the college’s Whitby campus where two tower cranes will be mounted permanently, one a luffer and the other a hammerhead, to support the program. DC currently offers Mobile Crane Operator (339A and C) training to approximately 56 apprentices each year. The college also offers a one-year post-secondary certificate, Crane Operation, Rigging and Construction Techniques, to approximately 40 students per year, many of whom go on to become registered apprentices.

“The addition of the Tower Crane Operator apprenticeship program to DC’s School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology is a natural extension of both our current crane operation programs and the college’s ongoing commitment to supporting and growing the skilled trades and the industries that depend on them,” says DC president Don Lovisa.

Buildforce Canada projects a growth in demand for tower crane operators of 7 per cent between 2013 and 2020. This increase coupled with the number of operators retiring combined with an average of 32 operators currently completing their apprenticeship each year indicates the industry will face a shortage of approximately 548 operators by 2020.

“In the more than 15 years that DC has been offering crane operation training, our programs, faculty and, most importantly, our students and graduates have developed strong relationships and outstanding reputations with industry,” says professor and program coordinator Kevin Keays, who has been an in-demand operator himself for 35 years. “With this program, DC will be able to produce qualified operators to help keep the region and province building and growing.”