Skills for the Workplace is a level 4 course in the Business – Marketing program designed to guide learners and mentor them prior to graduation, preparing them to move into the industry with the skills and tools necessary for success. Students are learning the benefits of a strong LinkedIn profile and endorsements, how to improve their resumes and cover letters, interviewing techniques to land the perfect job and the benefits of networking to make strong industry connections.
Student Success
The Canadian Culinary Championship (CCC) is an annual national event in Ottawa. The winning chefs from ten different regional qualifiers, Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, are gathered to compete in three challenging and entertaining competitions: Mystery Wine, Black Box, and the Finale. To be crowned the top chef in Canada at the Canadian Culinary Championship is a career changer. The competition has yielded three previous winners from Ottawa.
The competition features 50 Culinary Arts students from Algonquin College, three learners assisting each chef, in addition to their sous chefs. For many, involvement at this level of competition is a once-in-their-career opportunity. Scott Foeller, Culinary Arts Instructor, explained the process of selecting volunteers: “My experience and excitement from last year’s event, combined with the positive buzz from last year’s students, yielded 94 interested volunteers within the first week of the event being posted.” Having double the interest as there are spaces available proves the value of the event and participation from the learners’ viewpoint. Foeller shared that many of those selected were in his classes over the past four semesters, or had been recommended by fellow hospitality faculty, highlighting attributes such as attitude, teamwork, reliability, punctuality, and level of skill.
Cory Haskins, Chair, Culinary Arts, and Ottawa member of the CCC judges’ panel, further articulated the importance of this partnership. “I am so pleased to continue our association with the Canadian Culinary Championship,” he said. “The experience that our students gain from working alongside the best chefs in Canada is incomparable. The pace is frenetic and crazy, but great fun and an exceptional learning experience.”
Photos of the experience can be found on AC’s Facebook Page.
An additional real-world learning opportunity from the event was presented to AC’s broadcasting students, coordinated by Professor Michael Bennett. Three learners in the program arrived at the Shaw Centre ready to film and photograph the culinary students, putting together a short video played at the competition, along with broadcasting the festivities live on Feb. 2 and 3.
“Events like this are a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their skills and build their portfolios and resumes, while also exposing them to external clients’ expectations. We had a strong production team this year led by Maddison Devarennes and Saudicka Diarm. They organized and led their teams to great success, and I have heard nothing but glowing reviews from the clients about our students and the video content we have produced for them this year, ” said Bennett.
The key takeaway from learners’ participation in the event is the importance of community and organizational partnerships with academic programs where it aligns. These opportunities leverage skill-building, real-world experience, and networking. In return, the client, the Canadian Culinary Championships, is provided with service to fill a gap in their event. Learners are given an opportunity to take risks and show off their skills, which helps build their confidence as they navigate their careers.
To learn more about the competition and see this year’s winners, visit the Canadian Culinary Championships website.
Learners from the Computer Engineering Technology – Computing Science program earned first place for their project Nutricooks Mobile Application at the RE/ACTION In-Class Projects Showcase, held at the Ottawa Campus on Dec. 5. Available on iOS and Android devices, their application allows users to create and follow a tailored nutritional program based on biometrics, preferences and goals. Users can search for recipes by keyword, view ingredients or nutritional information and watch an instructional video.
Second place went to Mechanic To You, an Android application to bring mechanics to the user’s location. Taking third place was the project Ski Patrol Application, which tracks medical volunteer geolocations to supply adequate support in emergency situations, as well as events, volunteer and inventory information.
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