Pembroke campus student Sam Graham heads off to the 2015 Canada Winter Games on Thursday – he is a member of the wheelchair basketball team.
With help from provincial politicians and agencies, Algonquin College, Carleton University, and the University of Ottawa formally launched the Capital Entrepreneurs program on Friday as part of Campus Linked Accelerator funding from the province.
Ontario Partnering with Local Universities and Colleges to Create Innovative Programs
Ontario is helping student entrepreneurs in Ottawa learn business skills, access mentorship opportunities and gain hands-on experience to start and grow a business.
The province is investing $2 million in the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Algonquin College to support their commitment to entrepreneurship through the $20 million Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLA) program. The CLA program builds on world-class innovation and entrepreneurial programs at campuses across the province.
The academic institutions have partnered to create the Capital Entrepreneurs Project, a venture to encourage and cultivate youth entrepreneurship. The program will work to make Ottawa the best place to start and grow a business through the development of a common brand, educational standards, enhanced outreach and continued support of youth-led companies.
It will support job creation and economic development opportunities by encouraging on-campus entrepreneurship and innovation, with strong ties to entrepreneurial mentors.
The CLA program is part of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy and is being launched at universities and colleges across the province.
Supporting entrepreneurship — at any age — is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
QUOTES
“Helping young entrepreneurs is another example of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy at work in Ottawa and across the province. These programs will help harness their ideas, their vision and their enthusiasm and turn them into jobs for today and for tomorrow. Their innovative spirit will build Ontario’s future.”
— Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation
“We want to build the most entrepreneurial postsecondary system in North America.That’s why we’re pleased that academic institutions, like Algonquin College, University of Ottawa and Carlton University are working to make that happen through the Campus-Linked Accelerator program. They are helping nurture our business visionaries and igniting their entrepreneurial spirit, helping them to succeed and to expand our economy.”
— Bob Chiarelli, MPP, Ottawa West-Nepean
“Thanks to the partnership and collaboration of Carleton University, Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa, we are proudly making a $2 million investment in youth entrepreneurialism. Ottawa’s Campus Link Accelerator is an investment in the entrepreneurs of tomorrow and will help build a stronger local economy and work force.”
— Yasir Naqvi, MPP, Ottawa Centre
“Ontario has some of the best-educated, hardest-working and most creative young people anywhere. Increasing campus-linked entrepreneurship activities will help student transfer skills and knowledge from school to the marketplace. Helping these young people launch companies and find jobs is part of the Ontario government’s economic plan.”
— Madeleine Meilleur, MPP, Ottawa-Vanier
“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver these projects as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario. I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs in Ontario to good use in making these initiatives a tremendous success.”
— Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence
“Through the Capital Entrepreneurs program, we can engage more students and youth in hands-on entrepreneurial opportunities. Algonquin is proud of the way we open our doors to the Ottawa community, and we thank the government for supporting our efforts. We look forward to working with Carleton University and the University of Ottawa to grow the innovative spirit and mindset within our community.”
— Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College
“This collaborative program puts students first, said Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte. It will provide support to launch and grow youth-led businesses, strengthen Ontario’s ecosystem for young entrepreneurs, and enhance the educational and training experiences of our students. We expect the main outcomes to be more jobs for youth and a more competitive Ontario.”
— Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President, Carleton University
“The support of the CLA program to the Capital Entrepreneurs program enhances the uOttawa investment in our Entrepreneurship Hub programs. This regional partnership complements the entrepreneurship strengths of three postsecondary institutions. Together with Invest Ottawa, we are committed to driving creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and community engagement for our youth, our students and our region,”
— Allan Rock, President, Ottawa University
QUICK FACTS
Almost all postsecondary institutions across Ontario have on-campus entrepreneurship programs (42 out of 44 institutions).
Invest Ottawa is the partnering Regional Innovation Centre for the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Algonquin College program. As a member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), it will act as the conduit between the university and the region’s business community.
Ontario is investing $295 million over two years in the Youth Jobs Strategy to help 30,000 more young people from across the province connect with the tools, experiences and entrepreneurial support they need to find employment or start their own businesses.
More than 26,000 job opportunities have already been created under the Youth Jobs Strategy.
LEARN MORE
Employment programs for people under 30: Ready.Set.Work.
Once again, Algonquin College is entered in the Spread the Net Student Challenge. Two years in a row we have won this national challenge, and are working hard towards our third victory. This year, we have some competition.
We would like to ask for your support with the challenge so we can make the biggest difference possible, to help with the prevention of malaria! There are a number of ways YOU can participate!
If you would like to get involved, or some of your students involved, please contact our student representative Felicia Post at post0039@algonquinlive.com or Lisa Roots at rootsl@algonquincollege.com. Here is the link if you would like to make an online donation to support our team! 1 Net. 10 bucks. Saves Lives!
College yet again recognized for strong benefits, community involvement, and transparency.
(Ottawa, February 5, 2015) The results are in, and Algonquin College has yet again been named one of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers for 2015 following an annual judging competition organized by Mediacorp.
They came to hear about Algonquin College’s 2015-16 Budget and Business Plan – but they were treated to far more.
Wednesday’s Budget and Business Plan Town Hall for employees covered a wide variety of topics – everything from the College’s present to the College’s future, from great successes to points of concern, and from the President’s recent listening tour to next steps.
Centre, established through research grants and industry contributions, will enhance learning opportunities for students and provide access to cutting edge equipment to industry though joint research projects.
(Photo L-R: José Aguilera, local entrepreneur; Alex Yang, Construction Research Centre Project Manager; Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College; Pierre Normand, Vice-President, External Relations and Communications, Canada Foundation for Innovation; Jared Potvin, Algonquin College student; Dr. Riccardo brun del Re, Acting Director, Applied Research & Innovation, Algonquin College)
New research centre, founded through research grants and industry contributions, to be unveiled, providing new learning and partnership opportunities.
Date of event: Friday, January 30 from 9:45 – 11 a.m.
What:
On January 30, 2015, Algonquin College will officially open the doors of its Construction Research Centre, a facility containing approximately $2.8 million worth of brand new research equipment and software to support applied research in ACCE and Media and Design programs.
This centre, located within the Am-Tech Electrical Lab, was established through funding from Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund, and contributions from private industry – all told, the support totals $3.15 million of equipment and infrastructure to enhance Algonquin College’s capabilities to conduct research in the area of construction in both Ottawa and Perth, Ontario
The Theatre Arts Program at Algonquin College is pleased to announce the 2015 season.
February 11 to 15 The School For Lies by David Ives
Directed by Catriona Leger, Costumes by Vanessa Imeson, Set by John Doucet, Lights by David Magladry
This saucy comedy based on Molière’s The Misanthrope is a sure-fire great start to the season:
The School for Lies is a rollicking, irreverent, contemporary take on a classic tale – a story in which everyone who lies to save their social status has their world turned upside down when a curmudgeonly advocate for the truth comes to town. Little does he realize, he’s about to fall in love with the biggest liar of them all. “Mr. Ives has done the seemingly impossible: He has taken a beloved masterpiece of Western theater and created a parallel version which, though unmistakably based on the original, is both wholly personal in tone and similarly dazzling in effect.” —Washington Post. Leger’s distinct directorial touch promises to make this show a night out to remember.
Canada Apprentice Loan program, introduced in 2014 Federal Budget and long advocated for by Polytechnics Canada, will provide apprentices with an additional form of financial support in the form of interest free loans during their training.
(Ottawa, January 9, 2015) Hundreds of Algonquin College current and future apprentices could benefit from a new federal loan program, which is now open to Red Seal Trade apprentices. The Canada Apprentice Loan program, a 10-year program announced in the 2014 federal budget, is designed to assist apprentices in completing their training, and to encourage more Canadians to consider a career in the skilled trades.
The program offers assistance of up to $4,000 to apprentices for a maximum of five periods of technical training. These loans are interest-free for up to six years, provided the apprentice is registered in an approved Red Seal Trade apprenticeship program.
The loans are intended to defray program costs, including educational fees, tools and equipment, living expenses and forgone wages.
“We believe this new program will make apprentices at all postsecondary institutions more successful in their studies,” says Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “This program will help alleviate the financial worries faced by apprentices who step away from work to upgrade their skills. We applaud the government for recognizing the importance of supporting those pursuing a hands-on career in the skilled trades at polytechnic institutions like Algonquin College.”
“Canada Apprentice Loans will enable more apprentices to pursue the next level of their technical training at so many training institutions and organizations in Canada,” says Nobina Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Polytechnics Canada. “These loans, complemented by many other supports the government has opened for trades trainees across Canada, will help to ease the risk faced by apprentices who have to resign from jobs to gain the next level of training and certification in their trade.”
For more information on the Canada Apprentice Loan program, visit www.pca-cal.ca.
