Pembroke Campus

Options Skilled Trades Fair-A Community Showcase

Posted on Thursday, March 10th, 2016

For the past 14 years, Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus and Renfrew County’s four District School Boards have been teaming up to shine a spotlight on the skilled trades.

The Options Skilled Trades Fair attracts more than 2,000 senior high school students from across the region, providing them with an opportunity to learn more about apprenticeship training and employment opportunities in the skilled trades.

The highlight of the day long show is a skills competition which features more than 200 students competing in trades such as welding, team carpentry, hair styling, small engine repair, culinary arts and much more.

The talent on display is remarkable. Many of the high school students who compete in the competition will go on to become apprentices or will choose a college program within their field of interest.

Options has been recognized by the province of Ontario as an award winning grassroots effort to help the province introduce more youth to apprenticeship training to fill pending or current labour market shortages within many trades.

Apprenticeship training has certainly become a higher priority for both the federal and provincial government in recent years. While it remains difficult for some youth to secure an apprenticeship placement with an employer willing to sponsor them, many will benefit from their experience at Options by networking with potential trades employers and directly learning from them what they look for when hiring an apprentice.

For those students who are motivated to be successful in a trade and can demonstrate the aptitude and determination to learn a skilled trade, the future is bright. Options provides competitors with a chance to showcase their skills and there’s no question employers are looking for new talent. The aging demographics in most trades are a clear indication of the need to have more young people choose a trade for their career.

And one last point. Many trades pay very attractive salaries. It’s not the best reason to choose a trades career, but it certainly is a wonderful benefit. Just ask a well established plumber or electrician what their annual salary is?

The Options Skilled Trades Fair will be held May 11th at the Pembroke Memorial Centre. The show is free to trades exhibitors, students, parents and the general public. It runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will be a hub of activity.

You can expect some past graduates of the Options program to be in attendance. Many go on to successful careers and come back to Options as judges for the competitions. That’s how you know Options is working!

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community & Student Affairs

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• Waterfront Campus Blog

Spring Business Leadership Conference May 26 at Waterfront Campus

Posted on Sunday, February 14th, 2016

Professional development is an important part of keeping your staff engaged and motivated to perform to the best of their ability, but it can also be expensive. That’s particularly the case if you are sending employees out of town and paying for travel, accommodations, meals, parking and high conference registration fees.

For small businesses and organizations, it is often a budget line that gets cut when things get a bit tight, or other investments become a higher priority.

But, if a “big city” conference was available to local businesses and organizations that was affordable and offered access to well respected trainers that would normally only be found in places like Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, our local businesses might think differently about sending staff to a conference.

That’s the goal of Algonquin College’s Spring Business Leadership Conference on May 26, 2016. The College has again brought together a terrific line-up of trainers who will present on topics such as: Mobile Marketing; Organizational Performance Management, Do-it-Yourself Public Relations Plans, Professional Sales and Empathic Assertiveness.

Dr. Denis Cauvier, an employee engagement subject matter expert, will deliver the key note address at the day long conference. Cauvier has spoken around the world and has written several books on everything from hiring the right employee to leading teams. His presentation style is interactive and thought provoking, and he will leave his audience with a shopping list of how they can better connect with their colleagues.

With a registration fee of less than $200, the conference offers high value at an affordable cost. It’s probably why last year’s inaugural conference was so successful, and why this year event is expected to sell out. Register today for this fantastic local opportunity >>

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

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• Waterfront Campus Blog