Alberta School Counsellor Fall 2015

Counsellor ALBERTA SCHOOL

Publications mail agreement #40934510

Fall 2015

Scholarship Support

Not Always a Man’s World

Master Excellence

Hit the ground running in the hunt for scholarships.

For young women, considering careers in construction can be overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a perfect fit.

Le Cordon Bleu teaches more than 120 years of culinary tradition and innovation.

NEW

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

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Qualified business diploma graduates can enter this collaborative degree program in year three.

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In this issue

Counsellor ALBERTA SCHOOL

Scholarship Support Hit the ground running in the hunt for scholarships.............................................................................. 6

Not Always a Man’s World For young women, considering careers in construction it can be quite overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a perfect fit...................................................8

Positive Change, Additional Support

is published by DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0G5 www.delcommunications.com President David Langstaff

Message from Alberta Teachers’ Provincial Guidance Council of Alberta...................................... 10 Publisher Jason Stefanik

Learning a Better Way Make a difference in your healthy school community............................................................................12

Life’s Short, Time’s Precious How a three-minute shift in perspective can effect your entire day.................................................. 14

Student Success Red Deer College attracts learners who are going places in their lives and careers.....................15

An Awarding Career in Construction The Merit Contractors Association Scholarship and Grant program............................................... 16

We can do it!

There’s a lack of women enrolling in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) post-secondary programs across Canada.

Mount Royal University takes aim at this nation-wide conundrum................................................. 18

f o c u s

Sales Manager Dayna Oulion Toll Free: 1.866.424.6398 Advertising Account Executives Gary Barrington Ross James Production services provided by: S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com Art Director Kathy Cable

The Future is Going to be Epic Music grad heads to California for an internship with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer...........................................................................................20

Master Excellence Le Cordon Bleu teaches more than 120 years of tradition and innovation...................................... 22

A Smart Choice

Design/Layout Sheri Kidd Advertising Art Joel Gunter Dana Jensen

Take a look at a career in supply chain management............................................................................24

Making Your Mark

o n

Managing Editor Carly Peters carlypeters@mts.net

Eight ways Bow Valley College helps students soar..............................................................................26

Bringing Education Together Partnering with industry for student success.........................................................................................28

What Tops the List?

Seven things to expect at the Canadian Mennonite University..........................................................30

INdex to Advertisers ADLC................................................................................. 27

MacEwan University...................................................21

Alberta Institute PMAC........................................... 25

Merit Contractors Association.............................17

Bow Valley College................................................OBC

Mount Royal University...........................................19

Canadian Mennonite University.........................30

Red Deer College.........................................................15

Keyano College......................................................7, IFC

SAIT Polytechnic............................................................3

Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts..................................5

Women Building Futures........................................... 9

Local 110 Heat & Frost Insulators......................IBC Cover photo Courtesy of Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa.

4 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

© Copyright 2015, DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this pub­lica­tion may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein and the reliability of the source, the publisher­in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees.

Publications mail agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0G5 Email: david@delcommunications.com PRINTED IN CANADA 09/2015

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

The Search for Scholarship Support

By Lea Currie

T

he scholarship process is easier than ever before thanks in part to technology and the internet. All you have to do is Google “scholarships Canada” and 54 million results pop up. Okay, so maybe things aren’t easier. Thankfully for students and counsellors, the Government of Alberta provides a more manageable way to hit the ground running in the hunt for scholarships.

Finding and applying for the right scholarships with the vast range of opportunities out there can seem like an impossible feat to any student. To help narrow down the search parameters, students and counsellors can begin the scholarship hunt on the Student Aid Alberta website (studentaid.alberta.ca).

The site provides information on the 60 plus scholarships available through the Alberta government, with dollar values ranging from a couple hundred to several thousands.

“There are scholarships available and awarded based on a number of qualities, including leadership, academics, athletics, volunteering, and other qualities, so there’s a wide array available to a diverse group of students,” says Maggie DesLauriers, executive director of Student Aid with Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education. “At the Government of Alberta, we are committed to encouraging and rewarding the excellence of students by offering a number of scholarships and awards.

Part of the our work with post-secondary institutions and high schools is to ensure that Alberta students are aware 6 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

of the many scholarships and awards available.”

For a broader, but still manageable search, more than 500 scholarships are available through the Scholarships Connections database, which can be found via the Student Aid Alberta site.

Another valuable government website worth checking out is Alberta Learning Information Service (alis.alberta. ca), which provides more general information on funding options as well as overall post-secondary information and career planning.

at niche scholarships for volunteering, community involvement, athleticism, and other areas where you excel.”

Once students have found scholarships they want to apply for, Student Aid Alberta’s site provides tips for submitting a successful application. With a limited number of scholarships available and strong competition from similarly well-rounded individuals across the province, these tips can help make the difference to a deserving student.

As every scholarship application can be somewhat different, DesLauriers advises students do their due diligence and look carefully at the specific rules for each scholarship, including eligibility criteria and deadlines (applications can be due throughout the year, not just at the beginning or end of the school year which is a common misconception), and double check that all questions have been answered.

In addition to government scholarships, counsellors should advise youth to talk to their parents, relatives, coaches, and friends about opportunities that may be available through a parent’s employers, community organizations, or clubs. These awards often have a more limited pool of applicants making an individual’s chances of receiving an award higher. It’s also recommended youth check directly with the post-secondary institution they’re pursuing. While students may be automatically entered for some entrance scholarships, there are many other school-specific scholarships and awards up for grabs.

While the Government of Alberta’s websites are great sources of information for youth, counsellors are still a valuable resource that can’t be replaced by technology.

“It really goes back to students doing their research and asking questions about what may be available to them beyond scholarships rewarding academic merit. There may be a misconception that scholarships are only awarded based on academic excellence,” says DesLauriers. “I’d really encourage students to look beyond; look

“Counsellors can play a great supportive role with helping students understand the application process, understand the intricacies of what’s required and trying to make the process as seamless and simple as possible. At the end of the day there’s a number of awards and scholarships available to students and we do want students to

Support from and for counsellors

the Government “ Aoft Alberta, we are committed to encouraging and rewarding the excellence of students by offering a number of scholarships and awards. Part of the our work with postsecondary institutions and high schools is to ensure that Alberta students are aware of the many scholarships and awards available.

be able to tap into that information,”

the Learning Clicks Ambassadors.

says DesLauriers, who also urges coun-

These ambassadors, who are current

sellors to talk to students about other

post-secondary students, deliver in-

funding options including loans and

teractive and informative presenta-

grants to ensure finances are not a bar-

tions through storytelling. From their

rier to post-secondary education.

own personal tales and experiences to

Recognizing that counsellors are at the forefront of the pursuit for higher education and the funding to help students get there, Student Aid Alberta has created tools to help the province’s fleet of school counsellors.

practical tips, they can help students plan and prepare for their own postsecondary education in an entertaining yet informative way. These presentations are a great benefit as counsellors can help a number of students at once, while youth can listen to and learn from

“We want to ensure that students and

someone who was in the same situa-

counsellors have access to relevant and

tion only a couple years prior. Counsel-

timely information. On our website we

lors can request a free presentation for

offer a number of tools that counsel-

their school at www.learningclicks.ca.

lors can use directly in the classroom including an electronic scholarships brochure and a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation that outlines scholarships available, the application deadline, the eligibility criteria, and how to apply,” says DesLauriers.

With the Government of Alberta’s resources ready at the click of a mouse, students and counsellors no longer have to feel overwhelmed while scrolling through millions of search results.

These tools may not fill out the application forms or guarantee an award, but

Going a step further, the government

they do make the process a little easier

also provides free presentations with

to manage. ✹

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”

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Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 7

Not Always a Man’s World For young women, considering careers in construction such as electrician, heavy equipment operation or power engineering it can be quite overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a perfect fit.

By Emily Pike

F

inding the right career path can be a daunting task for even the most confident individual, but JudyLynn Archer, president and CEO of Women Building Futures believes that making a well-informed choice is the best place to begin.

“It is critical for individuals to do their research prior to entering any training or education program,” says Archer. “Not only does it help to ensure a strong return on their investment of time, energy, and money; the likelihood of long term career satisfaction increases exponentially.”

Careers in construction trades offer women an enviable lifestyle and unlimited career opportunities, and while often the chatter is about income potential, it is not the first thing that Women Building Futures graduates talk about.

Rather, they talk about how much more confident they feel, about how fit they are and how proud they are to be working side by side with trades professionals building community hospitals, 8 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

schools, houses, and roads. They talk about how proud they are to have the opportunity to contribute to their family, their community, and country. That’s what it’s all about.

“As for the money, statistics tell us that the average income of a woman working full time in Alberta is $32,400, which

means that most women are significantly underemployed,” she says.

Women Building Futures wants women and their influencers to know that women can and do excel in trades careers, and that these opportunities can be, and often are, personally and economically transformative. Archer shares, “The average increase in income for Women Building Futures graduates is 127 per cent on day of hire. We all know that money doesn’t buy love or happiness but it can help us feel secure, and that’s important.”

Career focus shifted somewhere in the past few decades and the trades fell out of favour, meaning that fewer young people entered into these industries. Between that and the retiring baby-boomers, there’s a sizeable gap between jobs and available bodies. Archer shares why the timing is perfect for this type of career, “Canada will lose approximately 24 to 26 per cent of its construction workforce over the next 10 years due to retirement. There has never been a better

time in the history of our country for women to enter trades.”

For the right individual, going into trades can be a rewarding life choice, and offer quite a different path from a traditional four-year post-secondary education. Archer explains, “Going into trades is a way to earn while you learn – the entire time you are an apprentice you will be paid, and paid well.

As you progress through your apprenticeship the amount you are paid will increase. Trades are one of the highest paying areas of work in most countries around the world. Within four years the apprentice can be journeyperson making very good money (enough to afford the things they want to do) and will have no student debt to pay off.”

Like getting a degree, achieving journeyperson certification opens the door to a whole new world of opportunity. Many people working in senior positions within the industry started out as trades professionals.

There are oodles of resources to help individuals explore careers, but for a school counsellor sitting across from a puzzled student who is contemplating life and still wondering if a career in the trades is right for them, a few key questions could make all the difference, says Archer: • Does the student enjoy doing things with their hands - this could include anything from household chores to adjusting the brakes on their bike?

• Do they like being physically fit and active?

• Do they like getting things done and solving problems?

• Do they enjoy working with others to get things done?

• Do they dream about travelling or having nice things?

• Do they see themselves playing an important role in their community?

“Trades professionals get to do all these things,” she explains As a Social Purpose Organization and

registered charity, Women Building Futures has been helping women confidently choose to work in the trades since 1998. With a 90 per cent hire rate, Archer explains why their students are so successful, “Women Building Futures graduates are so successful at finding employment because they can demonstrate that they have made a well-informed career decision and they have taken the appropriate measures (safety certification, skill training, workplace culture awareness training, etc.) to ensure they meet or exceed jobsite safety and productivity expectations.”

Although the industry is predominately male, Archer assures that women are definitely welcome.

“Employers in construction, mining, oil and gas, and related industries need workers who are committed to safety (for themselves and everyone around them) and productivity. This often calls for attention to detail, following procedures, yet being able to think on one’s feet, technical skill, and very strong interpersonal skills. These competencies have little to do with gender. More and more companies are finding that women can and do bring these much needed competencies to the job,” she says.

For the student on the fence about choosing a career in trades, Women Building Futures would encourage her to explore this world of opportunity. Talk to women in the industry (the Women Building Futures Facebook page is a great place to start), engage in conversation with CAREERS: The Next Generation, and go online to view women at work. Just get out there and start asking questions. ✹

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 9

Positive Change, Additional Support

A

A Message from Mary Frances Fitzgerald, president, Alberta Teachers’ Provincial Guidance Council of Alberta

lberta school counsellors are mostly teachers who have been through specialized training and are found usually in the larger school districts in secondary schools. The Alberta Teachers’ Association has a provincial specialist council called the Guidance Council, www.guidancecouncil.ca. School Guidance counsellors and para professionals in Alberta and those across Canada can become members by simply going to www. teachers.ab.ca and searching the specialist councils.

Normally, the provincial Guidance Council holds an annual conference in Banff, Alberta. This year the Guidance Council will host concurrent conferences in both Edmonton and Calgary on November 21, 2015. The conferences “Voices of Counselling; Creating Connections” will host exceptional professional development for extremely low prices. If you are school counsellor, teacher, career practioner, psychologist, family/school liaison staff, child development advisor, or other, check out the website and join us.

This school year, Alberta Education is implementing Career Technology Foundations (CTF), replacing Career Technology Studies (CTS) for junior high throughout the province.

CTF supports flexible interdisciplinary learning where students explore interests and passion while making personal connections to career possibilities and technologies. CTF offers opportunities for cross-curricular in10 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

tegration, with CTF being focused on

as bench, an animation, an art piece, a

the process whereas the former junior

poster, robots, or leadership activities, they will be assessing the process.

What does this mean for

What does this mean for school career

school career counselling?

appreciate that CTF provides an earlier

counselling? School counsellors will

School counsellors will

introduction to careers, and more data

appreciate that CTF

dialogue about their personal interests

to assist students in creating richer

provides an earlier

and passions. For example, a student

introduction to careers, and

style of student desk might figure out,

working on an project creating a new

more data to assist students

that although they don’t actually like

in creating richer dialogue

ing in the furniture environment, and

about their personal interests and passions. For example, a student working on an project creating a new style of student desk

working with wood, they like workthey do like designing and marketing the product. Students in CTF will have more opportunities to personalize their learning and have more informed, practical, and real understandings of their interests. Students engaging in career conversations may be more apt to recognize the value of their self-as-

might figure out, that

sessments and will be ready and more

although they don’t actually

transdisciplinary notions. This will lead

able to discuss interdisciplinary and

like working with wood,

to interesting discussion opportunities

they like working in the

secondary, (dual credits, certificate,

for the future world of work and post-

furniture environment, and

diplomas, journeyman, interning, de-

they do like designing and

the needs of students, career counsel-

marketing the product.

gree) and life-long learning. To meet lors must have a well-versed knowledge of post-secondary opportunities in technical and academic colleges and

high CTS was focused on providing

degree granting institutes, and they

a product, performance, or service.

must keep current with each year’s

Therefore, instead of junior high teach-

changes, such as entrance require-

ers assessing the finished product such

ments, in educational institutions.

Minorities provides opportunities for Another big educational change ers have a responsibility to act in the best interest of their students by enin Alberta occurred in March 2015. elementary school teachers to explore suring their health and safety. School With Bill 10, the Alberta legislature content related to sexual orientation boards and teachers have a duty of moved to allow the organisation of and gender variance. The PRISM toolcare and the government expects Gay-Straight Alliances by students in kit was also created by the ATA to help them to act in the best interest of their Alberta schools. An Act to Amend the teachers promote safe and supportive students within the context of all of Alberta Bill of Rights to Protect our classroom discussions about sexual mitheir legal obligations.

Children, received Royal Assent on norities and gender variance. PRISM is March 19, 2015 and came into full an acronym for “Professionals Respecteffect on June 1, 2015. According ing and supporting Individual Sexual to https://education.alberta.ca/ Minorities.” Like the brilliant and department/policy/amendThis year the varying colours of the rainbow mentstobill10 this legGuidance Council refracted through a prism, islation promotes a Alberta`s students are a viwill host concurrent conferences welcoming, caring, brant kaleidoscope of diin both Edmonton and Calgary respectful and safe versity. A diverse classlearning environon November 21, 2015. room environment is ment that respects rich in possibility for The conferences diversity and fosteaching and learning ters a sense of

“Voices of Counselling; Creating Connections”

for both students and belonging. The teachers. An inclusive act amends the School Act to will host exceptional professional development school environment promote equality allows all students to for extremely low prices. If you are school counsellor, and non-discrimifeel safe and to thrive. teacher, career practioner, psychologist, family/school nation with respect The PRISM toolkit liaison staff, child development advisor, or other, to organizations in is available in both check out the website and join us. schools such as gayEnglish and French at straight alliances (GSAs) www.teachers.ab.ca. and queer-straight alliMental wellness is another big ances (QSAs). Highlights of theme for counsellors in Alberta the new legislation include: and across Canada. The earlier onsets • amendments to the School Act and rising occurrences of anxiety, dethat include a definition of bullying pression, and self harm in our youngand acknowledge that all education School counsellors have been working er students is widespread. Although stakeholders have a responsibility to with student matters surrounding genschool counsellors do not do therapy, ensure schools are welcoming, carder identity and sexual orientation for counsellors do create therapeutic coning, respectful and safe; decades. Creating a safe climate for all nections and referrals when necessary. students in school communities by re• requiring boards to allow students to Counsellors must have training in menducing the stigma, building awareness, set up gay-straight alliances (GSAs) tal health and mental illness. Mental and creating change is a constant for or queer-straight alliances (QSAs) in wellness is not simply the absence of illschool counsellors. Counsellors must their schools; and ness, but it is a spectrum that includes be aware of sensitivities and challenges • enshrining sexual orientation, gender that may be brought forward on these mental health and illness. When menidentity, and gender expression in issues. To understand more on this tal health issues arise and the student the Alberta Bill of Rights as protecttopic please go to the new 2015 Alberis not coping in the classroom or with ed grounds from discrimination. ta Teachers’ Association publication peers help is needed. Often teachers “GSAs and QSAs in Alberta Schools: A are the first responders to these stuThere is no requirement in the legislaGUIDE FOR TEACHERS”. dent situations and need support from tion for parental notification or consent

www.guidancecouncil.ca

for a student to participate in a GSA/ QSA. School boards, staff, and teach-

The PRISM Toolkit for Safe and Caring Discussions About Sexual and Gender

school counsellors who can be there for students and staff. ✹ Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 11

Learning a Better Way

Make a difference in your healthy school community

C

reating and maintaining a healthy school community can be a daunting task, but many resources exist to help you make a difference. Ever Active Schools is a great starting point for both free and fee-for-service supports.

By Megan Hunka, Ever Active Schools Check www.everactive.org/home for a complete list of resources, learning opportunities, and projects.

Professional learning opportunities

Our staff brings Alberta curriculum and comprehensive school health expertise, as well as enthusiasm for personal wellness - active living, healthy eating, and mental well-being.

Get your students up and running.

Request a free Alberta Medical Association (AMA) Youth Run Club visit from our provincial coordinator, who will give you access to all of the resources and information you need to host a run club at your school. The coordinator will supply runner and coach’s handbooks and swag, teach you and your students some running games, stretches and drills and provide coaches with information to safely and effectively lead students in a run club.

We’ve highlighted one free and one paid support to give you a glimpse of what we do, as well as descriptions of some of our capacity building projects.

Make meaningful and lasting connections with professionals in education, health, recreation, and active living at Shaping the Future 2016. Hear from

Ever Active Schools is a provincial initiative that provides Alberta teachers, as well as those working in health, recreation, and active living with professional learning opportunities and resources to support comprehensive school health in school communities.

12 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

experts in the field on everything comprehensive school health related and be engaged by our keynote speakers, who bring something different and unique each year. Shaping the Future is an annual opportunity to learn and be engaged with a network of people supporting student well-being.

The Healthy Active School Symposia are a series of events hosted across Alberta, designed to provide Alberta school communities with the knowledge, skills, and resources to enhance student wellness. The events empower students to be active agents of change in building a school community that enhances their learning and fosters their personal growth and well-being. Schools are encouraged to send school teams - complete with six to eight students and one to two adults, including teachers, administrators, parents, or other school staff members.

Resources The Healthy Schools Alberta magazine is celebrating its first anniversary in 2015-16. Sign up for free to receive the magazine delivered to your school, add it to your online Ever Active Schools order for free or download the electronic version on our website. We use this tool to share information about positive social environments, physical activity, and healthy eating. You’ll find lesson plans, engaging, relevant articles, and an attractive and easy-to-look at format.

Check out our new High School Recipe Card Lesson Plans averrable for a fee.

They include a total of 36 lessons organized into five units of six lessons each, one for each of the five dimensions of the Alberta K-12 Physical Education

Program of Studies (dance, gymnastics, individual activities, and alternative environment). You’ll never be short an activity when you need one. Need an easy way to store them? Check out our recipe card lesson plan binders, sold on everactive.org.

Projects We partnered with Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) and passed a new policy ensuring all food and beverages sold and provided at ASAA provincial championship events in ASAA member school facilities fit within the “choose most often” and “choose sometimes” categories of the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth.

Recognizing the importance of promoting healthy learning environments, Ever Active Schools is proud to deliver the 21st Century Spaces initiative. Partnering with organizations to leverage the health promoting work of many, this initiative aims to influence the way schools are built in the future. We are currently focusing on two projects within this initiative: “Don’t Walk in the Hallway” and “Don’t Sit Still in Class.” You can get involved in Don’t Walk in the Hallway by taking a six-question survey to

Comprehensive school health is an internationally recognized framework for supporting improvements in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated, and holistic way. It is not just about what happens in the classroom. Rather, it encompasses the whole school environment with actions addressing four distinct but inter-related pillars that provide a strong foundation for comprehensive school health: • teaching and learning • social and physical environment • healthy school policy • partnerships and services.

When actions in all four pillars are harmonized, students are supported to realize their full potential as learners – and as healthy, productive members of society.

- Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH) capture what matters most to you in a healthy learning environment. Find out more about the project by watching a video of the hallway tiles in Panorama Hills School in Calgary, which inspired the project.

Ever Active Schools works closely with the Kainai Board of Education, the Peigan Board of Education and Paul Band to build relationships and support their goals of building healthy school communities. Some of the projects in the communities involve school greenhouses, professional learning opportunities and community events.

Resource Quick List • Free resources • Online store • Projects

Have questions?

Send us an email at info@everactive.org or call our office at 780-454-4745.

We would love to chat with you. ✹ Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 13

Getting real

“

W

A hands-on and practical approach to education here the heck am I ever going to use this? ”

At some point, most students question the practicality and application of course objectives to their future careers – if they even know what they might want to do in the first place.

“Maintaining relevant, interesting, and in-demand learning opportunities takes team work. That’s why our partnerships are so vital,” says Cam Oulton, ADLC Assistant Superintendent. “In the last few years, ADLC has moved well beyond traditional distance education. We have made it a priority to work with industry to find out what kinds of jobs are out there and to develop innovative courses around these needs.”

For students, this means being able to become virtual rig workers or simulate work in the forestry industry even in the middle of the prairies.

Game-based learning ADLC has introduced a new online five-credit course that gives students a taste of what it’s like to work on an oilwell service rig. This project is a part of the Northern Lights School Division’s Trades Exposure Program.

In Energy Education 35, students walk their character down a road and up onto a rig, then choose between two entry-level positions. In addition to replicating experience on a real rig and creating safety awareness, the courses include help with resume writing and opportunities to acquire industry safety tickets at no additional cost.

Now being piloted in a high school in Bonnyville, Alberta, Energy Education 35 is proving to be a hit with students who don’t have immediate post-secondary plans.

“I have this one student who struggles academically who has actually been doing schoolwork on the weekend and has moved several modules ahead of where we expected him to be,” says Janice Zazulak, the Learning Strategies teacher at Bonnyville Centralized High School (BCHS).

ing centre (the first of its kind in Alberta) provided by Ensign Energy, a Calgary-based multinational that operates over 300 drilling rigs worldwide.

Combining virtual and hands-on experience Using equipment simulators and content provided by Woodland Operations Learning Foundation (WOLF), ADLC has created five forestry courses now being delivered in select schools across Alberta. These courses deliver high-tech logging equipment simulators to schools, creating a safe, lowcost alternative to training on actual equipment. Participating students take part in a one-week simulator course, which creates awareness among students of forestry as a career and assists the forestry industry in evaluating future machine operators.

In addition to the forestry courses, ADLC also offers a threeday/three-credit CTS outdoor camp. Taught by experts from Inroads Mountain Sports, this hands-on course teaches students the fundamentals of outdoor survival—from how to tie knots to celestial navigation.

“The big thing about the CTS courses that we’re doing is the hands-on application. [It] is really designed to give people career awareness,” says Jerry Fochler, owner of Inroads Mountain Sports. “I’ve talked to a number of students and asked them, ‘what are you going to do when you graduate?’ They say, ‘I have no idea.’ Realistically, how can they have an idea?

Because they are exposed to so few career choices – how do they even know what’s available? Part of our job is to let them see other parts of the world that they’ve perhaps never been exposed to.”

Social and authentic learning opportunities By working with government and private industry, ADLC hopes to keep ahead of the increasing demand for such innovative courses.

"It's actually really fun. I like it,” says student Kaelan Elchuk.

“It's easy to learn because there are lots of videos and information. If you don't know something, like what a BOP drill is, you can click on the hyperlink, and it'll tell you. I also like how fast they mark the assignments."

“We want to provide social and authentic learning opportunities for our students,” says Oulton. “Continuing to develop new partnerships is in everyone’s best interest: as teachers, we gain a wider perspective, industry gets better trained workers, and students receive a first-rate and practical education.”

Following completion of the simulation, students have the opportunity to learn on an actual oil well service rig at a train-

For more information on these or other ADLC courses, visit adlc.ca

14 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

Red Deer College // FOCUS ON

Student Success

Red Deer College attracts learners who are going places in their lives and careers

F

or more than 50 years, Red Deer College (RDC) has been known for its home-away-from-home atmosphere. Small class sizes allow for individual connections with other students and instructors, and practical learning that prepares graduates for successful lives and careers. The college has instructors who are experts in their field, teaching in one of RDC’s more than 100 programs, ranging from full degrees, certificates, diplomas, and apprenticeships.

RDC knows studying is important, and also recognizes the importance of having fun outside class to make a memorable college experience. Students can spend Friday nights cheering on the championship-winning athletics teams, as well as enjoying other extracurricular activities, including a night away from books watching fellow students showcase their

talent in a variety of theatre or music performances in the college’s world-renowned Arts Centre, relaxing with friends in residence, or participating in a variety of activities organized throughout the year by fellow students in The Living Room.

RDC continues to open doors to new learning spaces and community events at their growing campuses, including the Welikoklad Event Centre, and downtown campus, home of the Donald School of Business.

RDC’s legacy is that of the thousands of students and graduates who have chosen the college. They have shaped communities by making a difference every day.

Visit RDC’s website at www.rdc.ab.ca to find out more about Red Deer College or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and see what they’re up to. ✹

Red Deer College’s vision has always been bold.

We attract learners who are going places in their lives and careers. We support central Alberta businesses as they grow opportunities to innovate at home and abroad. And with more than 100,000 visitors attending RDC each year, we’re proud to be a community hub, contributing to the social, economic and cultural vibrancy of our region.

Apply Now www.rdc.ab.ca | 403.342.3400 | 1.888.732.4630

Degrees | Diplomas | Certificates | Trades & Technology Training | Continuing Education

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 15

An Awarding Career in Construction

The Merit Contractors Association Scholarship and Grant program

D

id you know that Merit Contractors Association sponsors an award at your high school or that it has supported schools like yours with educational initiative grants? There are numerous ways that Merit can help your school successfully prepare students for a rewarding career in the trades.

Construction today The construction industry has been undergoing positive changes for many years, yet it still remains saddled with outdated stereotypes despite many efforts to showcase the reality of the industry.

Merit Contractors Association, which represents over 45,000 construction employees in Alberta, is determined to position the construction industry as a great career option for students by providing accurate information, ensuring students and educators can learn the following realities about the industry, such as: • Exceptional employment opportunities – within the next 10 years 20 per cent of

the construction workforce is expected to retire • Great growth potential – over 50,000 senior managers will also be retiring within the next 10 years • Free apprenticeship education – Merit’s Tuition Refund Program fully reimburses successful completion of apprenticeship education to its members, and recently the federal government has announced interestfree loans for individuals entering the trades

By The Numbers!

$2.2 Million

9 $2 Million

• Great compensation and benefits – full benefits and above average compensation with Merit member companies • Diversity – the construction industry has become an inclusive place for all people • Hybrid careers – many field employees make transitions in to starting their own business or choosing a career within their company’s corporate offices that requires field experience • High-tech industry – advances in construction technology requires today’s worker to be more diversely skilled than ever before

Million being directly invested into Alberta Schools to aid in providing increased opportunities for trades education Programs funded in 2015 helping hundreds of Alberta Students Million in Apprenticeship Tuition Reimbursement

$300

Career and Technology Studies Award Sponsored to every high school in Alberta

$750

Scholarships for Merit Member Dependents

• Year-round work – work is available indoors and out throughout the year

Merit’s investment in the future Collectively, Merit’s investment in both high schools and apprentices has made it one of the largest apprenticeship scholarship providers in the province, second only to the Alberta Government.

$300 award for high school students Merit has been directly support-

Merit’s Tuition Refund Program

Work for a Merit member company

16 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

Pass the apprenticeship training period at a publicly funded institution

Return to work for a Merit member company

Submit Claims within six months and receive your tuition refund!

Myths about construction

Myth

Fact

My earning potential is higher with a university degree.

Fact Construction employees are among the highest earners in Alberta.

Fact All levels and types of brain power are required.

With 3D modelling and robotics, construction is becoming a very technologically advanced industry.

Myth

There are many steady year round positions – indoors and out.

54,710 individuals in Construction management will retire soon, providing many job opportunities!

Myth It’s for men.

Fact Diverse workforce with a fast growing number of women.

Myth The work is only seasonal.

Construction is for people who don’t have the grades for university or college.

ing Alberta high schools in two major ways for a number of years.

students learning a trade and continuing into their apprenticeships.

Currently, Merit sponsors a $300 award to every high school in Alberta that applies for it, which is given to the topgraduating career and technology studies student in a trades program.

We have already accepted and approved seven proposals from schools and divisions across the province that relate to raising trades career awareness or contribute to the offering of construction trades and career and technology classes, registered apprenticeship programs, dual credit, etc.

Merit also sponsors several RAP scholarships each year for students taking part in the program. Most notably, we are proud to sponsor the millwright awards.

Tuition Refund Program For apprentices who have finished high school and are entering their career in the trades, Merit has developed the Tuition Refund Program. The steps are simple: an apprentice begins work with a Merit member company, and after they complete their apprenticeship training and return to work for a Merit member company, they are eligible to receive a full tuition refund. This program is valuable for students looking to start a career in the trades.

Merit’s Educational Initiatives Grants As a continuation of commitment to developing a larger and more skilled industry workforce, Merit Contractors Association of Alberta, its board, and its members want to give back to schools by providing the information, tools, and opportunities they need to better support and encourage the development of

Funded through Merit’s Educational Initiative Grants, these innovative proposals will see hundreds of Alberta’s students getting a chance to pick up a tool for the very first time at a high

school previously unable to offer such programming, all with the aim of igniting the spark that starts a long and fulfilling career. Through such investments, Merit is helping to ensure a well-skilled workforce remains part of the province’s future.

Merit is currently seeking proposals from schools and school boards across the province that relate to raising awareness or contribute to the offering of tradesbased learning opportunities. For more information on this opportunity please contact Matt Trodden at mtrodden@ meritalberta.com ✹

well-constructed

medical plans

www.meritalberta.com

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 17

FOCUS ON // Mount Royal University

We can do it!

There’s a lack of women enrolling in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) post-secondary programs across Canada. Mount Royal University takes aim at this nation-wide conundrum.

By Theresa Tayler,

editor of publications, Mount Royal University

Photography by Colin Way

F

rom her oversized spectacles to her stylish wardrobe and well-paired accessories, you could easily make a snap verdict that Kylie Toh is, in a word, “chic”. She’s also a self-professed geek.

“A nerd,” says the Mount Royal University alumna, with a smile.

She is a founder of Chic Geek, a Calgary-based organization that strives to foster diversity in the high-tech and startup communities by educating, engaging, and empowering women.

“Female enrolment in post-secondary is on the rise across Canada, yet we’re seeing a decrease in those women taking up computer science, which is really unfortunate,” explains Toh. “I grew up with a lot of girls in my life who said things like, ‘I’m bad at math. I don’t get computers. I’m bad with technology.’ You hear that kind of lexicon enough and you begin to think, ‘OK, well I’m a lot like these girls so maybe I’m not good at math either.’ It becomes a part of the subconscious language we speak as women.”

If she could, Toh is hard-wired to help other women find career paths not only in tech-startups and computer science, but in all Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

Encouraging university students to consider STEM program areas has long been on the agenda of government and industry leaders, as well as post-secondary institutions.

Mount Royal has exceptional programs for students to choose from the Faculty of Science and Technology and through many of the various undergrad options across campus.

But something is happening in STEM-focused classrooms that frustrates even the most logical of problem-solving professors 18 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

— the lack of female students flocking to lecture halls.

“Last semester, I had a class with one woman in it,” says Ricardo Hoar, chair of Computer Science and Information Systems at Mount Royal. “One!” According to a Statistics Canada, Insights on Canadian Society 2013 report on gender differences in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science (STEM) programs, while women represent the majority of young university graduates, they are still under-represented in STEM fields.

So what’s it matter if there happens to be more men graduating in STEM program areas than women?

“That doesn’t create good balance. That doesn’t create good discussion. It’s simply better when you have a balance of males and females at the table,” explains Hoar.

Together, a number of other Mount Royal graduates, professors, students and other supporters are making it their mission to be part of the solution to Canada’s lack of female STEM graduates.

The solution comes not only from Mount Royal’s technologyfocused faculties, it comes from across the campus in the form of a number of inspiring faculty and alumnae role models for young women to look up to.

To read more about these inspiring women, check out the full story at mtroyal.ca/summit.

This story was first printed in spring 2015 edition of Mount Royal University’s Summit magazine. The full piece can be found online at mtroyal.ca/summit. ✹

There’s something about this place that will pull you in.

You’ll know once you experience it that you belong here.

Find out more.

OPEN HOUSE October 24, 2015 mtroyal.ca/openhouse

INFORMATION EVENING March 9, 2016 mtroyal.ca/UIE

FOCUS ON // MacEwan University

The future is going to be epic Music grad heads to California for an internship with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer

O

liver Westall, a member of MacEwan University’s Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music program’s first graduating class, always knew that music would be his life’s work. He began playing piano when he was a three year old in Southampton, England, but it was in 1997 when the film “Titanic” was released that he had his first inkling of what could be his true musical calling.

While most kids were focused on what was happening onscreen, Oliver couldn’t get the movie’s music out of his head and spent the next two years memorizing the entire soundtrack.

“It started to trigger something,” says Westall. “A decade later when I watched ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’, there was a really amazing scene with a guy walking down the ship as it’s being blown up around him. He’s just walking with

20 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

a shocked face and you hear this really epic, powerful music written by Hans Zimmer. I thought ‘I’ve got to do this—I have to find a way.’”

That way involved a winding path, but when Westall eventually decided to transfer to MacEwan University a few years completing his music diploma at Mount Royal University, it was the contemporary focus of the program and mention of a senioryear film scoring course that really got his attention.

“I did a lot of jazz at Mount Royal, but that wasn’t really my thing,” he says, adding moving to Edmonton wasn’t just about the music—it was also a way to find his focus and meet new people. “I wanted to write music for films, games or TV, so the composition program, the faculty and the film scoring aspect—which has been my dream for a long time—was really exciting.”

MacEwan University // FOCUS ON Scoring the opportunity of a lifetime Partway through the fall 2014 semester, Westall began to see how that dream could actually come true. “One of my classmates came into class with a big smile on his face, saying that he had an interview to intern with Remote Control Productions in Santa Monica. I hadn’t heard the name before, but when he said it was Hans Zimmer’s studio, he immediately had my attention. He came back a few weeks later with an even bigger smile on his face saying he got the position. I couldn’t believe it.”

So Westall set out to see if he too could work with the composer behind the soundtracks for movies including “Gladiator” and “Interstellar”. Eventually it led to an interview via Skype where he learned about the internship, including the opportunities to sit in on writing sessions.

“A stressful few weeks passed after the interview,” says Westall. “I wanted it so badly and when I finally got the email that they wanted to have me, I ran around the house screaming.”

He left for Santa Monica the day after Convocation for what he says is the five-week opportunity of a lifetime. “To learn what I did in the film-scoring course was incredible, but to have it lead to this is just amazing. I’m still numb, actually. It’s a five-week opportunity to make an impression—one I plan to seize with both hands.”

But Westall knows the road to having “film composer” on his business card is a long one. “You have to be willing to work hard, and I’m willing to do that. In 10 years time, if I play my cards right, I’d love to be writing music for film—to be able to make people feel the same magic I did as a little boy growing up listening to ‘Titanic’. This is the first step, and every step is progress. I’m excited to see where this takes me.”

Seeing where the paths the music degree program’s first graduating class might lead is something Allan Gilliland, chair of the program, looks forward to.

“I can’t wait to hear all the incredible music that this graduating class will create. The amazing thing about the music business is that you never know where you will end up—you want to have as many tools in your toolbox as possible, and then you go where the opportunities arise. I know that as the years go by I will be so pleased to hear their music—written in every style and every type of ensemble imaginable—popping up on video games, TV shows movies, CDs, and live performances all around the world.”

MacEwan University is proud to celebrate the over 2,100 members of the class of 2015. Congratulations to this year’s graduates, medal recipients, and distinguished award honourees. ✹

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 21

FOCUS ON // Le Cordon Bleu

Master T Excellence

Le Cordon Bleu teaches more than 120 years of tradition and innovation

By Kelly Singer, Web Marketer, Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa

here are very few culinary institutions in the world with a history as rich in tradition and innovation as that of Le Cordon Bleu. In October 2015, the school will be celebrating the 120th anniversary of its first French culinary arts class, which was held in 1895.

The journey began in France with the launch of a weekly publication called La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu. In October 1895, subscribers of the magazine were invited to the first Le Cordon Bleu cooking class in Paris.

Led by Mr. André Cointreau, president of Le Cordon Bleu, the school grew from a small Parisian cookery school to an ever-expanding international network - one of the foremost training institutions in the world for culinary, hospitality, and management courses. Today, the international network comprises more than 50 schools in 20 countries with over 20,000 graduates each year.

The school continues to evolve by combining innovation and creativity with tradition through the establishment of bachelor’s and master’s degrees that focus on the demands of the growing international hospitality industry.

22 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

Le Cordon Bleu // FOCUS ON

History of the Ottawa campus In 1988, Cointreau bought an eightyear-old French cooking school in Ottawa, Eleanor’s Cuisine Française (opened originally in 1979 by a Le Cordon Bleu Paris Alumni). The Ottawa school was the first Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute outside of France, which began Cointreau’s international expansion. Ottawa’s rich history in gastronomy and flair for French architecture made it the perfect venue­.

In June 2000, Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa relocated to the Munross Mansion built in 1874 by Scottish lumberman James Mather, one of the first members of the Canadian National Railway board of directors. The house was renovated to include an addition at the rear of the building to accommodate the school’s teaching kitchens. The original building has been carefully restored to its original grandeur and is home to two organizations, Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute, and Le Cordon Bleu Signatures Restaurant.

The school’s faculty includes some of the best chefs in the world. Le Cordon Bleu’s Master Chefs and professionals have a range of experience in the culinary arts industry and could be a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a Master Sculptor, or have experience working in a Michelin Starred restaurant.

Le Cordon Bleu is considered to be the guardian of French culinary technique and the Ottawa campus is doing its part in Canada. Our culinary programs continue to preserve and pass on the mastery and appreciation of the culinary arts that have been the cornerstone of French gastronomy for over 500 years. ✹ Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 23

FOCUS ON // Supply Chain Management Association of Alberta

A Smart Choice

Take a look at a career in supply chain management

By Thomas McDade, MBA, SCMA Alberta

I

n choosing a career path that most high school graduates will spend years studying for in post-secondary and professional accreditation programs, there are many important factors to consider. Such factors include: • Is my career choice an area that I will enjoy studying and working within?

• Will there be high–paying jobs in this field for me once I graduate?

• Will there be opportunities to advance my career?

• Will my skills and qualifications meet the needs of employers, once I am ready to start my career?

These are a few of the most important questions that students should ask, as they begin to prepare for their future careers. Let’s take a look at each of these questions in greater detail, to analyze how choosing a career in supply chain management will answer these questions.

Students with an interest in business will enjoy studying and working in supply chain management, as this career choice encourages such students to broaden their knowledge in many business management areas. This is due to the fact that supply chain management is comprised of many business management functions, including procurement, logistics, transportation, contracts management, negotiation, and strategic supplier management.

Supply Chain Management is therefore a career that offers many diverse, interesting career options. Additionally, supply chain management jobs exist in all industries, including manufacturing, public sector, education, as well as retail businesses. The ability to work in any of these industry sectors further creates opportunities for a flexible and satisfying career choice.

Within the last decade, many postsecondary schools have seen a steady increase in the competition for their supply chain graduates. In the case of

local Alberta post-secondary schools that offer supply chain management programs, it has been noted that the virtually 100 per cent of the supply chain graduates have secured employment in their field by convocation. The average starting salary is higher than those of the graduates of other business disciplines. A study conducted by Arizona State University, indicated that the starting salary of the supply chain graduates in 2012 was approximately $6,000 higher than for the undergrad students in other disciplines (Supply Chain Digest, June 2013).

Despite the economic downturn affecting many sectors of Alberta’s economy, supply chain professionals are in demand. In such an economic environment, organizations have learned the importance of supply chain management functions in order to continue to be effective and efficient within their business operations. Additionally, many companies do business globally and thereby rely on the supply chain

Supply Chain Management Association of Alberta // F o c u s O n professionals to create business efficiencies and cost savings, in the process of sourcing goods and services internationally.

The dependence that many companies have on their supply chain is further demonstrated by the trend to distributed manufacturing. Distributed manufacturing is widely being considered the future of manufacturing, as it links together a network of factories, manufacturers, distribution networks and consumers. Such networks create enhanced levels of efficiency for all of the participants of the supply chain (Core Supply Chain Management Trends, Cerais.com).

Given the increased importance of supply chain in business operations, there will be many opportunities for career advancement. As a core management function, supply chain is experiencing increased visibility in the senior management and leadership levels of many companies, large and small. Indeed,

the visibility and transparency of supply chains are increasingly seen as a key component of a company’s continued growth and successful brand image.

Pursuing a supply chain education and professional accreditation, within Canadian and/or Albertan post-secondary institutions and professional associations, will ensure that young professionals are well qualified to be successful in adding value to Albertan companies. Currently, there are two business programs in Alberta that offer a business degree in Supply Chain Management: MacEwan University and Mount Royal University. Both of these supply chain degree programs are highly regarded and recognized

by Albertan companies. Many other business schools in Alberta are currently creating and expanding their supply chain course offerings. Such schools include University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, University of

Alberta, and SAIT. Additionally, the Supply Chain Management Association of Alberta has been actively working with these schools, in order to ensure that the course content matches much of the association’s Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) designation. These collaborative efforts have helped to ensure that supply chain management students, graduating from such business programs, have received the training they need to start their careers and can also fast-track through the SCMP professional designation program, as they receive credit for prior learning.

To find out more about an exciting career in supply chain management, please visit SCMA Alberta’s website at www.scmaab.ca or look for the SCMA Alberta booth at an upcoming career fair or information session. ✹

CHOOSE A CAREER IN

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

AND WATCH DOORS OPEN.

SCMP stands for Supply Chain Management Professional—and the demand is enormous. In Canada alone, 65,000 supply chain management recruits will be needed for new or vacant jobs every year. And in Alberta, all key industries— manufacturing, agriculture, energy, transportation—are in need of well-trained supply chain personnel at every level.

SCMA is the leading association for supply chain management professionals in Canada. SCMA Alberta grants the Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) designation and the Supply Management Training (SMT) diploma.

Contact SCMA Alberta today. It could be the first step of a smart new career.

E: info@scmaab.ca | T: 1.866.610.4089 | W: scmp.ca

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 25

FOCUS ON // Bow Valley College

Making Your Mark

T

Eight ways Bow Valley College helps students soar

he world needs your students to be the best they can be; to grow; to make a difference. A Bow Valley College (BVC) education is designed to get students into the world faster, with qualifications that will lead to success.

1) Learn on their own terms Bow Valley knows that many students face challenges on their educational journeys. So we create an environment where students can triumph.

The college gives students an excellent education that fits them - any time, any place, any path, and any pace - ensuring they can overcome any barriers to a fulfilling career.

BVC gives students the opportunity to begin their journey to a successful future because they do more than help people make a living - BVC helps them make a life.

2) Expert instructors teach in-demand skills Instructors have years of real-world experience in their fields. The college also consults with over 100 industry executives to make sure the skills taught are relevant and in demand. The results are grads with valuable knowledge, technical ability, and workplace skills.

3) One or two-year career options Students can graduate with a work-ready education in one year for a certificate or two years for a diploma.

They

can choose from the vital fields of business, health care, justice, human services, and administration.

studies diploma, law enforcement specialization, correctional studies specialization, and youth justice specialization

4) They get a job - 93 per cent success rate

Human service programs include: Aboriginal addictions services counselling diploma, Aboriginal addictions services counselling certificate, disability studies diploma, disabilities studies certificate, early learning and child care diploma, early learning and child care certificate, and education assistant certificate.

BVC focuses on making students more employable by teaching practical skillsneeded for that first day on the job, as well as the soft skills and intercultural training needed for an entire lifetime of achievement. That’s why over 93 per cent of graduates are working within six months.

5) A magnificent new Calgary campus Calgary’s only comprehensive community college completed a significant expansion in 2013. The over $290-million transformation created one of Western Canada’s leading educational institutions, serving over 14,000 learners on three campuses in Calgary and seven regional centres in Alberta.

6) The School of Health, Justice, and Human Services These professions have the power to change lives in positive ways, making an important and tangible difference in the lives of others.

Health programs include health care aide programs, nutrition manager certificate, pharmacy technician, practical nurse programs, and recreation therapy aide certificate Justice program offerings are: justice

7) The CHIU School of Business The CHIU School of Business focuses on delivering the most relevant, marketdriven programs to meet economic demand and community need, so graduates are in demand.

Business administration diplomas include: accounting, event management, financial services, general business, global tourism, human resources, marketing, public relations, and insurance and risk management.

Business certificates include: health administration certificates, administrative professional certificate, legal assistant diploma, interior decorating diploma, and interior decorating certificate.

8) Proven success Over the last 50 years Alberta has grown into a force on the world stage. Bow Valley College has been an integral part of Alberta’s growth, by creating work-ready graduates in vital fields eager to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.

This year marks their 50th anniversary of helping individuals, companies, communities, Alberta, and the world rise.

For more information on helping your students triumph, visit bowvalleycollege.ca. ✹

Helping teachers with curriculum resources.

Giving every student the options they need.

TEACHER SUPPORT & STUDENT INSTRUCTION

Alberta Distance Learning Centre

Explore over 250+ courses today!

1-866-774-5333 | adlc.ca | info@adlc.ca

ALBERTA’S CHOICE SINCE 1923.

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 27

FOCUS ON // Keyano College

Bringing Education Together Partnering with industry for student success

K

eyano College is Wood Buffalo’s only post-secondary institution and their close proximity to the oil sands allows for partnerships with industry to train skilled students for the workforce. By working with companies on program development and work terms, industry receives employees with the skills they need and students are able to get the hands-on experience that enhances their career opportunities upon graduation.

Simulators enable students to safely train in a controlled envi-

Heavy equipment simulator training

This popular and in-de-

Having a skill set that transfers across a wide range of industries and locations is key to finding employment in today’s economy. With that in mind, Keyano College, in partnership with Western Economic Diversification Canada and Syncrude, have launched the new heavy equipment operator simulator training program.

Scheduled to begin the first intake in September, each cohort will see 12 students spend six weeks learning how to safely operate six different pieces of heavy equipment in a variety of settings and conditions. The equipment line-up includes: a wheeled loader, dozer, grader, excavator, articulating truck, and off-highway truck.

Simulator training is nothing new for many industries – flight simulators have been used in training since the 1920s, and the college’s own haul truck program uses state-of-the-art simulators for training. However, using simulators for other types of heavy equipment training is new to Northern Alberta and promises to provide industry with employees who are safe and efficient operators.

28 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

ronment and receive objective feedback on their performance. Measurements include fuel consumption, machine and jobsite safety, emergency incident responses, and more.

Haul truck operator mand four-week course is designed to provide participants with essential skills needed to operate a haul truck safely and efficiently, based on manufacturer’s

recommen-

dations and industry operating standards. Students who successfully complete the course will be prepared for entry-level haul truck operator positions.

The students are trained by qualified and experienced instructors with computer-based training and log over 15 hours in a simulator for the Caterpillar 797 and Komatsu 930e haul trucks.

Students will also study Occupational Health and Safety regulations, mining operations, radio etiquette and communication, as well as resume and interview preparation.

Keyano College // FOCUS ON

Upon completion of the four-week course, students may have the opportunity for a work placement with one of the program’s sponsors: North American Construction Group, Shell Canada, Syncrude, and the Suncor Energy Foundation.

The program is led by an active advisory committee made up of industry experts and employers currently working in the field. This ensures that the program is up-to-date with the newest issues and available technology.

Process operations

Graduates also leave Keyano with certificates, skills, and knowledge in H2S Alive, WHMIS, OSSA BSO, First Aid, and more. Hands-on labs and field trips, paid co-op opportunities, and an over 90 per cent graduate employment rate make the environmental technology diploma program an appealing option for those starting their career.

Keyano’s process operations program was developed as a result of identified needs from industry to have process operators with power engineering certification. Process Operators are responsible for the monitoring and safe operation of industrial equipment, including boilers, steam and gas turbines, pumps, and pressure vessels. They also ensure safety and environmental regulations are being followed, conduct chemical tests, and prepare equipment for maintenance work.

The process operations program is sponsored by the Suncor Energy Foundation and based on academic achievement, availability, and certification, the student may have the opportunity for a six-month paid work practicum.

OSSA basic safety orientation As of July 1, 2015, the pre-site access requirement for all new contract workers at participating Oil Sands Safety Association (OSSA) member worksites will be the OSSA basic safety orientation. Offered daily from Monday to Friday, this half-day course will provide the individual with a general awareness of critical safety initiatives found on OSSA member worksites. ✹

Environmental technology In partnership with Shell Canada, Keyano has developed a successful two-year diploma program that focuses on environmental issues, problems, technologies, and solutions related to industries involved in natural resource development, including the oil sands.

For more information on any of Keyano’s programs or sponsors, visit keyano.ca.

Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015 29

FOCUS ON // Canadian Mennonite University

What Tops the List?

Seven things to expect at the Canadian Mennonite University

W

e live in a time marked by rapid change, immense opportunity, and complex challenge. Today’s university students face many questions about career options and how to make a difference with their lives.

Into this wonderfully complex world, a comprehensive education is more relevant than ever. At Canadian Mennonite University you will: • Learn to dialogue and think - Be challenged to understand with depth and clarity. Pursue insight and wisdom across disciplines of study and within understandings of the world and yourself.

• Develop your character Be part of a community that nurtures a moral imagination, humility, perspective, inner steadiness, integrity, and gratitude.

• Nurture a career and a vocational calling - Align your passions and gifts with the world’s deep needs and opportunities. Allow a vocational calling to emerge from the contexts of study and life in which you are located.

• Nourish your faith - Strengthen your imagination and capacity for service and leadership in society as you learn from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

• Encounter a commitment to peace and justice - Anticipate that a commitment to peace and justice will 30 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2015

colour your CMU experience as you engage the most pressing concerns of our time, including environmental resilience and reconciliation among peoples.

• Be mentored for life by outstanding faculty - Get to know faculty who are passionate about teaching and who want to get to know you personally and help you discover your passions and gifts. The discoveries of these researching scholars will benefit you directly.

• Discover educational excellence in a small, vibrant university - Experience how quality relationships and learning go hand in hand. CMU’s membership within Unive r s i t ie s Canada is a mark of high-quality education, assuring you of a recognized degree. As published in Maclean’s magazine, CMU ranks at the top among Canadian universities when it comes to meaningful connections between students and faculty.

CMU is a hospitable and generous university where students from many backgrounds find their place. CMU’s offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peace

building and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU and its program offerings, please visit www.cmu.ca. ✹

Embrace

Complex

Issues cmu.ca

Learn to See Differently CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

WHAT IS AN INSULATOR? Insulators apply, remove and repair thermal and acoustical insulation (e.g., calcium silicate, mineral wool, fiberglass, foam glass, styrofoam) on all types of industrial and commercial mechanical equipment (e.g. ducts, piping, tanks, vessels, towers).

Ph: 780 426-2874 • www.insulators110.com APPRENTICE TRAINING The term of apprenticeship for an insulator is 3 years (three 12 month periods). This consists of a minimum of 1517 hours of on-the-job training and 7 weeks of technical training in the first, second and third year of apprenticeship, for a total of 4551 hours.In general, insulators:

• Read and interpret blue prints to determine insulation requirements • Select the amount and type of insulation and protective coverings to be installed • Choose a method of preparing and securing it on irregular shaped surfaces • Measure cut and install the insulating material onto equipment • Install vapor barriers and protective coverings over the insulated surfaces

Any questions, please call Kyle Matuk at 780-782-0765 or email at KyleM@insulators110.com

An environment where all can triumph.

We give your students an excellent education on their terms, overcoming any barriers to a great career. They can choose from career certificates and diplomas in the vital fields of business, health care, justice, human services, and administration.

And they will be in demand – 93% find employment in their fields within six months of graduation.

Visit bowvalleycollege.ca