Mayor Hazel McCallion’s 90^th birthday will be “celebrated in style” on Feb 12^th at Mississauga Convention Centre. With BMO Financial group as a presenting sponsor, the proceeds from the birthday celebration will benefit Sheridan College’s  new campus in Mississauga.

“We hope that our community will attend to help us celebrate our beloved Mayor’s milestone birthday, and in doing so also support a cause that is very dear to her heart,” said Mr. Jim Murray, Chair of the Mayor’s 90^th Birthday Celebration Committee.

“We are honoured that she has chosen Sheridan College [as an institution to which] the proceeds of the party will go..to fund the state of the art facility,” said Mr. Jeff Zabudsky, Honorary Chair and the President and CEO of Sheridan College.

Members of Mayor’s 90th Birthday Celebration Committee.

There have been reports suggesting that because of the economic downturn, a fewer people are donating to charities. Mr. Zabudsky says “We have come out of a very difficult economic downturn. A lot of these kind of events have struggled. However, some of the recent gals that have been held are great success. Our own Sheridan Gala is a case in point. This [Mayor’s birthday party] is not a typical gala. This is special..and we are thrilled that BMO Financial has chosen to come aboard..setting a wonderful model for other companies.”

When Mr. Ray Lessard, Senior Vice President Managing Director PCD at BMO Financial group approached his head office in Toronto “I was shocked with the speed at which I got a response..so it clearly speaks to the importance BMO places on this community as a growing opportunity for the bank and it speaks to the recognition that the Mayor has done a lot of great work,” said Mr. Lessard.

As an institution, BMO has a lifelong learning mandate donation policy, supporting the academic institutions.

“At the end of the day..a college is for the entire community. We have to get communities involved,” said Jake Dheer, member of Mayor 90^th Birthday Celebration Committee.

On a question how more South Asians can get engaged in supporting causes like colleges and our institutions, Mr. Dheer responded “while people were selected to serve in this committee, in most organizations, you can ask for it. But you don’t want to sit on the board only, you have to be a valuable contributor..you have to affect the positive change.”

The students of Humber Fashion Institute call the courses taught at the degree level “hard,” “difficult” “challenging” and after some thought “fun.”

At the grand opening of Humber Fashion Institute, Mr. John Davis, the President of Humber College stated that Humber “prepares students for employment. Our job ready students will contribute to our economy..and Fashion institute will help us achieve this goal.”

Humber Fashion Institute features a retail store front to be designed entirely by students working with leaders in the local fashion scene. The facility will be a shared resource for the fashion industry, be a host venue for fashion events and provide students with the opportunity to put classroom learning into practice.

The Fashion institute of Humber teaches the business of fashion. In other words, it does not teach fashion designing.

“Our fashion program is unique in the sense that we teach our students business of fashion to go out and get jobs in merchandizing, retailing, wholesaling..there are elements of marketing, buying, store planning, window designing [in Humber’s fashion courses],” says Ms. Alvina Cassiani, Dean of the Humber Business School.  Dean Cassiani has worked at Hudson Bay Company before starting teaching.

Graduating students from Humber's Fashion Institute Celia Quercia, Monika Grossi-& Sylvie Alexandre

Ms. Connie McCulloch, Senior Vice President at Winners, was also present at the occasion to interact with the students.

To the frustration of employers many times students are not ready for real world once they have graduated from their academic institutions. Is this really true?

Talking to Generation Next, Ms. McCulloch said “It can be true if the classroom study is not combined with some practical application. What’s exciting about the fashion institute [at Humber] is that it gives students..hands-on experience. So they really are job ready and the transition from the classroom to the workplace, then, becomes easy.”

Alvina Cassiani, Dean Humber Business School with Connie McCulloch, Senior VP General Merchandize Manager for Winners

Students cannot get a degree in Fashion from Humber College unless they have completed 14 weeks of paid internship in their 3^rd and the 4^th year. “These are paid internships..since internships are paid, they ensure that employers are using students effectively. At the same time, these internships give students the opportunity to spend 14 weeks in the business,” says Ms. Norma Ouellette, Program Director at Humber Fashion Management Institute.

Ontario’s textile and garment accessories’ industry is almost entirely dependent on global markets.

In order to be successful, then, in the business of fashion, students need knowledge of the global markets. Ms. McCulloch states that “We are global..understanding global environment is critical like China is short on labour, and that affects our productivity..currency is another important issue in the business community.”

One way to teach students about the global emerging markets is to introduce global cultures in the classroom. Ms. Asha Ruparelia, teacher at Humber Fashion Management Institute, teaches colour theory by using rangoli.

During the recession time, it was reported that the unemployment rate among youth (ages 15 – 24) was the highest at about 15 per cent. It is also known that the sales in retail industry have gone considerably down. In the light of these facts, are there jobs for the students who are graduating with degrees in “business of fashion.”

Dean Cassiani has a word of advice for just-graduates.

“Graduates need to take a look at entry level jobs and grow with those jobs. Sometimes it’s students who are not prepared to take entry level jobs..they don’t see these jobs as stepping stone to their future.”

Professor Ouellette is even more hopeful noting “Look at specialty business, they are doing extremely well. Look at the sales of Walmart..it’s doing extremely well. Jobs at Walmart pay the same as they do in some of the high end retail stores.  Online shopping is a huge market. Shopping channels is another area to explore.”

Aside from academic qualification, people seeking jobs should be passionate, entrepreneurial in the sense that they think outside the box and possess good work ethics, says Ms. McCulloch.

The Seneca community is grieving the loss of two students and one flight instructor after their plane crashed during a routine flight training exercise last night.

Out of respect for the families, no names are being released.

“Senecans are dealing with a tremendous loss. Our hearts are with the families and we are coming together to support the students, faculty and staff who have lost friends and colleagues,” says David Agnew, Seneca College President. “We want to thank our many colleagues in the college community and the aviation industry for the sympathy they have shown and their expressions of support at this very difficult time.”

“Together, with all Ontarians, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of two Seneca College students and an instructor as the result of a tragic plane crash during a training flight,” said  Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, John Milloy.

Officials from the Transportation Safety Board are at the crash site investigating to determine the cause of the crash.

“On behalf of the aviation community at Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport I would like to express our sincere condolences to Seneca College and to the friends and family of the deceased,” said Derek Sifton, President, Toronto Airways Limited.

The College can confirm the facts as they have been reported:

Two students in Seneca’s four-year flight degree program, along with their instructor, were taking part in a routine flight training exercise, when, around 7 p.m., on November 18, Pearson International Airport notified Durham Regional Police that they lost the plane on radar.

A police helicopter searched the area and located the downed Beechcraft F-33A Bonanza’s wreckage in a farmer’s field near Whitevale Road, south of Highway 407 in north Pickering.

A private memorial service will be held next week for the Seneca aviation community and the families of the deceased.

About Seneca College Flight program

The Seneca College flight program is a Transport Canada approved Integrated Airline Transport Pilot training program that prepares students to be Commercial Airline Pilots. Students receive training in the class and in the field. Intensive flight and simulator training is an integral part of this rigorous degree program. Eight semesters of flight training is a required component of the program. All protocols and procedures are dictated by standards set out by Transport Canada. We ensure we not only meet, but that we exceed those requirements.

Seneca has graduated approximately 1,100 students from its flight program

There are 227 students in the School of Aviation and Flight Technology

The Seneca fleet is made up of 15 aircraft: 5 Bonanzas, 2 Barons, 8 Cessnas

The average age of the fleet: Bonanzas- 18 years, Barons – 19 years, Cessnas – 10 years

Planes are serviced every 50 hours, as regulated by Transport Canada

50 per cent of Canadians said they would take a pay-cut to work for a socially responsible company – some indicated they would take a cut of 10 percent or greater.

“This research confirms something we have been paying attention to and watching evolve over the years,” explains Dave Donaldson, Dean, School of Business, Algonquin College. “Canadians are changing the way they are thinking and businesses are trying to adapt to meet these 21st Century expectations.”

On average, Canadians said they would spend $8.62 more on a $100 product or service from a socially responsible company.

“It is clear that businesses need to change the way they are doing things to ensure their continued viability and growth,” adds Donaldson. “Organizations are looking to the post-secondary sector to supply the next generation of business leaders to help them make this change.”

Algonquin is stepping up to this challenge with several sustainability-related programs, including Green Business Management, and the ‘greening’ of the curriculum in virtually all of the College’s nearly 200 full-time programs. Also, as a result of the College’s recent comprehensive program and service review, the College has already begun working on a new Bachelor of Applied Business – Sustainability/Corporate and Social Responsibility program with an anticipated launch in Fall 2014.

“Socially responsible organizations make more money, it’s as easy as that,” adds Donaldson. “This new business degree will be the first of its kind in Canada and industry is already asking when these grads will hit the job market.”

• 19% would spend $10 more on a $100 purchase, while 18% would spend between $5 and $10 more.
• 38% of Canadians said they would spend no extra money for a version of a product or service from a socially responsible company.
• On average, Canadians said they would spend $8.62 more on a $100 product or service from a socially responsible company.
• Women would spend more on average than men ($10.11 vs. $7.03).
• Younger Canadians would spend more on average than older Canadians
• 18 to 29 – $11.88
• 30 to 39 – $8.32
• 40 to 49 – $7.56
• 50 to 59 – $7.76
• 60 to 69 – $7.70
• 70 and over – $8.70

Most Canadians cannot name a company that does well at being socially responsible: Only 21% of Canadians could identify a company that they believed to be socially responsible. No single company was mentioned by more than 1% of Canadians.

Half of Canadians are unaware of what corporate social responsibility means: When asked if they knew what corporate social responsibility means, 49% of Canadians said they were aware while 51% said they were unaware. This is comparable to recent surveys in the United States.

Canadian corporations have a lot to do to become more socially responsible: Only one in three Canadians (31%) rated the job Canadian corporations are doing being socially responsible as either excellent (3%) or good (28%). Four in ten (42%) said corporations in Canada were neither good nor poor while 16% rated them as poor (13%) or very poor (3%).

www.twitter.com/algonquincolleg

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UOIT earns high marks in national university rankings

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) received an excellent review with the recently issued findings of the Globe and Mail’s Canadian University Report and Maclean’s 20th annual University Rankings.

“We are very pleased with this year’s results,” said Dr. Ronald Bordessa, UOIT president. “The opinion of our students is a true reflection of UOIT’s solid reputation as an innovative research-intensive university that provides quality education. Our faculty and staff are committed to preparing our students for the future by providing them with the real-world skills needed to grow the knowledge economy and make a positive impact on society.”

The university ranked 13th out of 22 in the Maclean’s Primarily Undergraduate category due in part to first-place rankings in the Investments in Student Services and Library Acquisitions categories. The university also remained in fourth place in the Medical/Science category and moved up to fourth in Total Research Dollars.

UOIT’s marks in the Globe’s Canadian University Report are equally impressive, when measured against its enrolment group (4,000 to 12,000). Most notably, the university scored an A for Campus Technology and Class Size, followed by an A-minus for Ease of Course Registration, Recreation and Athletics, and Buildings and Facilities.

The Globe report features the opinions of more than 35,000 undergraduate students who participated in the survey of more than 100 questions.

The more than 7,400 undergraduate and graduate students at UOIT have access to a high-tech, wireless campus that is home to state-of-the art buildings and labs equipped with the very latest in industry technology, materials and equipment. They study in career-focused undergraduate and graduate programs, many of which are unique in Ontario and Canada.

More details about the Globe’s Canadian University Report can be found at www.globeandmail.com/education.

More details about Maclean’s University Rankings can be found at http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/rankings.

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Ontario welcomes the best and the brightest of the world – Minister John Milloy

The Ontario government has invested half a billion dollars in scholarships and grants for Ontario students who choose to go to publically funded colleges and universities of Ontario, says Mr. John Milloy, Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

“We want Ontario students to stay and work in Ontario,” he said talking to Generation Next.

He noted that unlike opposition parties that are criticizing Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for announcing 75 new scholarships for international PhD students, the government of Ontario wants to compete globally.

$40,000 will be offered to each student each year “to the best and the brightest” and “to have leaders in various fields in Ontario,” stated Minister Milloy. These scholarships will be offered by every publically funded Ontario University that offers a doctorate program, clarified Minister John Milloy. Each university will accept two students in its area of strength.

As of now, universities and the Ontario government are working out minor details of how to execute these scholarships. Mr. Milloy noted that “80 per cent of the best minds” of the world that come to Ontario choose to make Ontario and Canada their home.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration had announced that masters and PhD students in Ontario will not need to have job guarantee to stay in Ontario. We “welcome superstars” of the world in Ontario, Minister Milloy added.

He says that the Ontario government has made this investment to “open Ontario to the world..to enhance Ontario universities’ profile.”

He pointed out that the previous Tory government of Ontario cut funding for students, “so the opposition doesn’t have any credibility on the issue,” Mr. Milloy said.

Author: Staff Writer

“I didn’t really practice for the competition. I went over the list of more than 400 words,” said Shelsha Pandey, the winner of Spelling Bee competition held in Markham.

Tutor on Wheels , an organization dedicated to nurture and serve the educational needs of  GTA  children  and youth has initiated the Spelling Bee competition to provide a better and diversified platform for GTA students to exhibit their literacy prowess.

The competition kicked off in Brampton during September and invoked literacy fever and competitive spirits among grade 6-10 children of all ethnicities and nationalities.

In finals, “I memorized the spellings of as many words as I could,” Shelsha adds.

Shelsha Pandey, winner of Spelling Bee competition with Councillor Alex Chiu and Sarma Donepudi, organizer of the competition

Final Contestants ready for the Spelling Bee Competition

Joanitha Nathan, the newly elected school board trustee gives away prize to second runners up Niveca Sivakulam

MP Peter Kent with Sarma Donepudi, organizer of Spelling Bee competition with the winner Bhargavi Varma

An avid reader and the fan of characters like Harry Potter, Shelsha found the competition to be harder than what she has been used to in her high school, Turner Fenton Secondary School Brampton. She is a 10^th grade student who is also the Founder of the Debate Club at her high school. She plays piano and likes writing short stories, poems.

She won the trophy, $300 cash, certificate and special prize from Language Teachers Canada.

Talking to Generation Next, Mr. Sarma Donepudi, Director and President of Tutor on Wheels noted that there were two reasons for which he felt the need to have Spelling Bee competition. One, there is not enough exposure given to Spelling Bee Canada; and Two, Spelling Bee Canada allows only students up to 8^th grade to participate in the competition.

Mr. Donepudi has two masters in Science degrees in Analytical Chemistry and Biochemistry. He is also a PhD is Environmental Chemistry. He teaches modules of food safety and food quality assurance at Seneca College and Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He also works in Food and Pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Donepudi has been tutoring for more than 14 years and his experience in teaching made him see the need to have a Spelling Bee competition.

Noted TV journalist and Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Kent graced the event and congratulated the winners and the finalists. Alex Chui, councillor, Town of Markham was the guest of honour to give the trophy and certificate to the winner. Newly elected school board trustee, Joanitha Nathan was also present at the event. She gave away the third prize plaque and $100 to Niveca Sivakulam, a student of  Henry Kelsey P S, Scarborough. Vandana Ratnam, a grade 6 student of Boxwood public school Markham won the second prize plaque and $200 cash prize.

Mr. Donepudi says that he would like to open the Spelling Bee competition to students of grade 11 and 12 next year. He plans on collaborating with school boards of various regions.

In addition to this along the lines of ‘Are you smarter than 5^th grader?’ he would be introducing a competition where students will be asked to define scientific terminologies to raise awareness about health and Science.

Sheridan College prides itself for 93 per cent employer satisfaction rate, record breaking enrollment, on graduating more than 100,000 graduates in over 1,000 programs, for largest Arts school program, for 27 per cent awards from ACCC and much more says Mr. Jeff Zabudsky, President and CEO of Sheridan College.

Mr. Zabudsky was addressing an audience of more than 700 people who have gathered on the occasion of Sheridan’s Big Picture Gala at Mississauga Convention Centre. The Chair of Gala is Jake Dheer, Rogers Station Manager in Mississauga.

Jeff Zabudsky, President & CEO of Sheridan College with Jake Dheer, station manager of Rogers TV and Geeta Dheer. Geeta was the honourary Chair of the Rainbow Ball.

On the occasion Ontario Lieutenant General, David Onley said that colleges like Sheridan “depend on the  community..they are also renowned to giving back to the community.”

Later while talking to Generation Next, Mr. Zabudsky said that the preparations of Sheridan’s Mississauga’s campus are coming along “beautifully..we’re excited to open the campus for students in September of 2011.”

Over 50 per cent of Mississauga’s population is visible minority, over 65 per cent of Brampton’s population is visible minority, yet the Board of Governors and the staff of most colleges is not reflective of student diversity. Mr. Zabudsky acknowledges the gap. He says “it’s a valid point. We as an organization still have a lot of work to do. I would like to see both our boards and our staff reflect the diversity of our students. And it’s not there yet. I will say, however, that our board has been very progressive in reaching out to various communities. And I am happy to see that gender representation as well as ethnocultural representation is changing in our boards. We will also be working hard to have diversity in our staff.”

Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister Eric Hoskins constantly remind us that in next five years, new Canadians will be the driving force of Ontario’s economy. But, do we have trained labour to replace baby boomer generation?

“No we don’t. We do not replace our population in Canada to the extent we need to in order to meet the labour force needs, hence the need for new Canadians to come and settle into Canada. That’s why we are very proud of Mississauga [campus] because some of the programming in there is designed for new Canadians..[these are] specialized programs that acknowledge that [new Canadians] come with skills from their countries of origin, to allow new Canadians to enter the workforce fully engaged..that’s our strategic priority [in Mississauga campus],” Mr. Zabudsky said.

To integrate new Canadians better into the Canadian fabric, “colleges like mine have invested a great deal into specialized programs, counselling and mentoring programs,” the President & CEO of Sheridan College says.

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Sheridan Music Theatre 'Glee' squad

Sheridan Big Picture Gala Award winner representatives: Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited -- Business Award, Dell Computers -- Technology Award, Torstar Corporation -- Arts Award & YMCA Canada -- Community Service Award

Life as a graduate student is overrated. For one, you are always over exhausted.

Remember that day when you received that acceptance letter in the mail? That absolute joy that filled you when you realised that you would be joining the world of academic elites, something you had deemed impossible? Remember that smugness you experienced when you announced proudly to all those waiting in the wings to judge you by your future prospects? Remember?

Well, this “joy” is short-lived. It is squashed out of you through over work.

“Now, what is a little over work when a degree with a coveted Master’s or Doctorate next to your name on an official sheet of paper awaits you at the end of your journey?” you ask belligerently.

I would say nothing, except for the fact that I:

1. Plan my life around naps: Yes, naps. An undisturbed all night’s sleep is out of the question when you are a grad student. Sleep is an inconvenience. There is just always too much to read, too much to write, too much to do!
2. Read books with names like Dangerous Liaisons, except they are books on feminist theory and on gender politics.
3. Live from weekend to weekend: Weekends mean longer naps.
4. Dream of the day when I could wake up and go back to being a carefree undergrad student: Sometimes, these dreams can become nightmares when you wake up and realise that they are nothing but dreams.
5. Want to kill myself when I have to read endless badly written first year papers: You conveniently forget that you used to be one of them.
6. Marvel at the lack of creativity of excuses on the part of first year students: Yes, you have been there and done ALL of that. So, when a student comes to you and says he couldn’t hand in an essay on time because he accidentally hit a deer on the way to school and then his car broke down, after which he lost his way to the university from the car repair store, you raise a sceptical eyebrow and go “Huh! Really?”
7. Wish that I had a life beyond naps and endless reading, and then remind myself that I should be lucky to be in grad school, and then wish I had a life all over again.
8. Silently plot to kill my students when they hand in unstapled papers and justify by saying, “but I folded the corners”.
9. Attend 8:30 morning lectures of first year classes that I don’t belong to, but I am a TA (teaching assistant) for: You have forgotten what 8:30 classes used to be like, especially after you vowed in your first year never to take one again. Karma can be quite a pain, huh?
10. Nap in my office in between classes: How else do you think I get through the day?

Ok, back to my reading now.  http://sursanchari.wordpress.com)

Author:Sanchari Sur

“South Asian parents don’t want their kids to go to trades” thinking that their kids’ are “too smart” for that, says Shalini da Cunha, Executive Director of Peel Halton Workforce Development Group. What South Asian parents do not realize is that careers in trades can be very rewarding. While university degree is rewarding in its own way, parents, Ms. Cunha says, should give an opportunity to their kids to explore what they want to do in life and in terms of career choice.

Peel Halton Workforce Development Group had organized Apprenticeship Career Connections Fair. With 81 exhibitors from various trades, employers’ association, unions and Ontario colleges, Apprenticeship Career Connection Fair was for students, new Canadians and people seeking Second Career as a result of job losses in recent economic downturn.

Jim O'Brien, Project Manager, Shalini da Cunha, Exective Director & Rhea Mekani, Project Coordinator of Peel Halton Work Force

Agnes Bielecka, Program Coordinator at Sheridan College with a colleague

Chef Professor Philippe Corbiere, Canadian Food & Wine Institute

Chef Professor Philippe Corbiere, Canadian Food & Wine Institute

Mohamed Sookwa, Canadian Welding Association

Edward Nasello, Project Manager at CARS

Heather Stockley, Academy Director at Donato Academy

Explaining the reason for holding the Fair, Ms. Cunha said “We know in about five to ten years baby boomers will be exiting the work force and this exit will leave a huge vacuum. We need to make sure that we have robust work force.”

A large number of representatives from trucking industry were also present at the Fair. It was interesting to note a good number of females at the booths of trucking industry. Canadian Armed Forces recruiters were busy for almost the entire time we stayed at the Fair.

Heather Stockley, Academy Director of Donato Academy believes that beauty industry is “a recession proof industry because people will always be wanting to look good..there’s a lot of interest in this industry. It’s growing, thriving industry.”

But Ms. Stockley believes that “industry is underestimated. There are people who make over $100,000 just doing colour.” Nonetheless this is not the money one can make in one year or even after five years of being in the industry. Tapping into your social network and going out of box is key to success.

And here’s the tip for Generation Next’s readers from Ms. Stockley:

What you see on TV is mass marketing. On TV, products advertised use the cheapest ingredients in hair products, spa or skin care products. Some of the products are laced in detergents that are harsh on hair. Professional brands are not advertised to average consumers. Professional brands have ingredients that come from plants, fruits and things in nature, ingredients you can actually read and understand.

Speaking to Generation Next, Mohamed Sookwa from Canadian Welding Association said that many people do not look at welding as a career because of misconceptions. “You can start off as a welder and end up being welding engineer, consultant or even sales rep..welding is used in anything from structures to computer chips,” Mr. Sookwa said. Many students stopped by to explore career options in welding, he noted.

Chef Professor Philippe Corbiere from Canadian Food & Wine Institute of Niagara College Canada says students find the first semester in culinary school hard. Once they are done with first semester, they “really really enjoy.” “Think about this, food is really good business..people will always eat, you’ll never be out of job,” he said. “We’ve very good mix of male and female students from all cultures in our classes,” Professor Chef Crobiere added.

Canadian Automotive Repair and Service Council “is a human resource training organization designed for automotive professionals to upgrade their skills,” said Edward Nasello, project Manager of CARS. During economic downturn “ people tend to keep their cars longer.”

Carla St. Louis, Director of Marketing, for Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) says the institute provides training to operating engineers and those who are looking for employment. She advises those entering the field to do a careful research before they decide to choose career in heavy equipment. But there is “lack of skilled trade people in the industry.” Recently OETIO has had requests from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and some African countries to train their professional professionals who come to Canada on student visa.

Noticeable among many booths was the set up of St. Lawrence College’s and Centennial College’s transportation booth.

We have detailed opinions of some of the trades for the interest of South Asian adults as well as youth.

In the meantime, Ms. Cunha says that South Asian parents should “allow their children to venture into trades they are best suited for..it can be very fulfilling both emotionally and financially.”

As it is many South Asian youth obtain university degrees for their parents’ satisfaction, and then go out to do what they have always aspired for.

By: Staff Writer

25 colleges from across Ontario showcased themselves at Ontario College Information Fair. More than 8,000 students from over 100 high schools of the Greater Toronto Area attended the fair. This year Humber College, Centennial College, George Brown College, Sheridan College, Michener and Seneca College partnered with Ontario College Information Fair to host the Fair. The Fair is intended to disseminate information about various programs colleges offer.

Speaking to Generation Next Rochelle Straker, Media Relations officer with Ontario College Information Fair said that the interest in postsecondary education is increasing overall.

“More and more students are realizing that getting an education that is not lecture-based but hands-on is really helpful when they go out to work in the labour force.”

Centennia College's team of volunteers and recruitment staff. Students in black tops have the words 'Paramedic'

Canadore College booth was set perfectly by the presence of sports motor bikes

Harkeerit Singh, Agi Thanigasalam & Aszee George from Pearson B. Lester high school

Karyn Roscoe, Admissions Officer at Michener Institute, wearing superman-like t-shirts, only it symolizes Healthcare Heroes

Katrina Afazan, Account Executive with Studentawards.com. Studentawards gives grants and scholarships to students who register with them on their website.

Nancy Sherman, Dean of Construction & Engineering Program at George Brown College with her team

Risha Toney, Recruitment Officer at Humber College with a team mate

Rochelle Straker, Media relations Ontario College Information

One of the predominant trends Ms. Straker has noticed is that “university graduates are returning to colleges for additional education at the colleges,” she said. The reason could be recession from where we are barely coming out from.

As a whole, colleges are working hard to fight the myth that colleges are for less smart people and universities are for smarter students.

“We try to promote not only Humber College but colleges in general. People have the wrong idea that colleges are not for smart people. It’s not about being smart, it’s about what’s the best fit for you as a student. Because you still have to do Math in colleges, and you still have to do English,” says Risha Toney, recruitment officer at Humber College.

“Centennial College is still the first community college of Ontario, I think,” says Darryl Creeden, Director of Student Recruitment Admissions, Community Outreach and Campus Experience. “We have more than $3 million worth of transportation equipment,” so our transportation, aviation and criminal justice programs are best known in the community. Mr. Creeden also noted that Centennial College’s four campuses are conveniently scattered throughout Toronto.

Sheridan College is preparing to open its newest campus in Mississauga in September 2011. “Mississauga campus will be offering a number of business programs,” says Sara Rumsey, Manager of Recruitment at Sheridan College.  Ms. Rumsey noted that “we have quite a reputation of arts, animation, visual arts and performing arts programs. We also have curriculum in mobile and smart phone applications, and engineering programs in environment and sustainability.”

Nancy Sherman, Dean of Construction and Engineering school at George Brown College stated that she has the wait list of more than 1,000 students in Construction and Engineering program. She said that students are accepted into the program not only on the basis of their grades but also for “emotional intelligence” as that is what employers require in their employees in addition to their technical skills. In one of the round table meetings with the community Ontario Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne noted that men working on roads tell her that “we need more young civil engineers.”

Michener Institute is known for its healthcare program. They call themselves ‘healthcare heroes.’

Almost all college representatives spoke of how they are offering a number of excellent programs, however, students have their own ideas and notions of what college has the best program in a given field.

Harkeerit Singh, a student at high school, wants to be a flight attendant. She has been told that Seneca College offers the best flight attendant program.

Another student Agi Thanigasalam believes that Centennial and Seneca offers the best nursing program. And Aszee George wants to be a broadcast technician at Seneca College.

Abid Khan thinks that Humber has the best business program.

These students had a number of questions for recruitment officers from different colleges. These questions ranged from campus locations, accommodation questions, quality of programs, length of these programs, whether the credits can be transferred from a college to a university to what areas people are getting jobs in, what are salaries like and so on. Given challenging economic times, finding jobs in their fields is one of the factors students are taking into consideration while choosing their programs.

One of the areas where the large numbers of jobs are going unwanted is food and beverage processing industry. Food and Beverage processing industry is the second largest sector of Ontario’s economy. It’s a $34 billion industry that is short on skilled workers according to industry professionals. This industry is looking for people in quality insurance, food safety, computer technology experts, logistics and distribution personnel. There are more than 110,000 jobs in the food and beverage processing industry according to the professionals of the field.

Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities John Milloy says that there are more than 100,000 jobs that go unfilled in Ontario. We wonder if guidance councellors in high schools and colleges can gently nudge students toward careers that will lead to filling up the unfilled jobs in Ontario. Majority of students have tendency to change their majors almost every semester. If these students can be explained prospects of career jobs, there is very little reason for them not to take these jobs. Of course we have to be mindful of their passions as well.

Members from Human Resources Development of Canada were present at the Fair to answer questions about student loans. Staff members from private companies like www.studentawards.com were also present. The website offers scholarships, awards, bursaries and grants to high schools students who sign up at their website. Students’ profiles are matched with the available scholarships. These scholarships are based not only on good grades but also on other skills like essay writing and so on.

Centennial College and Sheridan College have their open house on Saturday Nov 20^th

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Ontarians are “ambitious people.”

Premier’s big vision of Ontario included – full-day kindergarten in every Ontario school, everybody getting the best possible publicly-funded education … because they live in an Ontario that prizes education as the foundation for a strong economy and a great society.

200,000 post-secondary spaces have been added and 400 new schools built across Ontario under the leadership of Premier McGuinty.

McGuinty recognized that Ontarians are ‘ambitious people’.

“Ambitious not only for our children and our province but ambitious for a better Canada and a better world”.

“Two lessons in particular stand out for me:

The first is … look after your family. Work as hard as you can to make sure your kids grow up to be the best they can be.

The second lesson is … look after your community. Find a way to make a contribution.

The example set by my dad inspires me. Now let me tell you what drives me: You do.

Every time you knock on a door … pound in a sign … post on Facebook or Tweet … It drives us to keep making a difference for Ontario families …in our hospitals … In our schools … and in our economy….”

The excerpts are taken from Premier Dalton McGunity’s speech at Ontario Liberal Party’s Annual General Meeting in Toronto on the weekend of October 15^th – 17.

By: Staff Writer

Student representatives from across Canada met with more than 175 Members of Parliament and Senators this week to call on the federal government to set a national vision for a high-quality and affordable system of post-secondary education.

“Students came to Ottawa this week with one message: the federal government needs to do more to ensure Canadians have access to a high-quality system of post-secondary education,” said David Molenhuis, National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “Our country needs a national vision for post-secondary education.”

The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada’s largest student organisation, uniting more that one-half million students in all ten provinces. The Canadian Federation of Students and its predecessor organisations have represented students in Canada since 1927.

This past Monday, October 4, the Canadian Federation of Students released Public Education for the Public Good: a National Vision for Canada’s Post-Secondary Education System. The policy paper was presented to Members of Parliament and Senators including the Chair of the Conservative Party’s Post-Secondary Education Caucus Rod Bruinooge, Leader of the Official Opposition Michael Ignatieff, and Leader of the New Democratic Party Jack Layton. The main recommendation of the paper is the adoption of a post-secondary education act that sets out a national vision for higher education.

“From coast to coast students are working together to improve the affordability and quality of Canada’s colleges and universities,” added Molenhuis. “We hope that the government and opposition can come together and work with us to make sure that no one is shut out of Canada’s post-secondary education system.”