Clarenville Campus Life

SKILLS SHORTAGE: We know about it – Now what are WE going to do about it?

2012-02-29T11:49:00.000-03:30

Yesterday the Ayre Commission review of the Hebron Project released its final report. At over 300 pages this is quite a lengthy document covering a range of topics related to how best to manage the Hebron develop through its 30 or so year lifespan.

One of the key themes raised in the report – the proverbial nose on our face – is the recognition of the large gap that currently exists between the number and type of skilled workers required for this project and the number of skilled workers we have ready to work to make that project happen. This gap issue is further compounded by the fact that it takes time to train workers and that other projects are competing for these same skillsets.

The Ayre report asked that there be a detailed breakdown of the project’s labour needs developed by Exxon Mobil that would specify the trades that would be needed, when they would be needed, and in what numbers they would be needed. Further he asked that the industry contribute to the effort to make the required training available.

Considering that this is a key recommendation, I would suggest that it will happen and happen soon. The College – especially this campus has an opportunity before it like it has never seen before.

Inspiring our Students: Bob Fewer - Entrepreneur & Clarenville Business Hall Of Fame

2012-02-24T09:20:00.000-03:30

Robert (Bob) Fewer is a true Entrepreneur. His success has been through hard work, outstanding service to customers and an uncanny ability to spot and take advantages of opportunities as they emerge. Because of this, Clarenville Chamber inducted Bob to its Business Hall of Fame this year. Congratulations Bob!

Here's his Bio: (Click to enlarge)

CNA assists in White Hills Promotion

2012-02-24T07:35:00.007-03:30

During the fall, our SIFE chapter offered a seminar series in Social Media. White Hills Ski Resort was one of the participants and they have started to engage their clients more using various social media. Notably, they have a better understand ing the capacity and potential of Facebook and Twitter. We made these two videos; they posted them on their Facebook and Twitter.

Check White Hills out:

on the Web – www.discoverwhitehills.com
On Facebook – White Hills Ski Resort
On Twitter - @skiwhitehills

Video 1

Video 2 (Shot in HD)

SIFE Business Advisory Board Meeting

2012-02-22T10:25:00.001-03:30

On Friday, February 17 we held our term meeting for SIFE Clarenville's Business Advisory Board. At the meeting our members had an opportunity to overview projects and seek feedback from the Board.

Project Updates

Community Garden – we have gatered a significant amount of research material on community gardens and first year students have done preliminary work. Our goal is to develop a garden concept that will use “raised” tabletop beds that are more easily mainteained. The Board suggested designing and producing Garden Boxes with mixed soil is something that we’lllook at further. Our Carpentry students would be a real asset in making this happen.

Social Media – We built this project on the success of last years “all White Here” social media campaign. This year we refocused the project so as to give businesses the skills to develop their own social media preseance. In November and december we developed and delivered a six session offering that looked at the practical application of Social Media for local business. We had three local businesses involved in the training and they received it very well. We have received grant money to further develop this and the campus is looking at adopting this as a post-diploma program. This spring we will be presenting the sessions to tourism operators in the Trinity Region.

Let’s Can Hunger - Three major initiatives are underway:

a. Food Collection - the team is nearing its goal of collecting 7000lb of food. There has been tremendous support from the Campus (especially Trades students) and the community. This has also been a great learning experience for students in being exposed to the challenges faces by many families in our region. Bagging up Hunger is a new part of this iniattitive - this involves distributing food collection bags through the school system.

b. REACH – Reaching Out – partnering with several community partners in an Eastern Healt sponsored initiative to raise awarenes of homelessness, drug abuse, financial education and elder abuse.

c. Financial Education – Students have been meeting with various groups including Beavers and Sparks. Great feedback!

Regional Competition

a. Preparations are underway for the Halifax Regionals, March 7-10.

b. Teams will offer to present to the BAB

3. National Competition

a. Coming up in May in Calgary

Day at the Hill

2012-02-22T08:24:00.002-03:30

NANUK at the Carnival

2012-02-22T08:19:00.000-03:30

BATTLE OF THE BRAINS and STRAINS

2012-02-22T08:16:00.001-03:30

Again this year the campus participated in the annual Battle of the Brains in support of the local chapter of Crime Prevention. Two teams, one of students and the other of staff strained away at questions ranging from History to Faity Tales. Although neither of the College team's places we, and the other 30 teams had great fun! See below and try a few of the catagories for yourself !

LR Student Team - c/w College hats - Gorvin Greening, Sherrell Penney, Brandon Penney, Meighan Dyer, Lisa Peddle and Sherry Smith

LR - complete with College Shirts: Paul Tilley, Deidra Strowbridge, Hilary Primmer, Ian Pye and Denise Organ

Winter Carnival Week at the Campus

2012-02-14T09:13:00.002-03:30

Well, it's Winter carnival week here in Clarenviille Campus and in Clarenville. it's a great opportunity to lighten things up in the middle of winter and in the middle of the term. This year the Student Council is organizing a number of events through the week. Yesterday we started with Timbit eating and something called Minute-to-win it" - both generated lots of laughs!

In the greater community, Campus staff - led by Pam Sullivan - AKA "Ms. Curling" and others from the curling community have organized and volunteered to help encourage young people to try the sport of Curling. I was amazed to see over 30 kids on the ice last night and so thankful that we have a pool of dedicated volunteers to share their enthusiasm for the sport....

You can see more pictures and video of Clarenville's Winter Carnival on my
OUR Town Facebook page
and on my
OurTown Blog

Clarenville Region Grows 14% in Past 5 Years!

2012-02-09T07:14:00.000-03:30

We feel that Clarenville is growing - now newly released Stats.Canada Census data proves it. We've seen the official population of Clarenville rise by 14.4% in the past 5 years from 5,274 to 6,036! We are now the 13th largest town in NL with the 3rd largest growth in population.

Superbowl Commercials - Matthew Broderick's Day Off

2012-02-06T07:16:00.000-03:30

Annual Report

2012-02-03T08:47:00.001-03:30

President Vaughan Visits Clarenville: Imagine our future

2012-02-03T08:44:00.002-03:30

SIFE: Sparking Money Skills

2012-02-03T08:42:00.000-03:30

French Language Training at Clarenville Campus

2012-01-12T15:33:00.000-03:30

Clarenville Campus' Continuing Education Division will be offering Introductory French Language Training beginning Monday, February 6 from 6:30pm-9:30pm. This course will run for 14 weeks (3 hours/week). The course is based on the program model of the Government of Newfoundland’s Office of French Services department which follows the 40 learning objectives of the Federal Government’s “Programm...e de francais langue seconde, niveaux A et B.” This course will cover objectives 1-4. The cost of the course is $360 + HST (plus cost of books). Please see the attached flyer.

If you are interested or have any questions please feel free to contact Jenny Brothen, Business Development Officer, Contract Training & Continuing Education: Tel: (709) 466-6947, Fax: (709) 466-2771 email: jenny.brothen@cna.nl.ca

Social Media Training and Business Development

2012-01-12T12:33:00.001-03:30

For six Monday evenings theis fall, our SIFE team, under the leadership of Deidra Strowbridege, delivered a social media traing seminar to Clarenville based business people. These sessions included four topics: Social media strategy, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. We had very positive feedback on the sessions - but the true test of accomplishment is when we see these businesses using their newly acquired skills to better communicate with thier customers.

Facebook as a Measure of Brand Power

2012-01-11T14:07:00.000-03:30

I read this interesting article in the Globe and Mail entitled: Measuring brand value via Facebook by Harvey Schachter. It makes the connection between number of likes for a firm on Facebook and the dollars earned by that firm. Give it a read for yourself!

The First Day of Classes in 2012....

2012-01-04T13:59:00.008-03:30

Today is the the first full day of classes and I'm writing this in front of a class of students as I get them to embark on their own blog writing exercise. You see, for my marketing class I get my students to create a blog that they can then use to post their thoughts on marketing related subjects.

I'm always amazed at how fast everyone catches on - they were typing away in no time!

This is my second year doing this. I was so impessed last year with the quality of the entries and the amount of thought and effort put into this project. I expect this year's project will be a rewarding experience as well!

Here's a link to my wikipage http://paultilley.wikispaces.com/

Here's an award winning commercial that I showed my class...see what you think.

On Apprenticeships - Telegram Series

2011-12-23T19:45:00.004-03:30

In December, the Telegram ran a series on the opportunities and challenges for Skilled trades in this province. They are worth a read:

Changes needed for Apprentices - Dec 21 - http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/2011-12-21/article-2843569/Changes-needed-for-apprentices/1

A Slippery Path to Skilled Trades - Dec 22 - http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/2011-12-22/article-2844593/A-slippery-path-to-skilled-trades/1

Apprentices: here and there - Dec 23 - http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2011-12-23/article-2845705/Apprentices%3A-here-and-there/1

Christmastime Musings on Turkeys, Food, Mittens and Citizenship

2011-12-16T15:08:00.003-03:30

As a large college, we offer a vast array of programs and courses that teach students the theoretical and well as the practical aspects of their chosen career. We have the development and delivery of these “hard” skills well established and as a result we can rest assures the community that our graduates leave with the required competencies to do jobs in their field exceptionally well.

Unfortunately you don’t see the “softer” skills in very many curriculums, regardless of the institution – but we are changing that in some rather innovative yet simple ways!

Take for example the College’s involvement in this years’ CBC/CNA Turkey Drive. On the surface this initiative may have little real educational value – however we have, through our students’ involvement, seen a phenomenal learning opportunity emerge from this, and one that has taught that softest of soft skills: the importance of citizenship.

During the year, Our SIFE team has taken ownership of several initiatives that have involved the food bank. The Turkey Drive has become part of this. Students (from across the campus) solicit the food and they deliver it to the food bank – including turkeys. There they get to see, first hand, the need that has emerged in this town as we enter a period of economic growth. There they get to fill the shelves and freezers; there they get to ask Major Pond and his wife Gloria who run the food bank what the real needs are, they get to see the people who benefit and they leave with new ideas on things they can do, and new attitudes on how important their efforts are to making our community stronger.

Citizenship may not be part of the curriculum but it is a key part of being human. And when these students graduate, the “A” that they get on this important subject will becomes part of their “life” transcript.

Postscript: As of Friday, Dec. 16, we have delivered 49 turkeys, 1500lbs of food, and many hats and mittens to the food bank in the past couple of days and we are still collecting & delivering. We also have a have collected money. This year to date we have collected 5982 lbs for the foodbank!

Remembering Polytechnique

2011-12-06T21:00:00.003-03:30

December 6, 1998. I was on work term in PEI. I was 23. I was in university. When I heard the news of the Polytechnique massacre I felt sick.

Today we marked the 22nd anniversary of that fateful day. As I sat in the room and watched the faces of those 14 young women on the screen, I also glanced to notice the faces of the room full of the 20 something students. I was struck by the fact that the victims were the same age as most of our students. Wow...that brought it home.

I hope our current students take the message of today and learn from it.

Harris Centre and SIFE

2011-11-28T11:18:00.001-03:30

SIFE Clarenville's ALL WHITE HERE project highlighted at Memorial University's Harris Centre release of "A Commitment to Place: The Social Foundations of Innovation in Newfoundland and Labrador" which explores the nature of interaction between businesses, skilled and creative workers, governments, and NGOs in four urban regions in Newfoundland and Labrador, and seeks to determine the social dynamics and relationships that drive development.

See: http://today.mun.ca/news.php?news_id=6807

Hebron Public Review Commission Comes to Clarenville

2011-11-26T21:36:00.001-03:30

On Thursday of this past week, the Hebron Public Review Commission (established by the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) to complete an independent assessment of the Hebron Project) came to Clarenville. During a presentation by Mayor Fred Best of the TOWN OF CLARENVILLE I was asked by the Commissioner to speak on Clarenville Campus. What follows is the audio first of the discussion on Clarenville Campus between Commission Chair Miller Ayre and Mayor Best followed by my comments.

The views expressed here are my own, and are not to be construed to be representing the official views of the College of the North Atlantic.

For a full transcript of the Clarenville hearings click HERE

See: www.facebook.com/ourtownclarenville
See: http://hebronpublicreview.ca/
See: http://www.hebronproject.com/

What a time to be a student: HUGE opportunities for SKILLED College Graduates

2011-11-22T10:38:00.001-03:30

Over the last while here we have been (heavily) contemplating the opportunities that lie before the next generation of College graduate….

The Fact is that there is a SKILL SHORTAGE out there in NL - employers are looking hard for skilled employees and they are having trouble finding them. Here at the College we are in the "Skill" business - it is our role and responsability to train the next geneation with the skills that employers are looking for. A huge investment has been made by the College in the past decade in areas of trades, business and educational technology to make us more relevant and ensure that our students have the necessary skills to meet the needs of the modern workforce. We're ready to get our next generation of competent, capable graduate out there meeting the needs. I call it: Getting people from here…to there

Here’s an example of the opportunity….

This week the CBC are doing a series of reports called THE BIG FIX on municipal infrastructure across Canada. Last evening’s (Nov 21) edition of here and now ran a piece by Nadia Stewart that looked at the Skill shortage issue in NL ( See the Nov 21 edition of HERE AND NOW (after the commercial at the beginning you can scrub to the report beginning at the 8:20 mark)

Some key points:

• NL has spent > $1B a year for the last several years on infrastructure

• There is a deficit of skilled workers

• Forecast peak demand for skilled labour in 2013

• Demand (& Shortage) will continue for at least the next decade

• Over the next decade there are >100 major projects on the books for NL worth $44B

Also the story referenced the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council - their forcast for NL:
• APEC identified 103 projects totalling $43.6 billion, a 16% increase in value over last year’s Inventory.

• This growth comes largely from the increase in valuation of the Hebron Oil project and the addition of planned mining projects in Labrador.

• The value of current-year spending in 2011 is up 49% to $6.2 billion.

• The rise in current-year spending is largely due to an increase in pre-construction work on the Hebron Oil project and greater spending at the Long Harbour nickel processing facility.

That's opportunity for those who have the skills to take advantage of it!

Job Aplenty - Do Students Know About the Opportunity?

2011-11-06T10:59:00.000-03:30

Trick-or-Eat Phenomenal Success

2011-11-02T21:30:00.000-02:30

Monday night was Halloween night and we were out knocking on local doors with all the kids. Besides being bigger and older than your average trick-or-treater, our SIFE Clarenville team were not looking for treats - instead, we were collecting for the local food bank as part of the national Trick-or-Eat campaign sponsored by Loblaws.

Working in four teams we spread out through Clarenville. A massive radio and school note blitz paid off - many people were waiting for us with their non-perishables and/or money ready. In 2 hours, we collected 1400 food items and over $600 in donations - which we delivered to the food bank the next day.

Again our students conducted a well communicated, well organized and well executed project - thanks to the generosity of the people of Clarenville we accomplished a lot!

Rick's Rant

2011-10-27T21:01:00.001-02:30

Rick Mercer is famous for his Rant. It usually contains just enough editorial barb to get people thinking. This past week's Rant has go a lot of people talking - and rightly so. Tuesday night's rant was in response to Jamie Hubley, the 15-year-old Ottawa boy who committed suicide earlier this month because he was bullied and because he was gay - a sad commentary in 2011. If you have not seen it - watch it here. I hope it gets you thinking and talking.

SIFE Clarenville Students Present to C'ville Rotary

2011-10-25T07:06:00.001-02:30

Yesterday, Sherrell Penney and Gorvin Greening - Second year Business SIFE students, had the opportunity to present at the weekly meeting of the Clarenville Rotary Club. They did a great job, not only in their presentation, but also in making the business community aware of who they are, what they do and how they do it.

Our Students - Our best ambassadors! BRAVO!

Young & Older - The Campus as an Enabler

2011-10-21T07:53:00.005-02:30

For several years now Clarenville has spearheaded a Healthy Aging Initiative called Random Age Friendly. Retired bank manager Leo Bonnell has been front and centre in this initiative and the Campus has played an important supporting role in helping make it the success it is. Just yesterday the Campus facilitated two "Age Friendly" events, further proving our key role as an economic enabler in our region.

Yesterday the campus hosted a Random Age Friendly/Clarenville Chamber of Commerce Webinar that virtually brought speakers from across Canada to a session dealing with the Role of Business in an Age Friendly Community. Leo Bonnell, Chamber President Greg Pittman and Chamber VP Brian Smith used the Campus’ space and network to electronically link to the other speakers scattered from Clarenville to Vancouver.

Barry Strowbridge, (aka Campus IT guru) spent some time and effort to ensure that everything went smoothly and his efforts paid off – the event was a technical success and helped prove again that distance is no longer an obstacle to hosting national meetings.

Later in the evening the campus hosted, the 10^th offering of Computers for Seniors, a free twice weekly computer training session got rolling at the campus. SIFE Clarenville, campus staff, college students, school students and members of the community volunteer to teach seniors the ins and outs of popular computer applications.

The College slogan "We're so much more" proves out once again... What can we do next?

Small Business Week in Clarenville - Recognition for SIFE Clarenville

2011-10-19T07:33:00.003-02:30

This week marks Small Business Week and on Tuesday, the Chamber of Commerce and its partners sponsored a luncheon attended by over 70 people - 25 of which were CNA business students. Three local business people spoke on the opportunities offered by Hebron. (see video below)

At the luncheon, the partners presented our SIFE chapter with a cheque in recognition of their work to promote business opportunities in Clarenville. The picture below is of SIFE Clarenville’s president Sherry Smith accepting the cheque from Chamber president Greg Pittman.

Clarenville High School Visits Clarenville Campus

2011-10-05T15:44:00.001-02:30

Today we had over 110 level 2 and 3 students from Clarenville High School visit the campus as well as their teachers. I find the benefits to open the doors of the campus to future students to be enormous, in that it gives them a better insight to what opportunities there are for them as they get closer to a career.

However the experience of the teachers who visited is at least as beneficial. Every time a teacher steps into this building and sees what we do here and who we do it with (their old students) they gain a better appreciation of our capacity, our value and our place in helping to make their former students educated, productive, and proud members of society.

We work towards the same goals..

Link to pictures

CBDC Workshop

2011-09-28T20:22:00.001-02:30

Tonight, I had the opportunity to present at a CBDC workshop on Social Media for Small Business.
The business owners who attended were very interested in finding out more about the potential, however at the same time they felt the the challenge of learning about, and particularly using SM products to better market their business was daunting.

I see an opportunity for us here....

SIFE Clarenville - Shoreline Cleanup

2011-09-22T10:58:00.000-02:30

Thursday evening, members of SIFE Clarenville pitched in with Clarenville's Rotary Club members and other community members in helping to clean up the beach in Shoal Harbour as part of the World Wildlife Fund's Great Canadian Shoreline Pickup . Over a dozen bags of trash were collected!

Riding the Big Bike for Heart and Stroke

2011-09-22T10:50:00.001-02:30

The rewards of doing for something for someone far exceed the costs. Such was the case at the campus this week when many of us joined in on the BIG BIKE fundraiser for Heart and Stroke. This Distributed Learning organized event proved to be a fun team building event that brought 30 or so of the most rag tag bunch of bike riders together to paddle their way into infamy! 30 people, $2000 raised, and priceless fun !

Coffee House 2011Thursday, September 8

2011-09-14T19:44:00.002-02:30

HOT DOGS ANYONE?

2011-09-14T19:43:00.001-02:30

Fall Offerings at Clarenville Campus

2011-09-07T21:45:00.000-02:30

Coffee House 2011

2011-09-07T21:43:00.002-02:30

Pulling our Hair Out!

2011-09-07T15:47:00.001-02:30

Yes - I have been negligent! ). We have polled for songs and here's the list of potentials thus far:

I've been back over a week and have not posted a single thing. Lax?, Slack? naw, We are just overwhelmed with newness here as we scramble to get going. Classes start tomorrow. We have a couple of interesting projects on though that will shape up in the coming days & weeks.

Tomorrow we have a Coffee House to rise $ for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

We are planning new SIFE projects around the themes of Environmental Sustainability - more on that soon!

And we are planning a school Lipdub! (Not sure what that is? See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpp3quce1Vo ) Here's our list-to-date of potential songs:

1 Rolling in the Deep Adele http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw&ob=av3e
2 Walking on Sunshine Katrina and the Waves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U
3 Don’t Stop believing Journey or Glee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I-SbwCHJ80
4 Forget You Ce Low Green http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKxodgpyGec
5 Raise your Glass Pink http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjVNlG5cZyQ
6 Dog Days are Over Florence and the Machine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU
7 It's My Life Bon Jovi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE&ob=av3e
8 Let's go Higher Johnny Reid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w81oH7H7WQM
9 Footloose Kenny Loggins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwBbMXYDsXw
10 Taking Care of Business Bachman Turner Overdrive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCIUf8eYPqA&feature=related

Well Said Jack

2011-08-25T21:39:00.002-02:30

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

Jack Layton
1950-2011

Girls Exploring Trades and Technology at Clarenville Campus

2011-08-15T12:18:00.001-02:30

Again this summer, Clarenville campus hosted a GETT camp - Girls Exploring Trades and Technology. GETT is a program designed and administered by Women in Resource Development and it introduces girls to technology and trade careers and encourages them to consider a variety of career choices. Mary Clarke, is the project's coordinator and she has been instrumental in the program's success. My own daughter has been involved since the beginning, first as a student now as a helper. Each year Mary and WRDC has provided opportunities through GETT and other fantastic experiential programs to young women like my daughter and I have seen the benefits first hand - as my daughter nears the end of her school career her eyes have been opened to the many careers that are available to her (She's looking to geology). Bravo to Mary and thanks to WRDC in their efforts to break the glass ceiling between women and male dominated careers.

Social Media - Lessons Learned

2011-06-14T08:34:00.002-02:30

Over the past 7 weeks I have been a student at Memorial University’s Faculty of Business in their Gardiner training Centre. I’ve been taking a Certificate program on Social Media and E-Marketing. In it we have covered 6 major areas: Social Media Strategy, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Mobile and Youtube. Lyle Welch taught the course and his knowledge and passion for the subject was obvious to the 17 of us who did the course modules. It was a real eye opener to the explore the power and potential of social media and we move past the tip of the Web 2.0 revolution.

So reflecting on the course I have some major takeaways that I would like to share.

1) Social Media (SM) Strategy

SM has tremendous power to facilitate Connecting, Collaborating, and Communicating between people and organizations. SM is easy to use, millions jump into each month because it is by-and-large free.

Advertising pays for SM and because of this SM affords the advertiser never before seen powers to manage its message and measure message effectiveness.

Also, contrary to popular belief, SM is not populated by kids. Middle aged people make up the bulk of the users and older people use it too.

It sounds too good to be true but there are challenges that must be addressed. Organizations need to develop a definite SM strategy that dovetails with corporate and marketing strategy. They also need to be prepared to invest the necessary resources and effort into achieving the full potential of SM.

TO BE CONTINUED....

2011 SUMMER CAMPS at CLARENVILLE CAMPUS CNA

2011-06-10T15:46:00.000-02:30

Summer is coming and Camp CNA is getting ready for young campers! This year the campus has Art, Science and Computer Camps! Registration will begin on Monday, May 30 at the campus. Click here for full details and registration forms

Video Report on Open House

2011-06-08T08:48:00.001-02:30

Video is the next wave of content on the Internet. I have been busy preparing for this for a while and now I have a new editing program to toy with...admittedly, I have a ways to go yet but I'm working one it!

My goal is to integrate these vignettes into my live and online courses.

Dr. Sanat Mandal - Teacher and Researcher

2011-06-02T13:18:00.000-02:30

Long after everyone is gone home Sanat Mandal can be found toiling away in his lab, trying to unlock the key to one of the worlds most feared diseases, cancer.

This quarter, Sanat is featured in CURRENTS, the College's newsletter in a special section profiling the works of a number of researchers at several campuses across the college.

It's great to see him there - he deserves it!

The Social Media Paradox

2011-06-02T11:53:00.001-02:30

Social media can be defined as a wide range of Internet-based and mobile services allowing people to participate in online exchanges, contribute content, or join online communities. These services include blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, social network sites, status update services, virtual world content, and media sharing sites.

Social media sites have become platforms for interaction among users offering instant, collaborative alternatives to more traditional ways of information sharing and distribution.

Sounds great! Yet the Federal Government has outlawed its use internally by its employees, and many organizations like the College (it is only in the past year that controls over Social Media have been relaxed) are still approaching it tentatively.

If the whole point of SM is to enhance richer communications between clients and service providers, I find it odd that organizations are resisting this very same ability for free and timely communication.

I understand that organizations fear the lack of message control however there is no excuse for the lack of message. Resisting organizations – pull your collective heads out of the sand and deal with the issue – it’s not going away.

15 people, 15 minutes and over 15 Bags of garbage!

2011-05-31T11:52:00.000-02:30

This morning Clarenville Campus, College of the North Atlantic, Staff and Students took 15 minutes to do their part in helping tidy our town. This is the third year in a row that the campus has taken part in the Town's Yellow Bag campaign and the CBC's 15 Minute Clean up challenge. The College challenges other people, schools and businesses to get involved in making Clarenville a better place to live.

A group photo is attached and a full suite of pictures are available at https://picasaweb.google.com/pauldtilley/May31201115MinuteCleanup#

We’d like to extend a special thank you to the Town of Clarenville for supplying the gloves and the bags!

Convocation Recognition

2011-05-30T08:50:00.002-02:30

It's basic human nature to look for recognition for a significant life accomplishment. This past weekend's TELEGRAM had a section devoted to Memorial University's spring graduation. Hundreds of freshly minted graduate's names, complete with their hometowns where proudly posted for the reading audience to read. I went through the list and saw many names of people I knew - many from small towns like Hickman's Harbour, Buchans and Clarenville. Bravo to the graduates and thanks to the University for publishing that information.

The College of the North Atlantic too graduates hundreds of students at it respective campuses each year - but we don’t publish their names - we should. These graduates have accomplished something significant and we will be looking to them to carry this province towards future success. We’ve given them the task - they deserve the recognition.

At the Enterprise Olympics

2011-05-30T08:49:00.003-02:30

At the Enterprise Olympics

2011-05-30T08:49:00.001-02:30

2011-05-25T10:17:00.000-02:30

SIFE Clarenville's Presentation in Toronto Parts 1 & 2

2011-05-24T18:19:00.001-02:30

SIFE Clarenville in the Gazette

2011-05-19T11:08:00.003-02:30

Over the past two years Maisie Caines and I have been members of an local advisory board on a research project undertaken by the Harris Centre at Memorial University. This research focuses on several communities in NL including Clarenville and will be soon published in a paper entitled "The Social Foundations of Innovation in Newfoundland" by Harris Centre Director Robert Greenwood and Candice Pike. Last week while in St. John's I had the opportunity to visit the Harris Centre to discuss one of our SIFE projects and its relation with this project. The story appears in today's edition of the GAZZETTE - Memorial University's newspaper.

Test - Test - Mic Test!!!

2011-05-17T14:31:00.002-02:30

We had a very entertaining day today at the Campus. We knew we had the Grade 7/8 Guidance Module students coming to visit this afternoon and when we met to chat about what we could do with them Tracy Holloway and I hatched an idea to "educate and involve the students in a journey of self discovery" (ie: Get them to make a video interviewing their way around the campus!) Here's the great result:

Welcome Ann Marie!

2011-05-15T17:12:00.000-02:30

This past week I had the opportunity to chat with the current interim president of the College, Bruce Hollett. Mr. Hollett was appointed as head of the College after the departure of our former President, Jean Madill. As I walked across the campus I wondered what the situation was on the Presidential search. On Thursday this question was answered for me when we learned that a new President had been appointed - Ann Marie Vaughan. I know Ann Marie as a leader – She was the president of the CSU while I was at Memorial, more recently she has been instrumental in (re)developing Memorial’s distance education capacity as Director of Distance Education and Learning Technologies (DELT). Now she will bring this vision and leadership capacity to the College and we are all better off for it. Welcome Ann Marie!

Conference Takeaways

2011-05-15T16:55:00.005-02:30

As I noted, last week I attended First Year in Focus - Maximizing Student Retention, a conference whose theme spurred a lot of discussion on how to engage students in the learning process.

Reflections of Our Presentation

Deidra Strowbridge and I had an opportunity to present at the conference. Our presentation entitled: Enjoying the Ride on the Way to the Destination: The Successful Incorporation of SIFE into Clarenville’s Business Program, focused on how we have incorporated SIFE projects into our established curriculum acrros courses to enhance the overall learning experience. We had a lot of questions and some great discussion took place amonsgst our group. (CLICK HERE to download a copy of the presentation)

Reflection on MUN's Presentation

One of the most interesting breakout sessions that I attended was one entitled: Students’ Perceptions of Effective Teaching in Higher Education by Memorial’s Dr.Jerome Delaney, Albert Johnson, and Dr.Trudi Johnson. The essence of their research was to determine the top things students look for in their instructor – at the classroom level and at the online world. The responses were pretty much as I expected – and ones that I try hard to hit however the issue of Responsiveness in the Distance environment ranked much higher than I expected. As someone that is being tasked with being “responsive” because I teach in the distance world my challenge now is how to meet this expectation...

@MUN

2011-05-15T10:22:00.000-02:30

This week I was at the University for a Conference. This has been the first opportunity for me to spend any amount of time at the University in the past number of years and it really reminded me just how much I miss the university. During the conference for example Dee Strowbridge and I had the opportunity to do a presentation on some of the innovative things that we have been doing with our SIFE chapter in Clarenville – our presentation was in the Science Building and in looking for our room, I took some time to wonder the halls – wondering through the Political Science department made me fell 20ish again – it’s like time had stood still, same classrooms and in some cases the same names still on the office doors.

My goal is to ensure my students have the same opportunity I had and that when they graduate they can come back to this campus with fond memories and reflect on how much they grew from their experience here...I’m not sure if my name will be on the office doors in 20 years though!

A SIGN of the Times

2011-05-12T10:53:00.000-02:30

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR SIFE TEAMS EXCEL at SIFE Nationals!

2011-05-10T21:18:00.001-02:30

The first round of presentations is now over and as I write this the winning teams are being announced. Again NL is punching well beyond its weight as our teams bring home the awards.

First, SIFE Clarenville picked up two awards: 2nd place in the Let's Can Hunger and The Spirit of SIFE award – in its division (Competed against Seneca, Moncton, Brandon & Concordia) - Congratulations Team!! We were not alone because CNA Cabot & CNA S'ville also won Spirit of SIFE awards in their respective divisions.

SIFE Memorial continues to show its strength, it won the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge as well as winning the national championship in the financial literacy challenge – as well they are going on to tomorrow’s final round – they are the team to beat!!

Congratulations to our provincial ambassadors!

(BTW SIFE Clarenville’s Gorvin Greening carried the provincial flag at the opening ceremonies!)

2011-05-09T22:46:00.001-02:30

It's been quite a day for SIFE Clarenville/ In St. John's, Deidra Strowbridge and I presented at the FIRST IN FOCUS conference on Student retention at Memorial University. Our topic: Enjoying the Ride on the Way to the Destination:SIFE Clarenville - we had a great audience with lots of great questions. This evening in Toronto, members of our SIFE team are at the SIFE NATIONAL Competitions. At the opening ceremonies our team colleccted the 2nd runner up in the Let's Can Hunger, hunger reduction awards sponsored by Cambell's Soup.

A HUGE amount of work was put into all of this by our relatively small team - kudos to them all!

STANDING STRONG - Budget 2011

2011-05-05T15:54:00.000-02:30

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the Clarenville Campber of Commere's Luncheon, where Ross Wiseman, the district's MHA and Minister of the Environment spoke. Mr. Wiseman spoke extensively about the recently released provicial Budget - most notable to me was his references to the Government's investment in education:

•An investment of approximately $11 million under the 21st Century Learning Strategy to purchase additional computers and interactive whiteboards for schools.

•Additional investment this year of $6.4 million to maintain the tuition freeze at Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic for the 2011-12 academic year, a total cumulative investment of $138.8 million over the last seven years.

◦$19.8 million in new funding for Memorial University over three years for maintenance projects, a total of $36 million through to 2013-14;

◦$7.7 million for Memorial University over the next two years for laboratory upgrades, a total of $13.5 million since 2009;

◦$3.2 million in new funding for College of the North Atlantic for repairs and maintenance over the next three years; and,

◦$7 million over the next three years allocated to College of the North Atlantic for laboratory and shop modernization, in addition to $2 million in funding provided under the Skills Task Force.

•$15.4 million over three years to provide additional incentives to employers to hire apprentices, especially from under-represented groups.

•$400,000 this year in interim funding to implement the first stages of the Provincial Strategy for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.

CBC One Day April 30 - A Lobster Story...

2011-05-01T21:06:00.000-02:30

The CBC is 75! I am a huge fan of the "Mother Corp" and credit it for being a huge source of inspiration and information for me. As part of their birthday there are putting together a special -- called 1 Day. On April 30 they asked people across the country to make a video and submit it - I told a Lobster story with my video....Click the icon to see it - don't forget to vote for it!.

http://1day.cbc.ca/entry/4374397&voter=1&voter=1&voter=1

An Ad

2011-04-29T12:48:00.002-02:30

Here's an ad that is appearing online now for our business program. Bottom line: Our graduates get great jobs - here, there and everywhere!! AND with our award winning SIFE chapter there is the opportunity for you to meet and work with local businesses, work as a team to achieve great results and present your work regionally in Halifax and nationally in Toronto - TOP THAT!!

Graduation 2011

2011-04-26T22:03:00.001-02:30

Last week we had one of our best graduation ceremonies ever. Nothing of this magnitude, which means so much to so many, comes without a tremendous effort – thank you to all of you who made this happen. We have created a milestone moment for our graduates and their families that was worthy of such recognition – and it is tangible evidence of one of the many things we do so well here.

Today we posted the video of the ceremonies – thanks to Jody Locke and Dave Lee for their vision and hard work in capturing the essence of the ceremony. You can find photos of the graduation at the campus' Facebook site www.facebook.com/clarenvillecampus

Pending sufficient demand, DVD’s of the ceremony will be available for $25. These CD’s will include a high quality video of the ceremony the pre-ceremony picture slide show, as well as pictures taken at the ceremony. Contact jody.locke@cna.nl.ca if you would like to reserve your copy.

Eating the Status Quo at Memorial

2011-04-19T09:44:00.001-02:30

I'm not sure if students at this College are ready to "Eat the Status Quo" yet but students at other schools across the country are. Here we are in the middle of an election and students seem not to be as engaged as they need to be. Rick Mercer raised this issue in his last Rant of the season and the University of Guelph replied by sponsoring a Vote Mob - to raise the collective consciousness of students to political issues and the election. Yesterday at Memorial they held their own Vote Mob and filmed it - maybe it's the start of an awareness building trend? I wonder will it hit the College? I hope so....

MUN's Vote Mob

The LipDub Marketing Opportunity

2011-04-17T09:20:00.004-02:30

Lip Dubs have become popular things to do at campuses across Canada. UBC's is the best one I have seen - and Memorial's Squires Hous one is quite good - Now we want to plan one for C'vile campus - That's my goal for the intersession. What "song" would you suggest for our theme song? Let's all get involved....

UBC - Okanogan's

Memorial's Squires House

COLLEGE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC STUDENTS EXCEL AT SKILLS CANADA COMPETITIONS

2011-04-15T10:15:00.002-02:30

Gold and Bronze for Bonavista, Silver for Clarenville – a Gold Medal Performance for the College

Brandon Senior and his Instructor, Wayne Pike

Candace Griffin

Lucas Bowring

Nicholas Archer-Antonsen

On Friday, April 1, over 200 regional finalists from across the province gathered in St. John's to compete in the 14th annual Skilled Trade & Technology Competitions. Over 50 College of the North Atlantic students including three students from Bonavista campus and two students from Clarenville Campus participated in the 34 skills competitions, trade demonstrations, career showcases, tours, Skills Work for Women Conference, and an Awards Ceremony with government and business speakers.

From Bonavista Campus, Plumbing student Nicholas Archer-Antonsen, Electrical student Lucas Bowring and Software Applications student Nicole Templeman competed in their respective categories. Nicholas’ GOLD medal performance in his competition was a demonstration of his skill under pressure, "Well, it’s putting yourself in a situation you normally wouldn’t be in. All that pressure does make you stronger. And also, after it’s done, it looks good on a résumé that you’ve gone & you’ve put yourself out to do something like this." Lucas Bowering took away a BRONZE medal in electrical installations, he noted "I really enjoyed the experience and the preparations for the competition were a learning opportunity in itself." Although she didn't place at the provincial level, Nicole Templeman, who won at the Bonavista campus level, really got a lot out of the experience.

Marilyn Coles-Haley, Bonavista’s Campus Administrator echoed the student’s comments; "Skills Canada provides a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their skills. Nicholas, Lucas and Nicole did a wonderful job representing the Bonavista Campus and the College. We are so very proud of them all and we wish Nicholas all the best at the Nationals."

From Clarenville Campus, Candace Griffin represented Office Administration and Brandon Senior represented Carpentry. Both did very well and Brandon went on to take the SILVER medal in the Carpentry competition. Competition results were extremely close – almost everyone at the competition agreed it was almost too close to call! Brandon Senior, at the ripe age of 18 and a first year student, placed second with minimal points behind a third-year apprentice! Brandon’s experience was memorable too “I was nervous but I knew that I could do it!” – and that he did! While Candace Griffin did not place in her category, she did complete all required components, in which many of the other competitors ran out of time. She placed 4th, out of the medals but close to the medal winners – and she maintained total composure and professionalism throughout the entire event.

Maisie Caines, Clarenville’s Campus Administrator spoke for the campus in expressing a big “Thank you” to Brandon and Candace “We are all very proud of Brandon and Candace’s accomplishments - As opportunities in the trades continue to grow you can bet that industry will be taking notice – you have represented Clarenville Campus and College of the North Atlantic so well.”

COLLEGE GOLD

While the competition was exciting for Clarenville & Bonavista Campues, it was euphoric for the College as a whole. College of the North Atlantic students made CNA the top scoring post-secondary institution at the event! When the medals were handed out at the Awards Ceremony on Friday night, the College competitors took home 37 medals – 14 Gold, 13 Silver, and 10 Bronze, representing 13 different campuses!

The gold medal winners will go on to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 17th Annual Canadian Skills Competitions in Quebec City in June, 2011 where over 600 of the best and brightest in Canada will gather to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in trades and technologies.

John Oates, Lead Campus Administrator for the St. John's Region, was impressed by the outstanding level of performance by the students of the College in the competition. “In addition to the 14 Gold medal winners announced on Friday night, we will also have six other competitors on the Team, representing competition areas in which there is no provincial competition (printing, refrigeration, web design, cabinet making, car painting, and precision machining). That means the team representing this province at the nationals will have 20 competitors from the College, representing nine campuses: Bonavista, Burin, Carbonear, Lab West, Placentia, Port aux Basques, Prince Philip Drive, Ridge Road, and Seal Cove!”

Photo Links:

Skills Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador

College of the North Atlantic

It is Time for A Change…

2011-04-14T09:37:00.008-02:30

When I walked into work yesterday I was pleased to see one of the Federal Election candidates roaming the halls shaking hands. Conservative candidate John Ottenheimer glad-handed with as many students as he could during his stay and I’m glad he did. You see, it seems to me as if this election’s message is being aimed squarely at a more ‘senior’ demographic because, as we are told, they are the ones that actually vote! Young people, we are told, are not participating in the political process because they do not feel part of it. No wonder – the politicians are not trying hard enough to engage this important demographic.

So it was nice to see John Ottenheimer and it would be nice to see the other candidates as well. But they need to do more. Candidates are still averse to social media – I’ll give full marks to Liberal candidate and incumbant, Judy Foote for launching out on Twitter – in fact this morning I got my first tweet from candidate Judy - Great to hear from you Judy! Ottenheimer is neither on Twitter nor Facebook for me to find. Glad handing is important but new communication methods are important too. Some would argue that these new fangled modes of communication are a waste of time and effort but their use does at least send a strong signal – we’re interested in youth and we respect their right to know and their right to be listened to. To quote Mr. Ottenheimer’s campaign slogan – It’s time for a Change!

The Big Picture...

2011-04-06T16:16:00.022-02:30

On Wednesday of this week Eastern Health released "Determining the Big Picture: The results of the Discovery Region Needs Assessment" (http://www.easternhealth.ca/DownFile.Aspx?fileid=364 ). This 80 page document summarizes the research findings of an extensive effort to determine the key health related areas of concern for people living in our region. The report uses the World Health Organizations framework for Determinants of Health as its framework, and education is one of those key determinants.

Unfortunately the report's focus is on health education the secondary school system - but, as I pointed out in the release presentation, there is a role for the post-secondary system. A great number of our students are financially challenged (Income is a key determinant), live in rural communities (a problem area), and many are parents of young children. I feel that the College, has a vital role and if it chooses, could play a more active role in addressing the issues raised in this assessment.

And we are - through our Students: The projects of our SIFE group are already addressing some of these identified health issues - we have developed and delivered seminars on Healthy eating, we are a huge contributor to the food back as part of our award winning "Let's Can Hunger" initiative and we have, through a third project, taught students from a wide age spectrum the basics of money management.

We have a role are through SIFE we are very much part of the solution.

Networking Between the Generations

2011-04-06T16:08:00.000-02:30

Silver for Clarenville – a Gold Medal Performance for the College

2011-04-06T14:12:00.001-02:30

Silver Medalist Brandon Senior with his instructor, Wayne Pike

On Friday, April 1, over 200 student regional finalists from all over the province gathered in St. John's to compete in skilled trades and technologies. At the same time, provincial competitions were held at the 9th Annual Provincial Skilled Career Day featuring many CNA students including two students from Clarenville Campus. There were 34 Competitions, trade demonstrations, career showcase, tours, Skills Work for Women Conference, and an Awards Ceremony with government and business speakers.

From Clarenville Campus, Candace Griffin represented Office Administration and Brandon Senior represented Carpentry. Both did very well and Brandon went on to take the SILVER medal in the Carpentry Competition. Competition results were extremely close – almost everyone at the competition agreed it was almost too close to call! Brandon Senior, at the ripe age of 18 and a first year student, placed second with minimal points behind a third-year apprentice! Congratulations Brandon! While Candace Griffen did not place in her category, however she did complete all required component, in which many of the other competitors ran out of time. She placed very close to the medal winners – and maintained total composure and professionalism throughout the entire event. Fabulous job Candace!

Maisie Caines, Campus Administrator spoke for the campus in expressing a big “Thank you” to Brandon and Candace “We are all very proud of Brandon and Candace’s accomplishments - you have represented Clarenville Campus and College of the North Atlantic so well.”

COLLEGE GOLD

While the competition was exciting for Clarenville Campus, it was euphoric for the College as a whole. When the medals were handed out at the Awards Ceremony on Friday night, the College competitors took home 37 medals – 14 Gold, 13 Silver, and 10 Bronze, representing 13 different campuses!

The competition winners will go on to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 17th Annual Canadian Skills Competitions in Quebec City in June, 2011 where over 600 of the best and brightest in Canada will gather to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in trades and technologies.

John Oates, Lead Campus Administrator for the St. John's Region, was impressed by the outstanding level of performance by the students of the College in the competition “in addition to the 14 Gold medal winners announced on Friday night, we will also have six other competitors on the Team, representing competition areas in which there is no provincial competition (printing, refrigeration, web design, cabinet making, car painting, and precision machining). That means the team representing this province at the nationals will have 20 competitors from the College, representing nine campuses: Bonavista, Burin, Carbonear, Lab West, Placentia, Port aux Basques, Prince Philip Drive, Ridge Road, and Seal Cove!”

Skills Canada - Silver Medal in Carpentry for Campus - Gold for College

2011-04-03T08:42:00.009-02:30

On Friday, over 200 student regional finalists from all over the province gathered in St. John's to compete in skilled trades and technologies. At the same time, provincial competitions were held at the

9th Annual Provincial Skilled Career Day featuring two students from Clarenville Campus. There were 34 Competitions, trade demonstrations, career showcase, tours, Skills Work for Women Conference, and an Awards Ceremony with government and business speakers.

Candace Griffin represented Office Administration and Brandon Senior represented Carpentry. Both did well and Brandon took the SILVER medal in the Carpentry Competition. Congratulations!!!!

When the medals were handed out at the Awards Ceremony on Friday night, the College competitors took home 37 medals – 14 Gold, 13 Silver, and 10 Bronze, representing 13 different campuses!

You will notice that despite the proliferation of private training schools, College of the North Atlantic students ruled the post secondary competition - employers that speaks directly to the quality of the College's programs!

The winners will go on to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 17th Annual Canadian Skills Competitions in Quebec City in June, 2011 where over 600 of the best and brightest in Canada will gather to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in trades and technologies.

Here’s a list of the College's winners!!

Top Placing Schools

14TH ANNUAL PROVINCIAL SKILLS CANADA

SKILLED TRADE & TECHNOLOGY COMPETITIONS
April 1, 2011

POST-SECONDARY
1st – CNA – Prince Philip Drive Campus
2nd – CNA – Ridge Road Campus
3rd – CNA – Burin Campus

COLLEGE MEDALS

BAKING Gold: Megan Hunt – CNA Prince Philip Drive

HAIRSTYLING
Bronze: Danielle LeMoine – CNA Bay St. George

INDUSTRIAL MECHANIC MILLWRIGHT
Silver: Kyle White – CNA Placentia
Bronze: Denny Yates – CNA Baie Verte

ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN
Gold: Cassandra Roberts – CNA Ridge Road
Silver: Stacey Bussey – CNA Ridge Road
Bronze: Stephanie Farrell – CNA Ridge Road

CARPENTRY
Silver: Brandon Senior – CNA Clarenville
Bronze: Sean Mills – CNA Ridge Road

PLUMBING
Gold: Nicholas Archer-Antonsen – CNA Bonavista

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE
Gold: Adam Parsons – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Silver: Daniel Dolomount – CNA Bay St. George

AUTOBODY REPAIR
Gold: Bernie Fitzgerald – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Silver: Paul Brown – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Bronze: Joey Flynn – CNA Prince Philip Drive

WELDING
Gold: Chris McEvoy – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Silver: Albert Osmond – CNA Port Aux Basques
Bronze: Patrick Spurrell – CNA Corner Brook

MECHANICAL CADD
Silver: Bradley Power – CNA Ridge Road

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Gold: Brandon Sullivan – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Silver: Sarah Dyke – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Bronze: Sarah Norman – CNA Prince Philip Drive

ELECTRONICS
Gold: Stephen Barry – CNA Ridge Road
Silver: Jessica Lowe – CNA Corner Brook

IT NETWORK SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION
Gold: Marc Burton – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Silver: Matthew Colford – CNA Prince Philip Drive

IT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESS
Gold: Tanaya Preziosi – CNA Labrador West
Silver: Tammy Savoury – CNA Port Aux Basques

COOKING
Gold: Nick Kelly – CNA Prince Philip Drive
Silver: Marcus Clarke – CNA – Seal Cove

BRICK MASONRY
Gold: Alex Taylor – CNA Carbonear
Bronze: Michael Sparkes – CNA Burin

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS
Gold: Mike McCarthy – CNA Seal Cove
Bronze: Lucas Bowring – CNA Bonavista

SHEET METAL
Gold: Jamie Strickland – CNA Burin
Silver: Stephanie Murphy – CNA - Burin
Bronze: Andy Butler – CNA Burin

OTHER
Printing – CNA PPD
Refrigeration – CNA - RR
Web Design – CNA – PPD

COLLEGE STUDENTS / APPRENTICES ON TEAM NL TRAVELLING TO QC

BAKING: Megan Hunt – CNA Prince Philip Drive
ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN: Cassandra Roberts – CNA Ridge Road
PLUMBING: Nicholas Archer-Antonsen – CNA Bonavista
AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE: Adam Parsons – CNA Prince Philip Drive
AUTOBODY REPAIR: Bernie Fitzgerald – CNA Prince Philip Drive
WELDING: Chris McEvoy – CNA Prince Philip Drive
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Brandon Sullivan – CNA Prince Philip Drive
ELECTRONICS: Stephen Barry – CNA Ridge Road

IT NETWORK SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION: Marc Burton – CNA Prince Philip Drive
IT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESS: Tanaya Preziosi – CNA Labrador West

COOKING: Nick Kelly – CNA Prince Philip Drive

BRICK MASONRY: Alex Taylor – CNA Carbonear

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS: Mike McCarthy – CNA Seal Cove

SHEET METAL: Jamie Strickland – CNA Burin

TBA
Printing – CNA PPD
Refrigeration – CNA - RR
Web Design – CNA – PPD
Cabinet Making – CNA PAB
Car Painting – CNA PPD
Precision Machining – CNA - Placentia

Campus Totals:

CNA PPD: 10
CNA RR: 3
CNA Bonavista: 1
CNA Lab west: 1
CNA Carbonear: 1
CNA Seal Cove: 1
CNA Burin: 1
CNA PAB: 1
CNA Placentia: 1

WIKIed!

2011-04-01T11:25:00.000-02:30

I’m a sucker for the newest technology and have invested a lot of time and energy in learning as much as I can about the new web applications (Socalled Web 2.0) that allow for what I call “connected learning”. A couple of weeks ago, I went to a conference and at that conference was exposed to WIKI’s. Sure I am familiar with these user editable websites but their application really never sank in until I had an application to use them with/for – the conference provided me that application.

The facilitators at the conference had created a WIKI for the event and I started playing with it….the lights came on and they came on bright! Essentially the wiki will allow me to create a course website that will allow my students to access course information, files, slides, pictures, video etc, etc. It also works in concert with the other applications that I use such as this blog and my course FB site…

I’m only in the early stages yet but I’m learning!!! See it at http://paultilley.wikispaces.com/

The Value of Apprenticeships

2011-03-27T21:08:00.002-02:30

Dale Kirby is part of a new generation of Profs at Memorial. He is an Assistant Professor of Post-Secondary Education Studies, and a blogger. His Blog Adventures in Canadian Post-Secondary Education features some of the latest research into post-secondary education in Canada. His latest post entitled: Building a Case-for-Apprenticeships looks at recent research into the value of apprenticeships in education. As one would suspect, apprenticeships are very valuable! Now all we need to do is get that message to potential students...

Key Research Findings:

Individuals who pursue and complete an apprenticeship

-are more employable, both immediately after graduation and several years post-graduation;

-have better earning potential in the short and longer term; and

-report higher levels of job satisfaction and job security

Here's a direct link to the report Dale referenced: Malatest, R., Rose, A., & McCann, A. (2011). Building a case for pursuing and completing apprenticeship. Canadian Apprenticeship Journal, 4(Spring 2011), 1–17., http://www.caj-jca.ca/index.php/caj-jca/article/download/50/95

The Latest COLLEGE CORNER

2011-03-27T20:58:00.002-02:30

IPAD Feedback Requested

2011-03-25T17:28:00.001-02:30

If you're a student the College wants your help.

The Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) Department has developed a Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS) for all current full-time and part-time CNA students. This is an opportunity for each and every student to provide their feedback on the college in a number of areas including ‘Program Satisfaction’, ‘Learner/College Environment’, ‘Resources, Facilities and Services’, among others. This survey will also act as a student profile, as students will be asked questions surrounding their current lifestyle while attending CNA (e.g., housing information, their future outlook, demographic information, etc.)

The survey will be emailed to all students in their college email accounts on March 21st, and will remain open until April 11th. This is where we are looking for your assistance. We’d like you to arrange a half hour of class/lab time during that 3 week period where instructors can have their students login to their college emails (using the edu/user ID login) and complete the survey. The survey has been tested with a sample of students, and it takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.

The prizes are as follows:
· 1 iPad for a student from the campus with the highest participation rate
· 8 iPod Touch Players
· 10 CNA Sweatshirts
· 20 CNA Hats

Hebron on the Near Horizon

2011-03-24T12:05:00.005-02:30

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Hebron "Suppliers Information Session" here in Clarenville with about 150 other people representing organizations that see opportunity in supplying products and services to the Hebron GBS build taking place 25 minutes east of Clarenville..

Even though the project has been on the books for a while, the buzz is only now ramping up. The Bull Arm site is now being prepared and this summer employment at the site, in St. John's and here in Clarenville will be ramping up. The Site contractors are saying that they will need 2000 skilled trades people and the first batches of these workers - many of which will be our graduates - will be on deck this summer as we head closer to the 2017 date for first oil.

Beyond this project, Exxon Mobil sees an opportunity for Bull Arm to be home to future builds of GBS's designed to operate in rugged northern, ice infested waters.

What an opportunity for people in school now and future students - they need to know the opportunity exists and it is our job to let them know it. (see: http://www.hebronproject.com/)

University inspired them to change the world. College gave them the tools to do it...

2011-03-24T09:47:00.002-02:30

University inspired them to change the world. College gave them the tools to do it....An interesting an thought proving bi-line to an article that appeared in the March 7th Student Issue of Maclean's entitled The College Advantage. This article follows a couple of university graduates - one from Memorial University - who enhanced their post graduate employability by taking a post-diploma program from a College - College of the North Atlantic's Corner Brook's GIS diploma.

This article speaks to the value of the employability skills that students find within the more practically focused college setting. As students demand more out of their post-secondary institutions and as the opportunity cost of staying in school rises, it's good to see that colleges are offering that most valuable outcome of education - the opportunity for a good job that one would enjoy getting up in the morning to do.

See the Article at http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/03/03/the-college-advantage

Listen to Memorial Graduate - CNA Student Reg Flynn interviewed on CBC Corner Brook
http://fb.me/NDxPz6ZE

CNA Clarenville campus - Economic Development Driver for Clarenville? Why Yes!

2011-03-20T09:16:00.001-02:30

After years of not seeing much connection between Clarenville campus and the greater community in terms of cooperating in the economic development of the region, it is refreshing to finally see that beginning to change.

Being "hidden behind the hill" has created a out-of-sight out-of-mind level of collective consciousness around town for Clarenville campus. This has meant the value of the campus to Clarenville (the greater Clarenville region) has neither been recognized nor top of mind for townsfolk and more importantly the Town’s & region’s municipal/provincial leaders.

Over the last few years we have put a tremendous amount of work into changing that, and as we prepare to mark our 50th anniversary in 2014, I think that our past contribution and our future capacity to contribute is finally showing up on the ED radar.

The HORIZONS section to this weekend's Telegram and PACKET has/will have an interesting piece by Kathy Gosse that is proof of that. In the piece (above) Gosse talks with Mayor Best about the positive things going on in Clarenville. One of the items he highlights is the students of the College Campus! A refreshing recognition!

Narrowing the Distance

2011-03-16T22:09:00.001-02:30

This week I am taking part in a conference of 70+ Distance Educators from the College and Regional Economic Development officials from the Dept. of Industry Trade and Rural Development as well as Regional Development Board officials.

There are really two reasons for the conference - primarily our objective is to work towards building strategies and exploring best practices designed to narrow the gap between the classroom experience and the world of Distance learning. Secondarily this conference is proving to be an opportunity for a dispersed group of instructors to get together and talk about their experiences and their achievements in making the DL world a great place for learning.

This evening, after a full day session we met at the campus for a series of workshops - one of which I hosted - Using Social Media as a learning bridge.

I find the premise of this conference quite refreshing. Our focus stretches beyond matters internal to the College. We are instead looking more broadly exploring how we in the College can use these tools to enhance Economic Development initiatives in this Province (and beyond). Brian Tobin, Director of Research for the College, noted in his opening address that the College is making more formalized effort to be a stronger Economic engine for NL - This promises to be a major theme in the soon to be released Strategic Plan of the College. I am a strong advocate for this move - we can do a lot more with the talent that we have in the offices, the classrooms and in the distance world.

This conference is an engine tune-up - now let's stomp on the gas!

The Ignition of Competition

2011-03-15T20:02:00.004-02:30

WOW - it was an exciting weekend in Halifax! ACE/SIFE Regional Competitions. 10 CNA Clarenville students and 2 faculty represented us at the event - and they did us proud!

During the two-day competition, our team joined with post-secondary students from other Atlantic schools to compete for the prestigious regional champion titles by showcasing their community outreach projects and business ventures to live judging panels composed of industry professionals. Regional champions will now move on to the national level of competition, taking place from May 9-11, at the 2011 ACE National Exposition in Toronto, Ontario.

Despite three fantastic presentations our team had formidable competitors and came away without any awards this time - however winning was just icing on a delicious cake and on Monday morning, here at the campus the cake was sliced by giddy - excited - pumped - and proud faces of not only the teams but the entire campus - they were fantastic ambassadors and we thank them for their fantastic effort.

Of the 7 categories of competition 5 were won by NL based teams - Collectively our NL teams are a force to be reckoned with!

See related stories:
CNA - CNA SIFE teams excel at regional competition
MUN- SIFE Memorial claims top victory in Atlantic Canadian championship

2011 TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge

• St. Francis Xavier University

• Memorial University of Newfoundland

2011 Scotiabank & SIFE Go Green Challenge

• Acadia University

• Memorial University of Newfoundland

2011 SIFE Financial Education Challenge

• Memorial University of Newfoundland

• College of the North Atlantic – Grand Falls-Windsor

2011 Student Entrepreneur Competition

• Mike Wahl, Co-owner of Definitions Wellness Safety Services and a PhD student at Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Remi Boudreau, Owner of Remi Boudreau-Magician/Illusionist and full-time student at Université de Moncton

SIFE C’ville's Business Advisory Board Meeting

2011-03-08T12:44:00.007-03:30

SIFE Clarenville is a small but strong team. SIFE is part of ACE Canada, a national, charitable organization that is teaching and igniting young Canadians to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities. Our team is one of over 55 post-secondary campus based teams Canada.

This past week SIFE Clarenville busily prepared for the SIFE Regional competition hosted in Halifax. 10 students and 2 faculty were set to compete in three themed competitions - the TD sponsored SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge, the Scotiabank & SIFE Go Green Challenge and the SIFE Financial Education Challenge.

To hone the presentations our team first presented to our SIFE Clarenville Business Advisor Board - a group of professionals who assist our team in generating ideas, building contacts and providing feedback. On Tuesday the BAB were wowed with IT's ALL WHITE HERE - our Entrepreneurship entry that showcased the teams work with local business to develop and produce video blogs highlighting the things that Clarenville had to offer in the winter; with the ENERGY CHALLENGE - our Go Green entry that highlighted the teams partnership with local schools, the Town and Newfoundland Power to promote energy awareness; and with MONEY MATTERs - our Financial Education entry that partnered with local schools and the campus to promote financial literacy.

Our team took the BAB's suggestions and head off to the competition well armed to win!

College Research

2011-03-08T12:43:00.003-03:30

Earlier this week we had a presentation by the College's Office of Applied Research. This office was established just a few years ago to "enhance the economic prosperity of the province by coordinating its strengths with that of the private and public sector through partnerships."

I feel that it is important for the College to act as an Economic Development engine for Newfoundland and Labrador - especially rural parts of the province. By design the OAR leverages expertise at the campuses with the local business community. This is a great concept but one that we do not promote nearly enough - within the College and outside of the College. Fortunately this latest effort is on the right track. OAR has presented or is presenting at all of the campuses and with interested groups in the communities we serve. I still feel the greater communication is from the many mouths and minds of the College - the more we on the inside know about OAR the better we can tell the people in the community that we deal with each day.

SIFE: ENERGY CONSERVATION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

2011-03-08T07:21:00.002-03:30

IT'S ALL WHITE HERE - Triple Bay Eagles

2011-03-05T18:34:00.002-03:30

IT'S ALL WHITE HERE - Night Life

2011-03-03T22:45:00.001-03:30

HERE's the Latest in IT's ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE:

So - Skiing is over for the day, the snowmobile is parked, classes are done, and you're looking for a place to relax. Sife's Tiffany Ellis interviews WEST SIDE CHARLIE's manager Chad Spencer about their nightime offerings for you...

Partnership Awareness Day

2011-03-03T21:30:00.002-03:30

Over thirty people, most from the Clarenville business community came to the campus for breakfast this morning. As College partners these organizations hire, host and work with our students. Their contribution to their overall educational experience is invaluable.

Thanks partners!

Click the photo to access the photo gallery

Ralph Mercer - Clarenville Business Hall of Fame

2011-02-25T13:56:00.003-03:30

And the Winners are....

2011-02-24T16:23:00.003-03:30

Balbo School’s Julian Simo’s “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Energy

Clarenville Middle School’s Cassandra Snow’s “Go Green”

The Energy Conservation Challenge Winners Announced

February 28, 2011

In November, The Town of Clarenville with other communities across Newfoundland and Labrador signed on to Newfoundland Power’s/Newfoundland Hydro’s Community Energy Conservation Challenge. The Challenge involved Town’s committing to ensure that they would be more energy wise. SIFE Clarenville saw an opportunity in this Challenge to partner with the Town of Clarenville, NL Power and Clarenville schools to work towards the goal of reduced energy consumption. Our SIFE team used a two pronged approach to doing this. First we designed and developed a campaign to raise energy awareness and we visited schools and worked with grade 5 students teaching energy awareness topics. This project has been quite successful and is still ongoing. Second, we worked with our partners to develop and sponsor an Energy and Environment Art Contest for students in grades 4-6 during the month of January.

The Art Contest has just been concluded. We received over 100 pieces of artwork all with the theme of “energy conservation”. These works of art have been placed on public display in the Clarenville Event’s Centre. A panel of judges representing the Town, NL Power, The Packet and Ms. Bungay’s high school Art Club students judged the entries and a winner from each school was selected. Julian Simo’s “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Energy was judged the winner from Balbo School and Cassandra Snow’s “Go Green!” was judged the winner from Clarenville Middle School. Each winner received a prize package from the project partners and each winner’s class won a pizza party sponsored by the Town.

SIFE Clarenville, with our partners would like to thank the students and their teachers for their enthusiastic response to this project and we look forward to repeating such an effort in the future.

A Hammer and a Rule

2011-02-24T16:11:00.002-03:30

IT's All White Here In Clarenville - Winter Carnival Concludes

2011-02-22T10:28:00.000-03:30

IT'S ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE!

2011-02-18T18:52:00.001-03:30

This is our latest installment of It's ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE:

On SNOW DAYS...

2011-02-16T08:37:00.004-03:30

FEB. 15 - 29 Years Later...

2011-02-15T08:36:00.002-03:30

It's a snowy, stormy, morning - very similar to 29 years ago today when we found out that the Drill Rig Ocean Ranger had sunk while working on the then newly discovered Hibernia oil field. 84 young lives were lost that morning and NL has never been the same since. It is true that oil has brought new opportunity to a new generation however it has come at a cost that should never be forgotten. We learn from our mistakes - in light of the recently release of the TSB into the Cougar Helicopter crash we often question, How much?

Ron Hynes captured it best...

It's All White Here Continues Into Winter Carnival Week

2011-02-14T17:53:00.002-03:30

The IT's ALL WHITE HERE campaign is now well underway with additional videos being worked on for every, or every other day of Winter Carnival.

These Video-blogs are being placed on The Clarenville Facebook Page www.facebook.com/clarenville . Both Facebook and Youtube allows us to measure exposures - thereby allowing our team to measure message impact.

Here are the latest offerings:
Winter Carnival at Lakeside

Winter Carnival Fireworks

Announcing Winter Carnival

2011-02-11T16:10:00.000-03:30

On Success - LPN's score 100%!

2011-02-10T21:09:00.003-03:30

In December, Clarenville campus graduated 22 students of its first licensed Practical Nursing class. Of course that was an important milestone in the student's educational journey but their biggest challenge - the LPN comprehensive licensing exam was yet to come. Over Christmas and into early January the students prepared. They wrote in January 12th.

Today we learned that ALL of our 22 LPN graduates passed! Each one is now a Licensed Practical Nurse!

Congratulations to the graduates, most of whom are now working as LPN’s with organizations such as Eastern Health. Congratulations as well to the dedicated team of instructors whose knowledge, professionalism, passion and commitment saw the students through.

Potential students should consider this program - the job prospects are great and the educational journey is amazingly rewarding!

Congratulations to you all!

Our IT's ALL WHITE HERE VideoBlogs Continue...

2011-02-10T21:06:00.002-03:30

PITCHING IDEAS

2011-02-08T20:37:00.005-03:30

Memorial University's Distance Education & Learning Technologies department (DELT) just introduced an interesting opportunity for MUN students who have a keen eye for video production and a penchant for thoughtful insight.

DELT has launched a contest called Pitch @ Mmeorial (http://www.today.mun.ca/news.php?news_id=6141) that is open to all Memorial students, daring them to submit their ideas for a 3-5 minute short video illustrating the role technology plays in their current educational experience, and how they envision technology fitting into education in the future.

Based on my experience with our students here at the College, and seeing some of the work that has come out of the Media Arts Centre in Stephenville I think if our students were eligible to enter the competition they would set the standard from which all the other applicants would be judged.

DELT has a beautiful production facility and it is (re)developing significant capacity in video production for the web. This is the future of distance education and we’ll be working to move us there too – I’ll be watching this with great interest.

DELT’s pitch session will take place March 31 in the DELT studio, and will be broadcast live

IT'S ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE - SNOWMOBILING

2011-02-03T22:08:00.008-03:30

This week's installment of IT's ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE deals with snowmobiling in Clarenville. SIFE's Sherry Smith interviews NLSF's Ron Smith about repair work on the IGOR damaged trailway and about opportunities for snowmobiling in the Clarenville Area.

IT's ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE is a project of SIFE Clarenville and is designed to enhance winter awareness for people in and outside of Clarenville. These weekly Video Blogs are posted to the Clarenville Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/clarenville) and each generate between 4 and 5,000 impressions. We are also posting these blogs to youtube.

This installment marks the 5th Video blog in the IT"S ALL WHITE HERE IN CLARENVILLE project. You can click on the titles below to see each installment:

1) Welcome to Blog
2) Curling in Clarenville
3) Winter Carnival in Clarenville
4) White Hills Ski Resort
5) Snowmobiling

Skills Canada - Young Minds & Big Plans

2011-02-03T09:13:00.000-03:30

On Wednesday our campus hosted Skill Canada: Skills Work for Women Conference. Approximately 50 you women from area schools dawned hard hats and were immersed for the day in the Carpentry & Steam/pipefitting trades and Engineering Technology. They also had the opportunity to meet with skilled tradeswomen/technicians and find out more about the opportunities that exist for them in this field.

All reports from the shops and labs were very positive. These young women enjoyed their experience and had the opportunity to speak with other young men and women who no longer see gender as an major factor in career choice. I think that the gender hurdle has been largely overcome by this new generation of students - It is certainly not an issue in our programs. If there is a hurdle it lies in industry and that will certainly fade as this new generation of skilled trades’ people move into the workforce.