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DC students test their skills and collaborate in emergency simulation

On February 29, 195 Durham College (DC) students, faculty and industry partners collaborated on an intense, large-scale emergency simulation exercise at the Oshawa campus that let students put their classroom and lab training into action.

Bringing together participants from the schools of Justice & Emergency Services, Health & Community Services and Media, Art & Design, as well as peers from Ontario Tech University’s nursing program, the exercise followed a detailed script that saw volunteers simulate a mass-casualty emergency stemming from a sports-racing situation.

Unfolding in real-time, the exercise provided students with valuable experiential learning as well as a better understanding of how members of emergency services, health and social services, legal services and the media work together during an emergency. A second simulation exercise focused on mock legal proceedings in connection with the emergency will be held Saturday, March 7.

Students from the following DC programs participated:

DC students win silver at national marketing competition

Students from the Durham College’s (DC) Marketing – Business Administration program successfully competed at the 2020 Scotiabank Vanier College National Marketing Case Competition, placing second and taking home silver.

Facing off against 25 teams from across Canada, the DC students emerged victorious following several intense three-hour rounds of competition, where real-world marketing challenges were presented and competitors were required to develop and present their creative solutions. Teams were assessed on the value and practically of those solutions and the quality of their presentations.

Using skills developed and honed in the classroom, the DC students responded to the challenges by identifying new markets to support business expansion for a health supplement company and helping a capital management firm appeal to a younger demographic.

Congratulations goes to second-year students Ryan Ashton and Brendan Scott and third-year students Kaitlyn Brasier and Chin-Ting Sherwin for their stellar performance at the national competition.

DC home to Canada’s first LinkedIn Learning Student Club

Durham College (DC) is home to Canada’s first-ever LinkedIn Learning Student Club. Founded in January 2020, the club is part of the LinkedIn Learning Championship Program.  

The goal of the club, which currently consists of nine students, is to enhance the real-world skills of its members through participation in hands-on projects and collaboration with different departments at DC, while also generating awareness of the LinkedIn Learning online tool.

During weekly meetings, time is spent brainstorming ideas for future workshops and collaborations, as well as discussing challenges, in addition to project work.

As the only LinkedIn Learning Club in Canada, the DC students captured the attention of Jennifer Catallo, senior customer success manager and the leader for LinkedIn Learning Solutions. She met with the founding students during the LinkedIn Learning Championship Orientation and attended their monthly status meeting on February 21.

A formal team structure for the club’s operations is being developed and once in place additional members will be accepted. In the interim, anyone who is interested in joining can sit in on the meetings, which are held every Friday at 3 p.m. in Room A315 at the college’s Oshawa campus.

DC hosts FIBA Americup 2021 qualifier game – the most-attended sporting event on campus in the college’s history

On February 21, 2,500 basketball fans filled Durham College’s (DC) Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC) to watch Canada’s Senior Men’s National team take on the team from the Dominican Republic during the International Basketball Association (FIBA) Americup 2021 Qualifiers, making it the most-attended sporting event on campus in the college’s history.

Originally slated to take place at the Tribute Communities Centre, a last-minute venue change was needed due to unforeseen technical difficulties, and based on Team Canada’s familiarity with the CRWC facilities, FIBA approved the change of location.

Thanks to the efforts of the college’s Athletics, Facilities and Ancillary Services and Parking Services departments, as well as the Office of Campus Safety, the CRWC was prepped and ready to go for the big game with only 24-hours notice.

In the end, those efforts paid off as the Canadian team emerged victorious, with a score of 89-72 over the Dominican Republic.

FastStartDC and Ownr are helping students incorporate their businesses quickly, simply and affordably

FastStartDC is pleased to be collaborating with Ownr to bring student entrepreneurs amazing support and great discounts on the cost of business registration and incorporation in 2020.

Business registration is often a pain point for our FastStartDC students, particularly for those unfamiliar with the required government forms. Registration can be an intimidating, not-so-sexy process and if business incorporation is in a student’s plan, it becomes even more complicated and certainly more expensive.

Thanks to Ownr, registering a business is now simple, quick and affordable for DC student entrepreneurs, allowing them to register their business in a few easy steps and for a fraction of what they would pay a lawyer. A more streamlined registration process means students can relax about this part of their start-up journey and focus their energy on building their business.

Through this new partnership, students who are officially participating in the FastStartDC program will receive a promo code for a $60 discount off Ownr’s business registration and incorporation services.

Visit the partner page.

FastStartDC is proud to have a strong network of partners who are leaders in the entrepreneurial arena to support the success of our student entrepreneurs.

REDress Campus Campaign urges move from awareness to action

Awareness has been achieved; now it is time for action.

This was the dominant message of the REDress Campus Campaign at Durham College (DC), a week-long series of events focused on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S).

Led by the First Peoples Indigenous Centre (FPIC) at DC and Indigenous Education and Cultural Services at Ontario Tech University, the campaign also brought together community partners including the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, Carea Community Health Centre, The Nourish and Develop Foundation and DC Students Inc.

The week began with the reveal of an installation of red dresses across the college and university’s shared Oshawa campus, each dress symbolizing someone taken by the MMIWG2S crisis. In addition to the dress installation, events were held each day from February 10 to 14, culminating with a memorial march and closing ceremony feast on Friday afternoon.

The campaign was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s The REDress Project, an aesthetic response to the MMIWG2S crisis, which is now a permanent exhibit in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Much like Black’s project, the red dresses installed across DC and Ontario Tech’s shared campus, Ontario Tech’s downtown Oshawa location, and DC’s Whitby campus and Pickering Learning Site, served as a visual reminder of the staggering number of MMIWG2S.

The REDress Campus Campaign included an opening ceremony featuring guest speaker Suzanne Smoke of Alderville First Nation, who is a Women’s Traditional Dancer, speaker, and facilitator, as well as an Anishinaabe Water Walker. On February 11, Kim Wheatley, an Anishinaabe Ojibway Grandmother from Shawanaga First Nation spoke about the connection between violence against women and violence against the land that is causing climate change.

On February 12, the First Peoples Indigenous Centre hosted an arts open house where participants could make a tile necklace to both commemorate MMIWG2S and celebrate the strength and future of Indigenous women, and take part in a traditional beading workshop.

One of the many highlights of the week included the special Global Class conversation held on February 13 between Jaime Black and Cree scholar Karyn Recollet. An associate professor with the University of Toronto’s Women & Gender Studies Institute, Professor Recollet brought the original REDress Project to her university’s downtown campus in 2017. The conversation between the women focused on their work in connection with the crisis of MMIWG2S. A group from the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation also provided a big drum performance to open and close the event.

FastStartDC’s Fireside Chats help the campus community cozy up to entrepreneurship

Durham College (DC) students, employees and community members are invited to learn more about entrepreneurship through FastStartDC’s Fireside Chats speaker series. Hosted each month in DC’s 360insights Entrepreneurship Centre, each talk is led by an alumni, industry expert or local business leader, and covers a diverse variety of topics related to self-confidence, team building, financial literacy and social entrepreneurship.

Students will have the opportunity to hear a unique presentation from Elson Yeung on Wednesday, February 19. As a mentor, fashion designer and brand consultant, his talk will dive into managing the art and science of business, and how individuals can balance the use of creativity and data to successfully connect innovation and build business objectives. Elson will also provide students interested in both fashion and business with insight into the entrepreneurial design industry, including how to launch an apparel business or build a brand.

During the next scheduled Fireside Chat on Wednesday, March 18, culture curator Travis Dutka will speak about the act of fostering an engaging, inclusive and collaborative team culture for employees, drawing on his own experience working at 360insights.

For more information on upcoming Fireside Chats, be sure to visit FastStartDC’s Eventbrite page or Facebook page. FastStartDC is an extra-curricular entrepreneurship program. Housed within DC’s 360insights Entrepreneurship Centre in the Centre for Collaborative Education, it offers DC students access to entrepreneurial services and training programs.

Introducing Sage-04: Durham College’s collaboration in Guyana

Durham College (DC), in collaboration with College of the North Atlantic and Mohawk College, was recently awarded one of six Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE-04) calls for proposals.

With this contract, DC will support two schools in Guyana: New Amsterdam Technical Institute and Bina Hill Institute, in developing industry-responsive and inclusive skills training programs.

SAGE will see more than 1,000 students and beneficiaries trained across a variety of fields, including: water and coastal management, agriculture, construction and eco-tourism. The ultimate goal of SAGE-04 is to develop an inclusive academic program within the renewable energy sector.

This five-year initiative, funded by Global Affairs Canada and administered by CICan, will also support Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada’s commitment to empower girls and women worldwide.

For more information on SAGE-04 and other International Education office initiatives, visit www.websiteredesign.durhamcollege.ca/international.

Durham College launches Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation

Durham College (DC) is responding to the ever-changing and complex threat landscape of cyberattacks, including data breaches and service disruptions and misdirections, with the launch of the Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation. The launch of the college’s fourth applied research centre was announced at an event this morning.

“Cybersecurity is an increasingly significant risk to business, no matter what size or scale, and very few are prepared to respond or equipped with the proactive knowledge of how to protect themselves,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “The Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation is our solution for business and industry to help build capacity and the systems they need to protect their interests.”

The centre is designed to be a collaborative enterprise between DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), Centre for Professional and Part-time Learning and School of Business, IT & Management.

Services will include:

  • Applied research in cybersecurity with acute focus on technologies for cyber range deployments, threat intelligence, anomaly detection and incident management.
  • Micro-credentials that provide training in industry-accredited programs at various levels. These flexible part-time programs and courses will appeal to individuals seeking development opportunities to advance or change their careers.
  • A Cybersecurity graduate certificate program that prepares aspiring cybersecurity professionals to work in the industry.
  • Conferences and seminars held in collaboration with corporate partners and high-profile industry experts to increase public awareness.

A number of industry leaders attended the launch event and participated in a panel discussion, speaking to the need for the Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation and the positive impact it will have on their industry. Speakers included:

  • Farooq Naiyer, chief information security officer, ORION
  • Ishwinder Cheema, manager, Technical Account Management, Zscaler
  • Jeff Dawley, founder, Cybersecurity Compliance Corp
  • Ted de Vos, president, SIMNET
  • Heather Ricciuto, Academic Outreach Leader, IBM Security

“With ORSIE celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2020, I can think of no better way to kick off this milestone year than with the launch of DC’s fourth applied research centre,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, ORSIE. “DC is an established leader in innovative applied research and the Centre for Cybersecurity Innovation is a natural complement to our AI Hub, Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation and Mixed Reality Capture Studio.”

“The college’s applied research centres embody the vision of our extraordinary employees,” said Lovisa. “It is through their expertise and dedication that DC is leading the way in supporting, transforming and advancing economic prosperity in Durham Region and beyond.”

For more information visit www.websiteredesign.durhamcollege.ca/CentreForCybersecurityInnovation.

Two weeks of career-focused activities and job fairs help students gear up to get hired

As convocation nears, Durham College (DC) students are preparing to launch their careers. To assist them in their journey from campus to career, DC’s Career Development office organized two weeks of career-focused fun at the college’s Gear Up to Get Hired events and connected more than 2,000 students with employers at two Winter Job Fairs earlier this month.

Taking place from January 29 to February 6, students had access to job fairs at the college’s Oshawa and Whitby campuses, as well as various workshops and sessions, including how to create a personal pitch, resumé writing techniques, job fair success strategies, using LinkedIn and more.

This year, the annual day-long Job Fair at the Oshawa campus brought in 77 potential employers for students and alumni to meet, including those currently hiring for full-time, part-time, co-op, summer and seasonal work. Held on February 4 in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre, organizations represented a mix of economic sectors, including business, community services, manufacturing, skilled trades, information technology, engineering, health care, hospitality and justice. Students also had access to the Ten Thousand Coffees mentoring lounge, where alumni offered career advice and networking practice.

Prior to the Whitby campus Job Fair on February 6, students had the opportunity to attend DC Talks: Alumni Series to hear from two recent grads who have found success in their field, and a Women in Trades panel discussion. During the fair, which brought in 40 employers, students connected with businesses specifically recruiting for positions related to programs operating out of the Whitby campus, such as skilled trades, hospitality, administration and more.

DC’s Career Development office provides support for all things career-related at the college. The Career Development team offers a range of services including support for career exploration, resumé building and cover letter writing, interviewing skills and job search strategies.

For more information visit www.websiteredesign.durhamcollege.ca/careerdevelopment.