With the New Year fast approaching innovative ideas are sure to follow, which is why FastStart DC, along with the Spark Centre, is once again offering its popular Accelerator program for the winter 2016; applications are now being accepted.

The Winter Accelerator is looking for passionate and motivated Durham College students and alumni with an interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants will develop their businesses, meet with industry professionals and participate in seminars and pitch competitions, allowing them to take their innovative ideas and ventures to market faster, while utilizing the professional services of an experienced support team.

All those who are interested and eligible to participate are encouraged to apply before the January 6, 2016 deadline.

For more information on the DC Winter Accelerator, including specific program dates, please visit our webpage.

In recognition of being an exceptional place to work, Durham College (DC) has once again been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2016. This is the sixth consecutive year the college has received this honour.

Home to over 770 full-time employees, some of whom have been part of the college family for over 35 years, DC is proud to be acknowledged for its commitment to its faculty, support and administrative staff. Benefits for full-time employees include skill-building and development, the opportunity to move into various roles throughout the college, investment in education for employees and their families through tuition subsidies, a robust pension plan and maternity and paternity leave top-up payments. These benefits, coupled with a supportive work environment where the focus is on community, has created a highly engaged and motivated employee base, as indicated by an annual one per cent employee turnover rate.  

“We rely on the vast experience and expertise of our employees to help ensure that the student experience comes first,” said Scott Blakey, chief administrative officer, Durham College. “Our employees often tell us that the college is like a family. It is a sentiment that underlies everything we do as we all work together for the betterment of the entire college community.”

Greater Toronto’s Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the greater Toronto area employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Organizations are judged on several categories including physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

For more information, please visit www.canadastop100.com/toronto/.

Durham College (DC) was recently recognized for its contribution to the flourishing farming industry in Durham Region. The second-annual Celebrate Agriculture Gala, hosted by Durham Farm Connections at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club, welcomed community members to gather together in celebration of the region’s agricultural roots.

During the event, DC was awarded the Spirit of Agriculture award that recognizes the contributions of an organization that supports and champions the agriculture industry. Maureen Calhoun, associate dean, School of Science, Engineering & Technology, accepted the award on behalf of the college.

“I am extremely proud of our food and farming team,” said Calhoun. “Several years ago Durham College had a vision to create a school that could embrace a field-to-fork concept, networked with our local agricultural community. Now this concept has become reality at the Centre for Food. This award is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication students and employees put into bringing the field-to-fork vision to life.”

The field-to-fork vision is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of local food. This vison continues to grow at the Centre for Food (CFF), allowing students from DC’s culinary, hospitality and horticulture programs to directly help strengthen the link between the college and the community.

“Students truly experience field-to-fork as they see the product they’ve grown in the fields and greenhouse served at Bistro ’67, the college’s teaching-inspired restaurant located in the Centre for Food,” said Calhoun.

Durham College (DC) has signed a five-year contract with Agriteam Consulting Ltd, to work with Vietnam’s Hau Giang Community College (HGCC) to develop a technical vocational program in the sector of post-harvest production. Funded by the Government of Canada, the partnership sees DC’s School of Science & Engineering Technology and Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment (CAFÉ) working with HGCC to share its expertise with programs in the areas of food and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and food sciences.

Four high-level officials from HGCC recently travelled from Hau Giang Province, Vietnam on a one-week study tour to observe DC’s facilities and gain a deeper understanding of DC’s post-harvest programs and best practices in curriculum development.

“It was an honour to host the rector, vice-rector and dean from HGCC,” said Mark Herringer, executive director, International Education. We’re looking forward to many more opportunities for both institutions to work together as DC shares its experiences combining the areas of science and technology with post-harvest production. As we’ve discovered, when you bring together multiple disciplines it leads to innovative solutions that help our partners, employees, students and wider community flourish.”

In addition to working with HGCC to address its specific needs, the project team will also be lending its expertise to assist in developing a new program model that can be adapted for use at the national level in Vietnam. Two other Canadian colleges are also taking part in the project, having partnered with additional Vietnamese institutions. Work will be ongoing until September 2019.

Durham College (DC) alumna Debbie Low has been honoured on the provincial stage for her passion for sports and dedication to empowering Canadians who live with a disability. The 1985 graduate from DC’s Sports Administration program was announced as the recipient of a Premier’s Award on Monday, November 16 at a gala celebrating outstanding graduates from the Ontario college system. 

“I am incredibly touched and honoured to not only be nominated but to also receive the Premier’s Award for community services,” said Low, who was awarded the honour in the community services category. “Attending the Sports Administration program at DC was one of the most important decisions I made in setting me on the career path to where I am today. My full-year placement and the mentorship and coaching I received from the faculty gave me the skills and confidence I needed to succeed in the very competitive sporting industry; an industry that has also given me the opportunity to give back to the local community and champion the rights of athletes with disabilities so they too can achieve their dreams.”

Helping individuals with disabilities inspired Low to make a significant impact in the athletic community and helped her stand out amongst other provincial nominees. Since graduating from DC, she has implemented numerous programs, along with developing the operational plan for Canada’s team at the 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Games. Over the past 10 years, she has remained a leader in the sports industry as CEO of the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario (CSIO), as well as serving on committees and boards for many not-for-profit organizations that support the success of athletes with a disability.

“It was truly an honour to be present when Debbie received recognition for her career success before a crowd of some of the most influential leaders in Ontario, said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “The entire college community is very proud of her. She is an excellent role model for our students and our more than 73,000 alumni.”

Low was one of 116 college graduates nominated for this year’s awards, including two others from DC, and is the fifth alumni from DC to win a Premier’s Award. Each year the Premier’s Awards are presented to acknowledge the social and economic contributions that college graduates make to the province and throughout the world. Chosen from nominations submitted by Ontario’s 24 colleges, the award recipients have demonstrated outstanding career success related to their college experience and have made a significant contribution to their community.

For more information about the DC alumni community please visit www.websiteredesign.durhamcollege.ca/alumni.