The following is a list of CON*NECT clients and contracts. These examples demonstrate the capabilities of CON*NECT and the colleges to:
Coordinate consistent province-wide delivery of training
Provide video conferencing to large numbers of people at multiple sites
Deliver training at colleges in Canada, outside Ontario
Conduct labour market needs assessment
Develop curriculum, standards, and tests
Coordinate province wide testing
Modify post-secondary curriculum in response to changes in the workplace
This is a joint contract between one Ontario College, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers for the development and delivery of training for employees in high-speed mail sorting plants. Training has been delivered in the Greater Toronto Area and at several locations across Canada.
Nearly 7,500 Ontario lawyers and their staff have discovered the benefits of accessing professional development opportunities by satellite in their own communities. Using the college satellite videoconferencing network as downlink facilities, CON*NECT has coordinated 4 videoconferences for the Canadian Bar Association - Ontario and the Law Society of Upper Canada. The colleges participated in programs introducing New Child Support Guidelines, and in others that focused on Title Insurance, Electronic Land Registration and issues in Elder Law.
This association with the colleges is enthusiastically endorsed by The Canadian Bar Association Ontario and the Law Society as an efficient and cost-effective means of providing professional development opportunities to their constituents. They have publicly championed CON*NECT for its role in ensuring a seamless entry to an extraordinary range of college services including registration/reception, facility and equipment rental, technical expertise, and catering services.
CON*NECT assisted the City of Toronto in developing and delivering training related to a new taxi driver licensing initiative. Centennial College was awarded a three-year contract for 3 training components: development and delivery of training to support the introduction of a new elite taxi license; development and delivery of an annual training program for the owners of current taxi licenses; and development and delivery of an annual training program for taxi drivers.
COCA partnered with CON*NECT to deliver six courses that the Council developed with funding from the Strategic Skills Investment Fund. CON*NECT developed a marketing plan to promote the six courses that are offered at various colleges throughout the province.
CON*NECT coordinated delivery of diesel engine diagnostic and repair training at four colleges. The training involved several engine types and consisted of classroom and shop training
Land Forces Central Area worked with CON*NECT to establish a unique "dual certification" program integrating a two-year postsecondary auto technician program with DND's Vehicle Mechanic training. Candidates who successfully completed the program earned both college diploma and military qualifications.
The IBAO uses colleges as delivery sites for their continuing education workshops throughout Ontario. CON*NECT is coordinating delivery and logistics at 15 college sites.
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Working with the Lawyers Professional Indemnity Company (LPIC), CON*NECT coordinated delivery of TitlePLUS, a specialized software program supporting computerized title searching. Nineteen colleges in 20 different locations delivered 244 workshops across the province, during a six-month period. More than 4,000 lawyers and their professional staff participated in the workshops.
As a follow-up to the training, CON*NECT worked with LPIC to coordinate integration of TitlePLUS training into post-secondary legal programs offered by the colleges. To prepare for this addition to their curriculum, faculty members from various colleges attend "Train the Trainer" sessions taught by LPIC.
CON*NECT conducted a one-year study into workforce development and training needs in four of Ontario's growth industries-the software sector, automotive parts manufacturing, food retail and wholesale, and the transportation sector. The study was sponsored by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and funded by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. CON*NECT played a key role in coordinating the project, including hiring project staff, contributing professional direction, staff time and administrative assistance; initiating and facilitating relationships with sector and industry partners; documenting training implications for the college system as a whole; disseminating findings widely across colleges, industry, and government; and recommending solutions to identified training needs.
The colleges assisted the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Labour with a major downsizing initiative. The project involved design and delivery of 39 three-day workshops in resumé writing, interviewing skills and other job search strategies in 35 communities across the province. Thirteen colleges were involved in the program, which demonstrated the college system's capability to respond quickly and effectively to training needs and to co-ordinate delivery province-wide
CON*NECT and the colleges have been involved in the Ministry of the Environment's pollution control program -- Drive Clean since its inception. CON*NECT co-ordinated the one-time Drive Clean Challenge exam involving 1,400 automotive technicians at five colleges. CON*NECT co-ordinated examination logistics, marked the examinations, and notified participants of their results. Several colleges provide Drive Clean training.
CON*NECT spearheaded a study of Information and Communications Technology skills and training needs in Ontario's corporate sector, collecting data from companies in the manufacturing, service, high tech, and retail and wholesale trade sectors. Participating companies represented a total Ontario workforce exceeding 116,000. The study confirmed that the college system is an established ICT training provider for the corporate sector; identified a potential college market in specific software applications training, computer literacy and Internet skills; and created an opportunity for specific sector/company follow-up with respect to ways in which CON*NECT and the college system can specifically meet corporate ICT training needs. Funding was provided by MTCU.
Announced in the May 2000 budget, the Apprenticeship Innovation Fund provides $5 million annually over three years to support the expansion of the apprenticeship training system and will help maintain high quality and consistent standards for training. CON*NECT facilitated proposals in conjunction with the colleges to develop apprenticeship curriculum standards and exemption tests for a wide variety of trades as well as proposals relating to Journeyperson Updating Training Programs and the Pre-Apprenticeship Training program.
Colleges coordinated the two Apprenticeship Industry Advisory Network Symposiums that have been held.
CON*NECT has an ongoing relationship with the Ontario Aerospace Council (OAC) and has played a significant role in helping to identify training needs, develop curriculum, and obtain funding for curriculum development for employees in the aerospace sector. Training needs assessments conducted by CON*NECT, in partnership with the OAC, led to the development of a formal Aerospace Industry Training Program (AiTP). One hundred and seven Boeing employees graduated from the first class of the AiTP program and were awarded certificates by Humber College in December 2000. Several additional classes have enrolled since.
The OCCR Partnership consists of the Ministries of Economic Development and Trade, Energy Science and Technology, HRDC, Industry Canada, Office for Partnerships for Advanced Skills, and CON*NECT. The partnership was set-up to assist communities to develop conferences/workshops focused on regional economic development. CON*NECT's role is to promote the regional economic development capacity of the colleges.
Coming to a College Near You – A New and Enhanced PEMAC Certification Program!
The Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC) has added three new enhancements to the Maintenance Management Professional Certification Program. These program modifications are the result of a year-long collaborative venture with CON*NECT Strategic Alliances (Colleges of Ontario Network for Education and Training) with the financial assistance of the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities through the Sector Initiatives Fund. Effective September ’06, participants across the country will have access to the new and improved MMP Program that includes the following:
•An e-learning version of Module 1 - Program participants will be able to complete Skills and Techniques Required for World Class Physical Asset Management Practices from the comfort of their home or office, or anywhere they can connect to the Internet. PEMAC subject matter experts collaborated with representatives of the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Toronto on this distance education addition.
•Introduction of PLAR for Modules 2-7 - Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is an innovative approach that enables participants to earn course credits for learning achieved outside the traditional classroom. Successful demonstration of learning through a challenge examination or creation of a portfolio can significantly shorten the time participants need to earn MMP certification. PLAR facilitators at Mohawk College in Hamilton worked with PEMAC subject matter experts to develop specific policies, procedures and guidelines for the MMP program.
•Participant Workbooks for all MMP Modules - Now participants in the MMP program will have the added benefit of easy-to-use course manuals that mirror and enhance class discussions in all 8 modules of the program. The CON*NECT educational development consultant worked with PEMAC representatives on this useful program addition.
For more information on the MMP Program, visit the PEMAC web site at www.pemac.org
CON*NECT established a partnership with Teranet to co-ordinate college-based training to support electronic land registration on a county-by-county basis across Ontario. E-reg is a government initiative that will eventually cover the entire province. Approximately 2,000 legal practitioners including lawyers, law clerks, legal assistants, conveyancers, and legal secretaries, have benefited from this training given at their local colleges.
In partnership with Teranet, CON*NECT has also organized Professional Development sessions for the appropriate faculty members of post-secondary, law-related, college programs. At these sessions, Teranet has provided, and covered the costs of, a full-day of training for college faculty.
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