Pre-Conference Activities

Le Centre Sheraton Montréal Hotel
1201, Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest · Montréal (Québec)

Friday, May 25, 2007

8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Rural and Remote Colleges Symposium (SA.1) - Mont Blanc (Hôtel Europa)

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) invites you to the 7th annual Serving Rural and Remote Community Initiative Symposium in Montréal (Québec).

Colleges and institutes face the daunting challenge of educating more students with fewer resources as a demand-driven economy changes the world of our students and our communities.

A comprehensive program designed for rural and remote colleges and institutes will provide symposium participants with the resources and training to meet the workforce development needs students, communities, employers and employees. In our daily lives, the kind of work we do determines our quality of life - whether we can support our families, pursue our dreams or give the next generation the chance to do the same. At the same time, we are the human capital that provides the economy with its most valuable assets - labour that generates ideas and products, and consumers who create a market for them. Our ingenuity and consumption drive the rural and global economies. As such, the state of the workforce in rural and remote communities is crucial to both our personal well-being and the health of our economy.

The 2007 symposium will focus on practical applications for improving rural and remote college and institute workforce development services. Hands-on sessions will allow participants to interact and network. The program will educate, invigorate and motivate those who are new to workforce development as well as seasoned practitioners.

6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Rural and Remote Colleges Symposium Reception & Dinner - Mont-Blanc (Hôtel Europa)

Saturday, May 26, 2007

09:00 am - 7:00 pm
Registration and Voting Delegate - (Level 2)

08:30 am - 2:00 pm
Rural and Remote Colleges Symposium (SA.1) (cont'd) - Mont-Blanc (Hôtel Europa)
[Joint luncheon with the Aboriginal Network attendees]

09:00 am - 12:00 pm
Institutional Research and Planning Group Meeting (SA.3) - Salon 1 (Level 2)

Please join us for the first meeting of the institutional Research and Planning Affinity Group. This meeting will be of interest to directors, managers and staff responsible for institutional research and planning at colleges and institutes, and will allow for the networking and exchange on research practices and initiatives at the institutional, regional and pan-Canadian levels.

11:00 am - 4:30 pm
Aboriginal Network Meeting (SA.2) - Incognita (Hôtel Europa)
[Joint luncheon with the Rural Symposium attendees]

12:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Building up College/Institute Expertise in International Development Assistance Workshop (SA.4) - Jarry/Joyce (Level A) - CANCELLED

The dynamics of North-South Collaboration in implementing international development assistance projects will be the focus of this workshop. Working with partners from the developing and emerging economies pose a lot of challenges particularly to first time experts and consultants. Cultural sensitivities, different policy environments, and volatile political systems are just a few examples of these challenges specifically for experts with limited international expertise. This workshop will help the participants on how to navigate and succeed in providing their expertise in international development assistance work . Depending on the interest of the participants, a full-blown workshop can be developed and delivered in the summer of 2007 in countries where ACCC have currently implementing projects.

1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
CSPOD Session (SA.5) - Hémon (Level A)

Engaging Employees in Creating Your Organization’s Future: The Strategic Role of Training and Development

Bob Cox, George Brown College
Dominique Giguere, Seneca College
Claudine Lowry, Nova Scotia Community College
Lori Stuber, Red Deer College
Adam Caron, The Institute for the Advancement of Teaching in Higher Education

All organizational leaders dream of having engaged and enthusiastic employees who champion change and align their efforts with the organization’s strategic directions.

This session focuses on how training and development departments can take a lead role in engaging employees in their own learning, helping them to align themselves with the strategic directions of their organizations and enhancing their capacities to serve learners and communities. Staff and Organizational Development departments in postsecondary institutions were once seen as planners and providers of activities that were reactive to employee needs but often were not integrally linked to the mission and operation of the organization. The new role for training and development requires staff and organizational developers to be engaged in promoting, designing and assessing learning initiatives that support and are measured against the strategic mission of the organization.

Come meet and share your ideas with the new breed of Staff and Organizational Developers.