Author: Claudia Deme

Tuesday, January 30, 2018: Claudia, high-heels are not appropriate for the welding floor. Oops. I had the great pleasure of being shown around the welding shop at the Nova Career Centre by teachers Brian Burton and Wei Jun Shang.  Students in the Welding and Fitting program learn how to weld using MIG and TIG and are prepared to pass the practical welding certification examination conducted by the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB).  While I was there, students were busily welding in the booths, and working on test plates.  The noise level was overwhelming but it was amazing to see the camaraderie between the students and the teachers. Nova is looking forward to hosting the upcoming regional skills olympiade in welding and has been working hard at getting the area prepared.  Murals…

Tuesday, January 30, 2018: As everyone knows, healthcare providers are the backbone of any society. People turn to them in times when they are most vulnerable. So imagine how in awe I was to be visiting the Health Care Centre of Expertise, housed at the Pearson Adult and Career Centre. I was shown around by teachers Linda Norris and Gina Colucci.  I was very impressed by the size of the installations there, as well as with the simulation mannequins which they use.  It is so cool that students can learn invasive techniques on these!  Also as part of my visit, I saw the home-care lab which is basically an apartment set up right in the school.  Students here have to learn how such things like how to move clients who…

Monday, January 29, 2018: So many machines! Visiting the Eastern Townships is always a pleasure, especially when it's to see the Maintenance Mechanics Centre of Expertise at the Campus Brome-Mississquoi centre.  I was shown around the centre by teacher Ghislain Gravel, who explained all the skills which the students learn while in the program.  We were surrounded by hundreds of machines which students learn to not only maintain, but also how to install.  Some of the machines on the shop floor had been put together by groups of students right out of the box! My visit here was really eye-opening.  Often, we think that students studying a trade such as this, will only be able to find work in large industries.  But, as Ghislain pointed out, the skills the students learn…

On Friday, January 26, 2018, I was invited to visit the Communications/Document Centre of Expertise which is housed at the Rosemount Technology Centre.  The Centre is made up of the Digital Layout & Printing and Computer Graphics programs. I was shown around the massive printing studios by teacher Tony Leone.  Here I saw more varieties of large-scale printers than I ever thought imaginable.  The machines at the Centre allow students to create, from idea to inception, various print items from posters, banners to boxes, clothing and even commercial signs. As part of my visit, I also met with Mark Curiale who heads the popular Computer Graphics program and had a great discussion about the Centre of Expertise. It was so cool to see this Centre - I really had no idea of…

Thursday, January 25, 2018:  The way to a (hu)man's heart is through their stomach.  Too right! I was very excited to be visiting the Food Services CEN not only because of the meal I knew I would be enjoying, but because, as everyone knows, there is something very familiar and comforting about being in a kitchen.  Well, these were not your grandma's kitchen let me tell you.  I was shown around the Centre, which is housed at the Pearson Adult and Career Centre, by teacher Denise Giguère.  There I was welcomed into their huge restaurant-grade kitchens, where students were hard at work prepping the lunch meal, to be served in their restaurant (yes, the operate a small restaurant!) and where others were working on various dishes, and even one student was…

On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, it was with so much excitement that I  visited the Beauty Care Centre of Expertise.  This Centre includes Hairdressing and Aesthetics and is housed at the Laurier MacDonald Vocational Centre. My hosts for the visits were Elizabeth Cacchione, Amanda Lepore and Sabrina Bergamin.  The three teachers graciously showed me around their centre and were even kind enough to give me a sneak peek at the new Aesthetics classroom, which hasn't even been used by students yet.  All around me, students were hairdressing, doing manicures and in theory class.  The feeling of stepping into a spa is immediate while still being clearly a learning environment.   Indeed clients are welcome to the centre for services, and part of the students' learning revolves around customer service in various…

On Monday, January 22, 2018, I had the great pleasure of visiting the Pont-Viau Competency Development Centre, which is home to the Computer Technology and Tourism Centres of Expertise.  I began the day by meeting with Maan Abou Hatab who has been teaching in the Computing Support program at the Centre for 15 years.  Maan described the work that the students undertake while in the program which includes learning the intricacies of computer components and even includes touching upon networking trouble-shooting. Students in the program also learn how to deal with issues which arise not only on Windows-based computers, but also on Apple computers and on Linux ones.   I was very impressed to find out that the computers in the lab where we were meeting had all been put together by…

January 16, 2018:  "Claudia, do you want the pink hardhat?"  You know I did! I was very excited to be visiting the Buildings and Public Works (Carpentry) Centre of Expertise, where my host was John Hodges, head of the Carpentry department at the New Frontiers School Board.  The BPW CE is housed at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre and the NFSB's Carpentry program currently has about 80 students enrolled. As part of my visit, John gave me an extensive tour of the facility.  To accommodate the program's growth, the Centre has undergone massive changes in the past decade, with additions such as classrooms, work spaces and equipment.  While I was there, I was able to see a new student cohort working in the shop, and a more experienced group performing their exam, which…

On Monday, January 15, I had the pleasure of visiting the Arts (Interior Decorating and Visual Display) CE, which is housed at the Sources Adult and Career Centre (LBPSB).  There is an immediate sense of happiness upon entering the centre, created by the visual displays lining the halls.  At the time of my visit, the centre was still decorated for the holidays, and the joyfulness of these displays was wonderful.  It is important to note that all of the displays have been created by the students, from conception to execution. My visit was led by Hania El Waraky, a teacher in the program and the CE lead.  Hania showed me around the centre, where I was able to see the various classrooms.  These include rooms with specially-made drafting tables, a room…

Wow!  What a great first CEN visit! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of launching my CEN tour at the Motorized Equipment Maintenance Centre of Expertise which is housed at the New Frontiers School Board's Nova Career Centre.  I was invited to join a departmental meeting, led by Department Head, Mr. Derek Stacey.  While there, I had the chance to discuss with the members of the NFSB's Auto Department about their preoccupations in terms of being the Centre of Expertise in MEM. To provide a bit of interesting context, the Auto Department at Nova has been the Centre of Expertise in Motorized Equipment Maintenance since the Network's inception in 2009.  The department boasts a current enrollment of 82 students, and has 10 instructors teaching these in both day and evening courses.  Graduates are…