ACC thanks Neepawa for being 'warm and welcoming'.

Details

Published on Thursday, February 12, 2015

L to R: Lisa Huston, ACC manager of recruitment and career services, "Caccey" of the ACC Cougars and ACC president Mark Frison

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner

Administration with Assiniboine Community College are very pleased with the local response from ACC Day in Neepawa. A series of events, featuring teachers, administration and students from the college, were held across the community on Wednesday, Feb. 4, as a means of engaging with outlying communities throughout the Westman region. Previous ACC Days have been held in Virden and Dauphin, where the college has a full-time campus. 

ACC alumni relations co-ordinator Erin Lambert said the wide array of activities they hosted in Neepawa were very well received.

“We felt it was very successful. There were a lot of positive comments from people across the community,” said Lambert. “Participating in this type of rural engagement is a great way to extend our reach and something that we definitely want to continue.”

The day started with ACC president Mark Frison and other college staff serving up coffee at Tim Hortons and concluded with the school’s sponsorship of the evening MJHL game between the Neepawa Natives and the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Frison said they like to involve themselves in a variety of community activities. 

“That variety gets us lots of exposure,” said Frison. “About three quarters of new jobs are going to require post secondary education, yet in Manitoba only about half of us go. Our community visits make people aware of options available in post secondary education, so they can connect with the labor market out there.”

Grade 10 and 11 students at Neepawa Area Collegiate Institute also attended a variety of information stations set up in the gym and staffed by ACC instructors and students. The courses  promoted included the School of Technology, Interactive Media Arts, School of Business, Horticultural Production, Land and Water Management, Early Childhood Education, Police Studies and Heavy Duty Equipment from the Trades program. Lambert noted this interaction with youth was one of the most important parts of the day.

“Getting information out to the students was fantastic. The youth were very interested in talking with us and were engaged and interactive with the demonstrations we arranged for our programs,” said Lambert. “Overall, Neepawa proved to be really warm and welcoming to us. This is the type of project that (ACC) as a collective, be it teachers, administration or students always enjoy being involved with.”

A similar ACC Day is scheduled for Portage la Prairie on Friday, Feb. 20.

– Additional quotes aquired by John Drinkwater