College co-hosts ACCC Conference
5/21/2002 2:57:13 PM
By Tanya Alexander
May 21, 2002 - College of the North Atlantic and the Marine Institute will co-host the 2002 Association of Canadian Community Colleges' annual conference in St. John's May 26-28.
The conference’s theme is Making Waves: Colleges, Skills and the Economy, and it provides an opportunity for the 1,000 or so staff, students and administrators from Canada's colleges who are expected to attend, to share information about current developments in educational issues and to determine future directions for the ACCC.
Conference Chair Pamela Walsh, President of College of the North Atlantic, says the theme of the conference reflects the pivotal and proactive role that Canada’s colleges, institutes, cégeps and university colleges play in preparing individuals for participation in the workforce.
“Given that a determining factor in a nation’s competitiveness is the quality of its workforce, the ability and capacity of our institutions to respond will continue to impact on our country’s prosperity,” says Ms. Walsh.
“A national skills agenda, including the provision of skilled trades and technology training for new workforce entrants, skills upgrading of the current workforce, and mechanisms for basic skills and employability skills development is essential.”
The conference hosts an exceptional panel of speakers, including Dr. Thomas “Tad” Homer-Dixon, the author of The Ingenuity Gap – winner of the 2001 Governor General’s Award for non-fiction. Dr. Homer-Dixon is the Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and was an occasional consultant to Al Gore during his Vice Presidency of the United States.
Ron Crocker - Regional Director of CBC Television Atlantic, Claire M. Morris - Deputy Minister of Human Resources Development Canada, and David R. Rathbun - Chief Human Resources Officer for Aliant Inc. round off the intriguing panel of guests. The conference also offers networking sessions and industry exhibits, and delegates will be treated to live music and traditional Newfoundland cuisine. Pre-conference sessions are also available at an extra cost.
Conference registration will take place on Saturday, May 25 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Delta Hotel in St. John's, and will continue on Sunday, May 26 from 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
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To obtain media accreditation or receive further information on the ACCC conference contact:
Stephen Lee
Communications Chair
(709) 649-2010 (cell phone)