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Early in February, Alex Geoffrion got the news she had been hoping for wrapped in a big green envelope with the words “We hope you’re sitting down” printed on the outside.
The 17-year-old had been accepted into the heritage and traditional masonry course at the Perth campus of Algonquin College. Graduates have worked on the Parliament Buildings, museums and hundreds of other historic buildings, not just in Canada but all over the world.
“You’re in! We’re thrilled to have you. Find out what’s next,” said the package with Geoffrion’s acceptance letter. She went out and bought an Algonquin sweatshirt.
Last week, Geoffrion, got news that left her stone cold.
“Unfortunately, we have had to suspend this program for the upcoming term for new students,” said an email from Algonquin, which went on to suggest four other construction-related courses. Geoffrion, a Grade 12 student at St. Joseph High School in Barrhaven, wasn’t interested in any of them.
“I don’t want to work at a desk,” she said. “I always liked building stuff. I was looking forward to it so much.”
While the heritage masonry program prepares apprentices to do bread-and-butter work like laying bricks, it can also teach workers to be heritage conservators. Among other projects, Algonquin students have worked with Parks Canada on repointing and rebuilding a stone battlement at the Prince of Wales Fort in Churchill, Man., built between 1731 and 1771 to protect fur trading interests.
Geoffrion was excited about the possibility of getting involved in that kind of project.
Her mother, Emese Geoffrion, says Alex knew the program was for her when she attended an open house and a tour of the Perth campus. Her daughter thrives on outdoor work and getting her hands dirty, said Emese. She’s not afraid of heights or picking up heavy objects, and she wasn’t daunted about getting into a male-dominated field. Geoffrion chose her high school courses according to the requirements of the masonry program.
“It’s a bit of a slap in the face,” said Emese.
‘This is the only masonry program in Canada that has a restoration component,” said Pat Kennedy, president of OPSEU 415, the college’s academic bargaining unit. “And there’s 100 per cent placement. Isn’t that what we’re here for? These jobs are there. And these are good-paying jobs.”
About 70 would-be students have been told their programs have been suspended at the Perth campus, which has about 300 students, he said. Two full-time faculty members at the college overall have been affected, and an unknown number of part-time faculty members. Colleges suspend programs rather than cancelling them because it is difficult to reinstate them after they have been cancelled, said Kennedy.
In a letter to the college community, Algonquin president Cheryl Jensen said the decision to suspend programs was not made lightly.
“The viability of programs is something that is examined on an annual basis to be responsive to changing needs in the workforce and changing demographic patterns. In all cases, program performance data are provided each year to all academic departments so that faculty, staff, and administrators can work together to collectively develop remediation plans for programs that are underperforming.”
This has taken place for the past three years for the seven programs, said Jensen. “After remediation efforts failed, these programs faced intake suspension pending further review. While suspended programs are rarely reopened for enrollment, all intake suspensions are discussed at great length as per policy.”
That process continued Thursday with a meeting of the student affairs committee of the college’s board of governors, which was not open to the public.
Student Barron McConnachie works on the ogee arch on the Perth campus in 2014.
Bobby Watt, president of RJW Stonemasons and a member of the Algonquin masonry program advisory board, said the heritage program has had a long run, about 20 years.
“By the same token, maybe it has run its course. Enrolment has been down for the last three years,” said Watt, who trained in Scotland and has worked on a number of restoration projects, including Parliament Hill.
There are a lot of dynamics going on in the business. Students were taking two years out of their lives to take the course, but they weren’t being paid, as are apprentices in some other trades, he said. The next phase of restoration on Parliament Hill on the Centre Block won’t start until 2020.
“There are enough people in Ottawa to do the job. It’s the same in Hamilton and Toronto.”
Shannon Baillon, director of community services for the Town of Perth, hopes that suspending the masonry program is only temporary. Many but not all of the masons who have worked on heritage restoration projects in the historic town have come from the Algonquin program.
“There’s no question that we need that expertise,” she said. “We still have a lot of contacts and a lot of people still live in town. They have a passion for stone.”
Algonquin is under a great deal of pressure because of Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, which requires workplaces to pay part-time, temporary and seasonal workers equal to full-time employees performing substantially the same work for the same employer. The college has estimated that the requirements will add up to $25 million in additional annual costs.
“Bill 148 is affecting the municipal world, as well,” she said. “All of us are trying to grapple with Bill 148. ”
Meanwhile, Alex Geoffrion and her family have been scrambling to find a Plan B. She is contemplating taking a pre-apprentice program in masonry that starts at the end of April, but that means she’ll have to juggle that with the three high school courses she still needs to complete to graduate.
Jensen said Algonquin will not move forward on the plan to suspend programs without careful consideration. A town hall has also been scheduled for April 17. All of the students currently registered in the suspended courses will be able to complete their studies, she said.
If people are interested in reinstating the courses, they have to rally, said OPSEU 415 vice-president Jack Wilson, who pointed out that about eight years ago, when Algonquin’s horticulture program was under scrutiny, businesses pressed to save it. Horticulture is now a thriving program at Algonquin, he said. (A former Perth campus student started an online petition to Jensen this week which attracted more than 500 signatures by Friday morning.)
By Wilson’s count, only half of the courses remain at the Perth campus. “If people are worried about the sustainability of the Perth campus, they have to speak up.”
Suspended courses
Five of the seven suspended Algonquin programs are at the Perth campus:
• Office administration, general, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Office administration, executive, Ontario college diploma, Perth campus
• Social service worker, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Masonry, heritage and traditional, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Carpentry and renovation technician, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Motive power technician, Ontario college certificate, Pembroke campus
• Kitchen and bath, Ontario college graduate certificate, School of Media and Design, Ottawa campus
The office administration and motive power technician courses are still available at the Ottawa campus
查看原文...
The 17-year-old had been accepted into the heritage and traditional masonry course at the Perth campus of Algonquin College. Graduates have worked on the Parliament Buildings, museums and hundreds of other historic buildings, not just in Canada but all over the world.
“You’re in! We’re thrilled to have you. Find out what’s next,” said the package with Geoffrion’s acceptance letter. She went out and bought an Algonquin sweatshirt.
Last week, Geoffrion, got news that left her stone cold.
“Unfortunately, we have had to suspend this program for the upcoming term for new students,” said an email from Algonquin, which went on to suggest four other construction-related courses. Geoffrion, a Grade 12 student at St. Joseph High School in Barrhaven, wasn’t interested in any of them.
“I don’t want to work at a desk,” she said. “I always liked building stuff. I was looking forward to it so much.”
While the heritage masonry program prepares apprentices to do bread-and-butter work like laying bricks, it can also teach workers to be heritage conservators. Among other projects, Algonquin students have worked with Parks Canada on repointing and rebuilding a stone battlement at the Prince of Wales Fort in Churchill, Man., built between 1731 and 1771 to protect fur trading interests.
Geoffrion was excited about the possibility of getting involved in that kind of project.
Her mother, Emese Geoffrion, says Alex knew the program was for her when she attended an open house and a tour of the Perth campus. Her daughter thrives on outdoor work and getting her hands dirty, said Emese. She’s not afraid of heights or picking up heavy objects, and she wasn’t daunted about getting into a male-dominated field. Geoffrion chose her high school courses according to the requirements of the masonry program.
“It’s a bit of a slap in the face,” said Emese.
‘This is the only masonry program in Canada that has a restoration component,” said Pat Kennedy, president of OPSEU 415, the college’s academic bargaining unit. “And there’s 100 per cent placement. Isn’t that what we’re here for? These jobs are there. And these are good-paying jobs.”
About 70 would-be students have been told their programs have been suspended at the Perth campus, which has about 300 students, he said. Two full-time faculty members at the college overall have been affected, and an unknown number of part-time faculty members. Colleges suspend programs rather than cancelling them because it is difficult to reinstate them after they have been cancelled, said Kennedy.
In a letter to the college community, Algonquin president Cheryl Jensen said the decision to suspend programs was not made lightly.
“The viability of programs is something that is examined on an annual basis to be responsive to changing needs in the workforce and changing demographic patterns. In all cases, program performance data are provided each year to all academic departments so that faculty, staff, and administrators can work together to collectively develop remediation plans for programs that are underperforming.”
This has taken place for the past three years for the seven programs, said Jensen. “After remediation efforts failed, these programs faced intake suspension pending further review. While suspended programs are rarely reopened for enrollment, all intake suspensions are discussed at great length as per policy.”
That process continued Thursday with a meeting of the student affairs committee of the college’s board of governors, which was not open to the public.
Student Barron McConnachie works on the ogee arch on the Perth campus in 2014.
Bobby Watt, president of RJW Stonemasons and a member of the Algonquin masonry program advisory board, said the heritage program has had a long run, about 20 years.
“By the same token, maybe it has run its course. Enrolment has been down for the last three years,” said Watt, who trained in Scotland and has worked on a number of restoration projects, including Parliament Hill.
There are a lot of dynamics going on in the business. Students were taking two years out of their lives to take the course, but they weren’t being paid, as are apprentices in some other trades, he said. The next phase of restoration on Parliament Hill on the Centre Block won’t start until 2020.
“There are enough people in Ottawa to do the job. It’s the same in Hamilton and Toronto.”
Shannon Baillon, director of community services for the Town of Perth, hopes that suspending the masonry program is only temporary. Many but not all of the masons who have worked on heritage restoration projects in the historic town have come from the Algonquin program.
“There’s no question that we need that expertise,” she said. “We still have a lot of contacts and a lot of people still live in town. They have a passion for stone.”
Algonquin is under a great deal of pressure because of Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, which requires workplaces to pay part-time, temporary and seasonal workers equal to full-time employees performing substantially the same work for the same employer. The college has estimated that the requirements will add up to $25 million in additional annual costs.
“Bill 148 is affecting the municipal world, as well,” she said. “All of us are trying to grapple with Bill 148. ”
Meanwhile, Alex Geoffrion and her family have been scrambling to find a Plan B. She is contemplating taking a pre-apprentice program in masonry that starts at the end of April, but that means she’ll have to juggle that with the three high school courses she still needs to complete to graduate.
Jensen said Algonquin will not move forward on the plan to suspend programs without careful consideration. A town hall has also been scheduled for April 17. All of the students currently registered in the suspended courses will be able to complete their studies, she said.
If people are interested in reinstating the courses, they have to rally, said OPSEU 415 vice-president Jack Wilson, who pointed out that about eight years ago, when Algonquin’s horticulture program was under scrutiny, businesses pressed to save it. Horticulture is now a thriving program at Algonquin, he said. (A former Perth campus student started an online petition to Jensen this week which attracted more than 500 signatures by Friday morning.)
By Wilson’s count, only half of the courses remain at the Perth campus. “If people are worried about the sustainability of the Perth campus, they have to speak up.”
Suspended courses
Five of the seven suspended Algonquin programs are at the Perth campus:
• Office administration, general, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Office administration, executive, Ontario college diploma, Perth campus
• Social service worker, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Masonry, heritage and traditional, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Carpentry and renovation technician, Ontario college certificate, Perth campus
• Motive power technician, Ontario college certificate, Pembroke campus
• Kitchen and bath, Ontario college graduate certificate, School of Media and Design, Ottawa campus
The office administration and motive power technician courses are still available at the Ottawa campus
查看原文...
