RAC Champlain College Saint-Lambert (https://champlainrac.com/wp-content/themes/chrac)

On Monday, June 29th at 6pm, we’ll be hosting another “Talent Search” event, this time featuring Cloud-IT, an organization that helps customers migrate to the cloud with Office 365. As usual, candidates will have an opportunity to be speed interviewed after the organization’s presentation. Both Information Technology Client Support (ITCS) and Cisco Certified Network Associate RAC candidates are invited to contact their advisor for more information.   Last week, on June 10th, 2015, we had the pleasure of watching as our 2015 graduates received the very certificates they worked so hard to earn. The graduation ceremony was for both Continuing Education students and RAC candidates, and, as usual, it made for one inspiring and emotional event. There’s nothing quite like seeing so many of our candidates graduating in their respective services, all in one night. Add friends and family, and you’ve got one amazing night. This year, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve released photos from the event on our Facebook page – including an individual portrait of each graduate at the moment that they received their certificate on stage. These photos are available free of charge. Graduates can also request original copies of these photos by contacting Matt Refghi. We’re also releasing three quick video clips from the ceremony, each of which will be shared to our Facebook and Twitter pages in the next few days. The first is already available, and can be seen here. To be notified of the next two releases, or to simply stay connected with us, feel free to “like” our Facebook page, and follow our Twitter page. In the future, we’ll be looking for ways to expand and improve the way we document these ceremonies. It can be a bit challenging to truly capture the “magic” of these evenings in photographs and videos, but we feel it’s a well worth the effort. The photos are visible below, with videos following the gallery. Next week, we’ll be attending the 2015 edition of the Salon de l’immigration et de l’intégration au Québec, an event organized by Immigration Québec. The fair is expected to feature roughly 180 exhibitors that, together, will cover the following subject areas: “job search, training, entrepreneurship, networking, settling, finding housing, immigration, everyday life, etc.” According to Immigration Québec, the event usually receives roughly 9,000 visitors from over 100 countries. The Salon de l’immigration et de l’intégration au Québec will be located at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, and will have the following schedule:

• Tuesday, June 9^th, 2015 – 10am to 8:30pm.
• Wednesday, June 10^th 2015 – 10am to 6pm.

Admission will be free. We’ll be there to represent Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) services in general, while also promoting programs offered through RAC at Champlain. The RAC process can be benecial for newly-arrived Canadians that are looking to integrate into the Quebec workforce. While the primary benefit is the certificate or diploma received upon completing the process, RAC candidates can also benefit from a natural, built-in feature: professional networking. At RAC seminars, evaluations, and social events, they get to meet and network with other talented professionals, which can lead to employment opportunities. For certain RAC services, such as IT Client Support and Cisco, specific events also exist specifically to increase the odds of candidates being employed during, or even after the RAC process. Earlier this year, we introduced the latest addition to Champlain College Saint-Lambert’s RAC services: a Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) in Office Management. This DEC was the first to be offered in Continuing Education by an Anglophone college, out of the 48 public CEGEPs in Québec (in which more than half offer either a DEC or AEC in Office Management / Office Work Coordination). John Abbott College and Heritage College were collaborators, and helped with the development of the evaluation materials. Our Office Management DEC was designed to address a high demand in the field of administrative support, one which touches many different public and private sectors: medical, law, education, and business. According to the National Occupational Classification (NOC), in 2012, 66,000 administrative assistants were employed. Our RAC services exist to provide these individuals with the possibility of acquiring collegial recognition for their work experience, should they seek it. When speaking of our Office Management DEC, we often get asked: what exactly is an “office manager?” The term everyone is familiar with is secretary, but today, many other titles are used, including:

• administrative assistant
• administrative technician
• office agent
• office coordinator
• office worker
• clerical worker
• support staff

Administrative assistant is one of the occupations in the highest demand in all of Québec, with “good” job prospects for the next 2-3 years according to the the Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. An administrative assistant requires a variety of administrative, technical, linguistic and interpersonal skills. Their main duty is to assist and support the manager. More specifically, they must maintain office inventory, establish office procedures, compile data, train and oversee staff, create schedules, produce office documentation, etc. Our use of “Office Management” and “office manager” is to reflect the large range of responsibilities in this field. We’re holding an info session on May 27^th at 6pm for anyone looking to learn more about our new RAC offering. To be eligible for RAC, candidates must have a significant amount of experience in the field, regardless of whether or not they are currently employed. To sign up or the info session, click here. Tomorrow at 6pm, we will be hosting another “talent search” event for our Information Technology Client Support (ITCS)  and Cisco Certified Network Associate RAC candidates – and, in this instance, Randstad will be the featured organization. Randstad is in a unique position where it can help match RAC candidates with employers that are searching for specific skills or experience. Following their presentation, Randstad will conduct interviews on the spot for potential IT and networking opportunities. Candidates are invited to contact their advisor for more information.