Education

Mt. A names business centre head

Rowser — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:20:26 -0300

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Times Transcript, Published Tuesday June 23rd, 2009

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http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/rss/article/707357

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Sackville's Mount Allison University added another feather to its cap with the appointment of a top executive to the directorship of the university's Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies.

Tim Hynes is an award-winning researcher in corporate finance and strategic management and was chairing the business administration department at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.

Hynes has a wealth of experience and knowledge in corporate finance and strategic management and 15 years of teaching and research experience.

He has also worked for prominent Canadian companies and holds degrees from St. Francis Xavier University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary.

The centre was created last year with a founding gift of $5 million from Ron Joyce, the co-founder of Tim Hortons and a member of the Order of Canada and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He also holds an honorary degree from Mount Allison.

The university will also contribute $5 million to the centre's operation.

Junior Achievement returns to region

Jeff Roach — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:28:33 -0300

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Greg Weston

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Times & Transcript, Published Thursday June 18th, 2009

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http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/rss/article/703267

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Gilberte Godin from School District 1, David Hawkins, committee chairman for the Moncton Junior Achievement Company Program, and Karen Branscombe, superintendent of School District 2, were all smiles yesterday at the official launch of the program at Moncton City Hall.

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After a three-year hiatus, the Junior Achievement Company Program will again be up and running for southeastern New Brunswick high school students this fall.

The return of the hands-on entrepreneurial initiative was announced at a press conference at Moncton City Hall yesterday morning, with members of the business community, school superintendents and Mayor George LeBlanc in attendance.

"Moncton is really a very entrepreneurial community and we had a great opportunity here," says David Hawkins, president of CouleurNB and a corporate sponsor of the program. "It just feels so much like the right thing and so much like the right place to do this and to do it really well."

The extra-curricular activity gives high school students the opportunity to conceive and implement a business plan, under the stewardship of a volunteer from the local business community. Offered free of charge to interested students, the 18-week-long program will begin in October. Also running in other areas of the province, it had been cancelled in this region about three years ago.

"Basically, Junior Achievement took a hiatus for a period of time from delivering the Company Program, because we didn't have the students coming into high school that were familiar with the program," says Britt Dysart, chairman of the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Board of Governors. "The main reason was, about three years ago, we noticed a decline in our in-school programs to the point where we were only reached about 100 to 150 students in the southeast."

During the past three years, such classroom activities in the lower grades have grown to involve more than 2,000 students, Dysart says, which should create more interest in Junior Achievement among the region's high school students. Their goal is to have three groups, one working in French and two bilingual, of about 15 to 20 students each. Junior Achievement is also looking for volunteers to act as mentors.

"It's a program that the Moncton business community and the two school districts, anglophone and francophone, have been really hoping that we'd be able to reintroduce in the south-east region. This has been a Moncton community effort to present the case that there is the critical mass and there is the interest to make the relaunch successful," Dysart says. "I think it's a great day for Moncton students that we're able to bring it back. The volunteers get as much out of it as the kids."

David Savoie, now a partner and project manager at Acadian Construction Ltd. in Dieppe, participated in the Company Program as a high school student in 1992. He says the experience was rewarding and he is excited that Acadian will now be acting as a sponsor.

"For me, it opened up the entrepreneurship and business world to my eyes. When you're in high school, you're not always thinking of that kind of stuff. It gelled everything together for me to go through the program," he says of his school group, which created a company that sold reusable cloth lunch bags. "I think it allows the students to get tied to the business world in an easy an accessible way and it gives the business people a way to give back."

Hawkins says the hands-on experience helps develop students' business skills and gives them a chance to see if a career in business is right for them.

"They get some teamwork skills and I think that's a very important dimension of it," as well as teaching leadership, planning and financial responsibility, he says. "They get a lot of exposure to all of those things on a very small and intense basis. It would be awful easy to become a 21-year-old and have none of that experience."

High-tech library planned for UNBSJ

johnsgunn — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0300

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CBC News, Published Tuesday, June 9, 2009

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/06/09/nb-unbsj-building.html?ref=rss

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The most recent concept presented to and discussed with the public. Courtesy of http://urbanplans.blogspot.com

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A new high-tech building planned for the University of New Brunswick Saint John campus will attract future students, say recruiters.

"It's going to be a state-of-the-art library and technology centre," said UNBSJ recruiter Cory Brown, describing the high-tech learning commons planned for the campus.

The provincial and federal governments announed on Monday that they would provide $18 million for the $25-million complex to be used for research and public gatherings.

Brown said he's looking forward to telling potential students they'll have new technologies and resources right at their fingertips when he's recruiting around New Brunswick.

UNBSJ vice-president Robert MacKinnon said the school will begin working on plans for the new building this week.

'A library of the future'

"It won't be a traditional library. It will be, in a sense, a library of the future. We've got an opportunity to create a building that's unique to Saint John, unique to UNB," said MacKinnon.

"This building is going to mean a lot to the campus. It's going to completely change the way our students are able to study on campus, with an integrated technology and information system in the library. This will mean better services for our students."

New Brunswick Energy Minister Jack Keir said he also hopes the funding will help draw people to UNBSJ.

"You know, the biggest factor that we're going to overcome to get where we want to go … is to make sure we've got the work force in place to do it."

Registration is Now Open - 2009 World Congress on Privacy, Security, Trust and the Management of e-Business

Rowser — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:58:45 -0300

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http://www.unb.ca/pstnet/congress2009/

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Registration is now open for the 2009 World Congress on Privacy, Security, Trust and the Management of e-Business.

http://www.unb.ca/pstnet/congress2009/

To register click on “Registration”. You also book your hotel room on the web site by clicking on “Accommodations”.

Note that IEEE and CIPS members are eligible for a 10% discount.

Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp 2009

johnsgunn — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:22:16 -0300

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http://www.enterprisefredericton.ca/calendar/236679

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Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp is Back!

Youth Entrepreneurship Camp is a 5-day camp that teaches youth about starting their own business by helping them open, operate and close their own company for a day. Campers learn how to develop an idea, plan and organize their thoughts into a business plan, how to make their product and then have the opportunity to sell their products to the public in a marketplace at the end of the week.

Youth Entrepreneurship Camp gives all campers a start up loan (maximum $20 per company) to purchase the materials and supplies they need to make their product. At the end of the marketplace, students will pay back the loan anything beyond that is pure profit for the camper!

To download the Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp schedule or a registration form click here

Contact Enterprise Fredericton for more information at 444-4686 or online at Enterprise Fredericton.

TME Times Newsletter - April 2009

Jeff Roach — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:09:17 -0300

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Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (TME) Program at UNB Fredericton

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http://www.unb.ca/jhsc/news_events/newsletter/Apr2009.htm

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Pictured, from left to right are: TME Chair Linda Bulmer, Marcel LeBrun (Judge), Nancy Mathis (Judge), Jake Arsenault (Judge), Laura Malone and Jane Simmons (2nd place winners), Samir Kadhim (1st place winner), Anmol Bansal (3rd place), and Michael Arbow (Judge).

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As we prepare to wrap up another academic year, the winter over and spring is emerging all around as we prepare for graduation!

Here is a link for the April issue of the TME Times newsletter for your reading pleasure!

Some highlights…

Technology Innovation Pitch (TIP) 2009 Winners
TME Student Enters the Dragon’s Den on CBC
TME 3423 Prerequisite Change
Adios to our NAREN Exchange Students from Mexico
And … much more!

Report for propel ICT Shows Great Opportunity and Spurs New Talent Survey for the Sector

Jeff Roach — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:00:30 -0300

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propel ICT

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A Statistical Profile of the New Brunswick Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry

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New Brunswick, May 4, 2009 – A new report of the statistical profile of New Brunswick's ICT sector prepared for propel ICT and released today shows great opportunity for the province's sector as well as revealing data that much more work needs to be done to capitalize on it.

“The Survey shows that, in addition to capital, skill-specific talent for the ICT sector is required to take advantage of the opportunities we have” said Anita Punamiya, propel ICT Director and Chair of propel Talent. “This is an industry in dire need of a strategy that includes a priority on recruiting and training the talent pool that is currently lacking in our province.”

Among other details, the report shows:

New Brunswick is the only province to register a decline in the number of ICT firms BUT New Brunswick's ICT sector is still growing at double the rate of the rest of our economy, showing a great opportunity that we are not taking advantage of.
No single community in the province is leading the others in growth of their ICT sector. The profile shows Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton are very comparable to each other in terms of opportunity and current size and strength of the sector, highlighting the need for the communities to work together to build a provincial industry.
The average ICT company in NB is larger than the average ICT company in other parts of the country, which indicates that support is missing for building a nimble, entrepreneurial culture of small innovative companies that feed the sector and support the larger emerging components of the sector.

“Start-up companies in the ICT sector need capital and people” said Jeff Roach, Executive Director of the propel Accelerator. “This is a people-driven economy and both large and small businesses need the right talent mix to grow their businesses.”

Jeff Reid, organizer of propel Talent and xwave Operations Manager for Saint John believes that the need for more people in our sector is one area where the industry is in full agreement. “propel Talent is a very actively supported initiative from across the province because we all agree that finding the right people for our sector is challenging and will likely get worse if we don't address it immediately” says Reid.

Starting this week, propel Talent is re-distributing a survey to New Brunswick ICT companies that it originally reported on in late 2006 that showed a great demand for people in the sector. “We expect, based on the anecdotal reports that we are already receiving, that, despite the recession, our industry is still growing. This survey and the report that will follow should make this a bit more tangible for us.” says Reid.

About propel ICT
propel ICT (http://propelICT.com) is a private, non-profit, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) organization focused on growing the ICT industry in New Brunswick

About propel Talent
The propel Talent initiative of propel ICT is an active committee of professionals from the ICT and education sectors focused on growing, attracting and retaining talent within the ICT sector of New Brunswick through an integrated workforce solution addressing: Attracting new students, Immigration for internationally-educated professionals, and Repatriation.

About propel Accelerator
The propel Accelerator is a support program that gives New Brunswick start-up ICT companies guidance and mentoring, access to low-cost resources such as equipment, office space, communications and support services, and, most importantly, membership in a business network that can be used to build partnerships or find new markets.

Media Inquires:
Jeff Roach – 506-642-9029

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Survey for NBCC Saint John Information Technology Department

johnsgunn — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:13:34 -0300

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The Saint John campus of NBCC is considering offering a one-year Information Technology certificate. They are collecting information in the following survey to help decide which specialization to offer. There are only a couple short questions and it should take about five minutes to complete. The survey will be open until April 20, 2009. Please click the link below to complete the survey.

NBCC IT Survey

Thanks for your help in growing ICT education in New Brunswick!

ePath Learning Partners with MedSenses to Provide Online Critical Care Training to Nurses

johnsgunn — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:30:36 -0300

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PRLog (Press Release) – Published April 7, 2009

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http://www.prlog.org/10212952-epath-learning-partners-with-medsenses-to-provide-online-critical-care-training-to-nurses.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 07, 2009 – ePath Learning, Inc., a leader in enterprise learning services announced the addition of MedSenses as a strategic content partner, an elite nursing content provider created for nurses by nurses. The partnership rounds out ePath Learning’s content offerings, which include technology, leadership and management now to include healthcare.

The MedSenses curriculum of over 400 contact hours is offered in a variety of titles in the following sectors: Medical-Surgical, Cardiac, Critical Care, Compliance, Pediatrics, Newborn, Neonatal, Emergency, Ground Transport, and Flight Transport. “Our healthcare clients recognize the myriad benefits that they have experienced through ePath Learning’s online learning solutions and this partnership now extends those benefits”, said Chuck Hellings, EVP of Sales, “Healthcare professionals prefer to spend their time helping patients, so providing them with relevant and updated training online, enhances their skills while reducing time spent away from patients.”

ePath Learning’s integrated Learning Management Service (iLMS) allows organizations to move training online, thereby cutting training costs while improving the accessibility of that training. By delivering the MedSenses nursing content via ePath Learning’s ASAP+ online service, healthcare organizations are able to offer employees a robust catalog of training courses quickly, easily and affordably. ASAP+: The iLMS will allow the content to be delivered, managed, and reported on providing accountability and certification compliance.

About MedSenses
MedSenses Inc. is a leading content provider focused on building courseware BY nurses FOR nurses. Having developed a proprietary method for building educational content for the nursing community, healthcare organizations can now offer a high quality, cost-effective solution for their continuing education programs. The courses integrate solid medical and technical information with insight and stories from real-world clinical experiences; complimented by medical animations, interactivities and 3D graphics. Additional information is available at www.medsenses.com

About ePath Learning
ePath Learning, Inc., an industry leader in online learning management solutions, offers an on-demand integrated Learning Management Service (iLMS) that is easy to use, fully scalable, and available anytime, anywhere you can access a web browser – even on your mobile device. The online iLMS eliminates equipment, resource, and deployment costs associated with other software solutions. Combined with its subscription based model and client-centric support program, ePath Learning is committed to client success. ePath Learning also provides course design, development, and conversion services through its award winning Pro Services team. Let ePath Learning put your learning initiatives on the ePath to Success!

For more information, call 908 722-6622, or go on-line to www.ePathLearning.com.

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ePath Learning has been the industry leader in online learning management solutions, since 1999. ePath Learning’s on-demand integrated learning management solution (iLMS) is easy to use, fully scalable, and available on-demand from any web browser.
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Program benefits computer science students

Rowser — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:13:26 -0300

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John Pollack

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Telegraph-Journal, Published Monday March 30th, 2009

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http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/619087

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Keith McIntosh photo by David Smith

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Professional Quality Assurance Ltd. will fund three $3,000 scholarships at UNB

With a severe shortage of skilled workers in New Brunswick's information and communications technology sector, some companies don't have the workers they need to grow. But one Fredericton firm is trying to address the problem with a new scholarship program.

Professional Quality Assurance Ltd., a software testing and quality assurance company, is funding three $3,000 scholarships for students entering the University of New Brunswick's computer science program.

"I just want to encourage New Brunswick kids to look at computer science as an opportunity when they're considering where to go to school," PQA founder and president Keith McIntosh said.

Ali Ghorbani, dean of computer science at UNB, said this is one of the first scholarships at the university established by a New Brunswick ICT company and he hopes there will be more in the future.

"I would like to see PQA become an example for other larger companies in New Brunswick," he said.

Alan Munro, a member of Propel ICT's talent team, which focuses on growing the ICT work force, said the new scholarship is good news for the sector.

"I applaud any effort to encourage more students to get into the IT field," he said. "We need more students in the undergraduate program - if scholarship programs help attract them, that's great."

But he isn't sure a lack of scholarships is the primary reason students aren't enrolling in computer science.

Munro, who is also the human resources director of J.D. Irving, Limited's IT division, said a bigger reason students aren't enrolling is because people have a false impression that there aren't many jobs in the industry.

"People seem to think that with the dot com bubble (bust) IT just evaporated and just never came back," Munro said. "The truth is anything but that."

A 2006 report by Propel ICT showed the province needs an extra 1,700 skilled workers. Munro believes that number is roughly the same today though Propel plans to conduct an updated survey in the coming months.

Propel and UNB both have initiatives in New Brunswick high schools to try to inform students what computer science, and the IT industry is really all about, in hopes of pushing up enrolment.

Another deterrent from computer science, according to both Munro and Ghorani, is its perception as a "geek" program.

"That is so far from the truth," Munro said.

ICT is about solving problems for businesses or various clients with computers, Ghorbani said. "They end up doing many things in many areas - it's not just in front of computers."

But New Brunswick university and college programs won't likely be able to solve the labour shortages soon enough.

"Even if every shortfall was filled with new students you're looking at about four years out," Munro said.

But according to Information Communications Technology Council data, there were 1,500 students in ICT-related undergraduate programs in Atlantic Canada in 2001-02 but in 2007 there were only about 500. Though Ghorbani said enrolment is up over the past three years, at least in UNB's program, a sudden surge would be required to meet New Brunswick's demand.

Because of this, Propel's talent team is also looking at immigration and repatriation initiatives to fill some of the gaps.

Munro is hoping these initiatives will work as his division will be looking for 20 to 30 new people over the next two to four years.

"You need the right talent at the right time to advance any project," he said. "If you can't find it, it can slow things down."