Mohawk College

May 2017
Message from the President & CEO

Audie McCarthy
Mark your calendars - April 3, 2018, is  'don't go to work unless it's fun day'!
 
Please don't wait until then to have fun in the workplace.
 
Yes, I admit, I missed the "official" cute-calendar.com day of celebration this past April; however, having fun at work is something we do really well here at MCE. I didn't want you to just take my word for it, so I canvassed some of my team about some of the things we do to have fun (see Tips for Having Fun at Work). I also asked them about the benefits of having fun in the workplace. Here is what Megan Boehm, Dianne Jones and Simone Mekli had to say. 
 
Fun at work Benefits of having fun at work:  
  • Helps coworkers get to know each other better on a personal level
  • Builds team relationships; coworkers develop bonds and friendships
  • Builds a strong sense of comradery
  • Makes employees feel appreciated when they are encouraged to have fun
  • Employees look forward to coming into work
  • Happy employees increases productivity and creativity
  • Employees are more invested in the company (when your company treats you well, you want to reciprocate!)
  • Gives employees an enjoyable break from their work
  • Makes the day go by faster 
There definitely needs to be a good balance between the fun and serious side of work, but once you find that happy middle ground everyone is happy.   Thank you to Megan, Dianne and Simone for their input and to www.cute-calendar.com for creating reminders for us to celebrate!

 
Audie McCarthy
President & CEO
 
 
P.S. Keep reading for Tips for Having Fun at Work!

MCE  Announcements  and  Events

Future Ready Leadership Graduates - County of Brant

Congratulations to the participants from the following cohorts for graduating from MCE's Future Ready Leadership (FRL) program in April. We at MCE wish you success in continuing your leadership journeys. Click on the links to watch their graduation videos!
Leadership Forum

One of our current FRL cohorts (a combined cohort with participants from Town of Gravenhurst, District of Muskoka, Town of Bracebridge and County of Simcoe) recently attended their Day 5 FRL Leadership Forum. 

Leadership Panelists

Leadership Panelists from left to right: Scott Young - Executive Director, Muskoka Conservancy; Steve McDonald - Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Muskoka Lakes; Brenda Rhodes - Executive Director, Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce.


Click here to watch a video of the panelists above and hear what they had to say about leadership and the FRL program.

Click here to read an article by Kelly Kenny on MuskokaRegion.com, Leadership forum aims to prepare Muskoka for mass retirements.

Simone Mekli Welcome Simone

The MCE team is excited to welcome Simone Mekli who 
commenc ed her new role as Marketing & Communications Coordinator on April 24, 2017.

Simone spent the past year and a half as a Support Services Officer at Mohawk College where she provided assistance to the Marketing and Recruitment Department. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.A. in Political Science, and shortly thereafter obtained her certificate in Public Relations from Mohawk College. Simone brings a fresh and enthusiastic perspective to MCE and will be working on generating new, innovative strategies for our marketing and communications division. 

Welcome Simone - we are thrilled to have you join the MCE team!

Goodbye to the Students 
 
Media co-op students

From left to right: Marci Ruhl (MCE's Training Design Specialist), Katie Chatten, Natasha Eustace.

MCE is saying farewell to its media co-op students this month; Katie Chatten and Natasha Eustace. The students were hired by MCE from Mohawk College's Broadcasting - Television and Communications Media program. Thank you Katie and Natasha for all of your hard work over the past couple of months! Thank you to Tracy Kadish, Program Coordinator at Mohawk College, for providing us with such great students!

Below you will find links to three videos that Katie and Natasha created for us.

MCE Future Ready Leadership Series
 
MCE Creating Amazing Customer Service
 
MCE Business Writing Skills

 
Meghan Congratulations Megan

Megan Boehm , Administrative Assistant at MCE, was recently elected as the Communications Coordinator for the Association of Administrative Assistants - Hamilton Branch . Megan is excited to be a part of this branch's Executive Team and to utilize her skills to assist the association. Congratulations Megan!

E.S.T.A.T.E

In partnership with IEC (Industry Education Council of Hamilton), Mohawk College and Express Employment, MCE is happy to announce its participation in this exciting program for students and employers.

E.S.T.A.T.E  (Employer Skills Training Advantage To Employment) is a  skills development program designed to fill specific workforce needs through focused, high-level training, within two sectors identified in the Greater Hamilton Area. The sectors are:

(1) Advanced Manufacturing/CNC
(2) Mobile Industrial/Hydraulics

Starting in May 2017, the program will have a duration of 28 weeks of classroom/shop time, integrated with on-site training with a partner company and will be guided by a 'company mentor'. Training for the 'company mentor' concurrently with student training will facilitate an effective synergy through guided, authentic, experiential learning. This will shape skills development and fill specific skills gaps identified within the company. This co-training/mentoring model will support both the employer and the employee.  


Changes to Maintenance Management Professional (MMP) Courses

MCE is currently in the process of transferring its MMP courses over to Mohawk College's Continuing Education Department. Future MMP courses will now be offered by Mohawk College. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Lorraine MacDonald at [email protected] or 905-575-2534.
 
Program of the Month: The Power of Teams

In this highly interactive, experiential course, participants will learn about key leadership capabilities. They will discover the value of working together as a team. By examining the skills and characteristics required to develop a high-performance working team, they will understand how that leads to performance results.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  1. Evaluate their leadership capabilities by completing a competency-based self-assessment.
  2. Apply the principles of trust, respect and mutual accountability to build effective teams.
  3. Use the team development model to develop strategies for moving from effective to high-performing teams.
This course is delivered either as part of MCE's Future Ready Leadership program or as a stand-alone course.


Open Seat Future Ready Leadership Program

Registration is now open for our Open Seat Future Ready Leadership program! Once a year, MCE offers individual and/or small group spots within a combined FRL cohort. The program will run from September 2017 to April 2018. Register today - spaces are limited and you won't want to miss out!

Course
Date & Location 
For more information contact:

Students who successfully complete this program will receive three point five (3.5) Ministry of the Environment, Director-Approved, Continuing Education Units.
Prepare to write the American Water Works Association (OWWA) "Cross Connection Control Specialist" certification exam (administered at the end of the course).
Dates: Please Contact

Location: Mohawk College, 
Stoney Creek Campus

Note: If you have 16 employees who require Cross Connection Backflow Prevention Certification training, we will come to you!


Lorraine MacDonald
905 575 2534

A two day course to recertify you as a "Backflow/Cross Connection Control Tester".
Dates: Please Contact

Location: Mohawk College, 
Stoney Creek Campus

Note: If you have 16 employees who require Cross Connection Backflow Prevention Recertification training,
 we will come to you

Lorraine MacDonald
905 575 2534

The Future Ready Leadership (FRL) 1 program consists of eight customized leadership training courses delivered one day per month, over eight months. This program is developed for emerging and existing leaders by providing theory with practical application and experiential teambuilding.
Dates: September 2017 - April 2018

Location: Mohawk College,
 Stoney Creek Campus
Kris Michailow
905 517 1676

Earn CWB welding tickets in this "hands on" program. Starts every Monday and runs for 24 weeks.    

Contact us for details!
Lorraine MacDonald
905 575 2534

 
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TIPS for Having Fun at Work
  1. I nvite someone new to a team meeting to teach or facilitate an activity (i.e. yoga, learn to juggle, make your own sundaes, etc.)
  2. Laugh - share experiences, tell stories, have fun! 
  3. Engage in team-building activities.
  4. Have lunch together; in the lunchroom if you have one, go out once in a while or have a potluck at someone's house. 
  5. Celebrate special events such as birthdays, work anniversaries, hitting milestones at work, etc.
  6. Include icebreakers at the beginning of your team meetings to engage participants and set a positive pace. Email [email protected]   for some ideas.