SELKIRK-­‐SME  ADOPTING  DIGITAL   TECHNOLOGIES  FINAL  REPORT   March  2014   Selkirk  College  received  funding  from  the  National  Research  Council  of  Canada  (NRC)  Industrial  Research   Assistance  Program  to  support  the  Adoption  of  Digital  Technology  (ADT)  by  small-­‐  and  medium-­‐sized  enterprises   (SMEs)  in  the  Columbia  Basin  Boundary  region  from  January  2013  to  February  2014.    NRC  funding  was  through   the  Digital  Technology  Adoption  Pilot  Program  (DTAPP),  a  component  of  the  Government  of  Canada’s  overall   strategy  to  boost  the  productivity  of  SMEs  and  improve  Canada’s  digital  economy.    The  ADT  project  team   included  a  College-­‐Industry  Liaison  Officer,  a  Project  Coordinator,  a  Project  Outreach  Assistant,  4  Co-­‐Op   students  from  the  Business  Administration  and  Geographic  Information  Systems,  and  11  faculty  members.    A   total  of  2901  hours  of  training,  advisory  services  and  direct  support  was  provided  to  222  SMEs  and  16  non-­‐ profits,  including  a  total  of  171  hours  of  outreach,  1301  hours  of  training,  and  1429  hours  of  advisory  and  direct   support.    This  report  provides  a  summary  of  project  activities  and  a  discussion  of  lessons  learned.   TECHNOLOGY  TRAINING   Activities:  4-­‐6  workshops  to  20  SMEs,  3  GIS  online  workshops  piloted  to  10  SMEs,  opportunities  identified  for  future  related   training,  programming,  and  student  learning   The  Selkirk-­‐SME  ADT  project  exceeded  expectations  in  the  delivery  of  both  digital  technology,  specialized  and   one-­‐on-­‐one  technology  training  but  only  achieved  some  progress  in  the  area  of  online  training  because  4  (not   10)  SMEs  piloted  the  3  online  geospatial  courses.      An  impressive  total  of  26  workshops,  courses  and  one-­‐on-­‐one   training  in  7  communities  provided  1301  hours  of  training  to  142  SMEs  and  175  employees.    An  additional  171   hours  was  spent  on  awareness  and  outreach  activities.   As  outlined  in  the  table  below,  71  SMEs  and  97  employees  attended  128  digital  technology  workshops  in  5   communities  for  a  total  of  828  hours  of  training.    Five  specialized  training  workshops  in  4  communities  were  also   offered  as  part  of  this  project  resulting  in  a  total  of  369  hours  of  specialized  training  to  61  SMEs  and  68   employees  in  the  building  and  environmental  science  fields.    Forty  hours  of  one-­‐on-­‐one  database  and  social   media  focused  training  was  provided  to  6  SMEs  in  4  communities.    Three  online  geospatial  courses  were  also   developed  as  part  of  this  project.    While  it  was  expected  that  10  SMEs  would  pilot  these  courses,  only  4  SMEs   were  a  part  of  the  course  pilots  because  of  time  constraints.    The  online  courses  took  longer  than  expected  to   develop.    A  total  of  64  hours  of  online  training  was  accessed  by  the  4  SMEs.    Please  see  Appendix  A  for  course   descriptions  and  Appendix  H  for  a  summary  of  training  provided  to  each  SME.   Table  1.  Technology  Training   Training   Digital  Technology  Workshops   Specialized  Training   One-­‐on-­‐One  Training   Online  Geospatial  Training   Total   Workshops  /   Courses   18   5   -­‐   3   26   SMEs   Employees   Communities   Total  Hours   71   61   6   4   142   97   68   6   4   175   5   4   4   -­‐   7   828   369   40   64   1301         1     Program  development  in  the  area  of  digital  fabrication  was  identified  as  a  programming  opportunity.  In   addition,  the  continued  online  delivery  of  specialization  training  in  geospatial  technologies  was  an  identified   opportunity.    Social  media,  wordpress,  Word,  and  Excel  related  training  should  continue  to  be  delivered  through   the  Community  Education  and  Workplace  Training  departments  and  coordinated  with  related  training  delivered   by  other  providers  (i.e.  Community  Futures).  Future  specialized  training  should  respond  to  industry  needs  and   opportunities  and  seek  to  bring  in  speakers  from  other  institutions  as  required1.   PROVIDE  ADVISORY  SERVICES  AND  DIRECT  SUPPORT   Activities:  advisory  services  to  between  25-­‐50  SMEs,  direct  support  to  minimum  10  SMEs  via  pilot  projects   The  target  of  advisory  services  delivered  to  25-­‐50  SMEs  was  fully  achieved,  however,  the  depth  and  nature  of   advisory  services  and  direct  support  provided  to  SMEs  exceeded  expectations,  including  direct  support  projects   that  utilized  computer  aided  design  (CAD),  3D  printing,  and  geospatial  and  remote  sensing  technologies.    These   projects  effectively  built  on  the  technological  expertise  of  faculty  and  students  from  the  Geographic  Information   Systems  programs,  the  Selkirk  Geospatial  Research  Centre  and  the  Digital  Arts  and  New  Media  program.     The  Selkirk-­‐SME  ADT  project  exceeded  expectations  having  provided  29  SMEs  and  4  non-­‐profits  with  1429  hours   of  advisory  services  and  direct  support,  including  345  hours  of  advisory  services  and  1084  hours  of  direct   support.    As  detailed  in  Figure  1,  advisory  services  focused  primarily  on  social  media,  wordpress  &  e  marketing,   geospatial  technologies,  relational  databases,  Word  &  Excel,  and  rapid  prototyping.    As  detailed  in  Table  2,   direct  support  focused  on  geospatial  and  rapid  prototyping  technologies,  in  addition  to  database  development.     Manufacturing,  technology,  tourism,  energy  and  agricultural  SMEs  received  direct  support  through  pilot   projects.   Table  2.  Advisory  Services  and  Direct  Support   Type  of  Support   SMEs   General  Inquiries   24   Linkages  for  SMEs   1   Other'  Advisory  Services   7   Direct  Support   11   Total   29     Non-­‐Profits   3   1   1   2   4   Hours   188   1   156   1084   1429   Figure  1.  SMEs  Receiving  Advisory  Services   hospitality  &  tourism  socware  (Micros)   1   3   rapid  prototyping   5   word  &  excel   relabonal  database   6   geospabal  technologies   13   social  media,  wordpress  &  e-­‐markebng   15   0   2   4   6   8   10   12   14   16                                                                                                                             1  Dr.  Douglas  MacLeod,  the  Chair  of  the  Royal  Architectural  Institute  of  Canada,  delivered  4  Technologies  for  Builders   workshops  across  the  region  as  part  of  the  Selkirk-­‐SME  ADT  project.     2   Figure  2.  SMEs  Receiving  Direct  Support   relabonal  database   2   rapid  protyping   2   7   geospabal  technologies   0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8     Project  staff,  faculty  and  students  were  extensively  involved  in  the  Selkirk-­‐SME  ADT  project  with  over  6648   hours  of  training,  advisory  and  direct  support  provided  to  SMEs  in  our  region.    This  included  3773  hours  of   project  and  technical  staff  support  to  SMEs,  2161  hours  of  student  support,  and  714  hours  of  faculty  release   time.    It  was  identified  that  database  development  services  are  in  high  demand  in  the  area  and  are  indirectly   related  to  existing  Selkirk  College  programming.    A  member  of  the  project  technical  staff,  and  former  Selkirk   College  student,  is  considering  a  ‘spin  off’  company  to  address  this  need.   UNDERSTANDING  SME  NEEDS  AND  COLLEGE  CAPACITIES   Activities:  review  existing  related  research,  minimum  20  1-­‐on-­‐1  consultations  with  SMEs,  minimum  10  interviews  with   business  support  providers,  research  colleges’  capacities  and  capabilities,  research  focused  on  best  practices  in  colleges’   support  to  SMEs,  host  1  ADT  in  GIS  conference,  produce  and  disseminate  online  and  print  marketing  materials   SME  needs  and  college  capacities  research  exceeded  expectations  with  the  production  of  a  SME  Needs  &   College  Capacities  report  highlighting  the  ways  that  Selkirk  College  could  best  support  the  needs  of  SMEs  in  the   region.    It  was  identified  that  existing  expertise  in  the  areas  of  geospatial  and  digital  media  technologies  were   best  positioned  to  support  manufacturing,  technology,  energy,  forestry,  agricultural,  and  tourism  sectors.     Research  involved  the  synthesis  of  existing  and  new  research,  including  interviews  with  over  550  businesses  in   the  region  generated  from  the  regional  Business  Retention  and  Expansion  Pilot  project,  State  of  the  Regional   Economy  research,  findings  from  the  regional  Productivity  Initiative,  highlights  from  the  Industrial  Research   Chair  for  Colleges  consultations  with  industry,  one-­‐on-­‐one  ADT  consultations  with  220  SMEs,  consultations  with   11  business  support  providers,  and  a  SME  productivity  and  college  applied  research  capacity  literature  review.     Consultations  were  also  conducted  with  project  leads  at  other  DTAPP  funded  colleges  and  senior  faculty  and   administrators  from  Selkirk  College,  including  Deans,  Directors,  School  Chairs,  and  Coordinators  focused  on   exploring  any  possible  opportunities  for  SME  training  and  support,  including  any  specialized  technological   expertise  that  could  be  shared  with  SMEs.    This  research  resulted  in  the  SME  Needs  &  College  Capacities  report   including  recommendations  for  future  college  applied  research  capacity  improvements.       Online  and  print  materials  were  produced  to  promote  ADT  support  services  available  at  Selkirk  College.    Five   video  profiles  of  SMEs  who  have  adopted  technology  to  improve  productivity  were  produced  and  are  featured   at  http://cbrdi.ca/resources/videos/.    Currently  an  online  intake  mechanism  and  client  /  project  management   system  is  being  developed  to  support  future  related  applied  research  activities,  internal  and  external   communications  and  reporting.       SME  Needs  &  College  Capacities  Report     • • • • •   Literature  review  on  adopting  digital  technologies  to  support  productivity  in  rural  SMEs   Synthesis  of  existing  SME  needs  related  research  reports   One-­‐on-­‐one  consultations  with  220  SMEs     One-­‐on-­‐one  consultations  with  11  business  support  providers     One-­‐on-­‐one  consultations  with  18  Selkirk  College  senior  staff   3   Literature  review  on  applied  research  at  community  colleges  in  Canada   Consultations  with  ADT  project  leads  at  4  other  post-­‐secondary  institutions  in  BC  and  Alberta   Identification  of  a  series  of  ARI  capacity  improvement  recommendations   ARI  related  processes,  policies,  procedures  and  forms  in  development  /  approved   Presentation  of  project-­‐related  lessons  learned  at  the  Association  of  Canadian  Community  Colleges  Applied   Research  Symposium  in  March  2014   • Online  ‘request  for  ARI  support’  intake  mechanism  (in  development  post-­‐project)   • Open  source  college  client  and  project  management  and  tracking  system  (in  development  post-­‐project)   • Updated  Applied  Research  and  Innovation  Strategic  Plan  (in  development  post-­‐project)   • • • • •   New  Ways  to  Use  Digital  Technologies  in  the  Field  2-­‐day  Provincial  Conference     • 55  conference  attendees   • 1  key  note  speaker   • 1  day  digital  technologies  workshop   Marketing  Materials     • • • • • 5  ADT  Video  Profiles  of  SMEs   1  ADT  at  Selkirk  College  brochure  produced   1  Selkirk  Geospatial  Research  Centre  Brochure  produced   1  National  Research  Council  Success  Story  featuring  the  Selkirk-­‐SME  ADT  project   1  Project  Launch  and  1  Project  End  Press  Release  (in  development)   Lessons  Learned   Build  relationships  and  partnerships  The  relationship  with  NRC-­‐IRAP  helped  the  college  gain  a  better   understanding  of  and  adapt  to  the  many  specialized  needs  that  arise  from  the  industry  sectors  and  types  of   businesses  operating  throughout  the  region.  Partnerships  with  business  support  providers  helped  Selkirk  College   market  training  opportunities,  generate  referrals,  and  best  position  itself  as  part  of  landscape  of  service   providers  that  support  companies  in  the  region.    Partnerships  with  other  post-­‐secondary  institutions  helped  to   identify  pockets  of  expertise  from  elsewhere  that  could  benefit  our  region  (e.g.  Technology  for  Builders   workshops).    Selkirk  College  will  continue  to  look  for  ways  to  actively  explore  opportunities  to  build   collaborative  partnerships.   Assess  needs  and  manage  expectations  It  is  important  to  take  the  time  needed  to  assess  SMEs’  specific  needs   rather  than  just  stepping  in  and  delivering  what  you  believe  they  need.  It  has  been  useful  to  take  a  SME  cluster   approach  to  needs  assessment  research  and  targeted  support  to  companies.    For  example,  this  project  targeted   agricultural  businesses  in  the  Boundary  and  Creston  areas,  hospitality  and  tourism  businesses  in  Christina  Lake   and  Revelstoke,  forestry  and  manufacturing  businesses  in  the  West  Kootenay  corridor.    Taking  a  methodical   approach  to  assessing  resources,  time  and  staff  was  also  key  to  ensuring  decisions  were  based  on  the  capacity   to  deliver  measurable  results.       Get  students  involved    Co-­‐op  students  from  the  geospatial  and  business  administration  programs  played  a   significant  role  in  this  project,  contributing  over  2000  hours  of  research,  training,  advisory  and  direct  support  to   companies.    Utilizing  student  expertise  has  been  an  extremely  effective  way  to  enhance  student  learning   through  applied  research  and,  at  the  same  time,  address  the  technology  needs  of  companies.  Faculty  members   are  critical  to  ensuring  quality  learning  opportunities  are  identified  and  supported.     4   Build  capacity  by  doing  Identify  capacity  limitations  early  in  the  project  and  collectively  work  to  address  those   challenges.    A  lack  of  awareness,  coordination,  and  purposeful  alignment  of  applied  research  activities,  and  a   lack  of  institutional  and  administrative  support  at  the  college  were  identified  at  the  beginning  of  the  project.    An   explicit  goal  of  this  project  was  to  work  to  build  capacity  in  these  areas  ‘by  doing’.    Selkirk  College  now  has  the   capacity  to  continue  and  even  expand  the  scope  of  support  it  can  offer  to  companies  and  communities.   Next  Steps   Selkirk  College  plans  to  continue  to  deliver  ADT-­‐related  support  through  in-­‐class  projects,  NSERC  Applied   Research  and  Development  grants,  by  brokering  partnerships  with  other  post-­‐secondary  institutions,  and  is   actively  seeking  National  Research  Council,  Natural  Sciences  and  Engineering  Research  Council  of  Canada,   and/or  Western  Economic  Diversification  funding  in  order  to  build  on  the  momentum  generated  from  this   project.    Future  support  will  build  on  identified  expertise  in  geospatial  and  digital  media  technologies  and   possibly  other  areas  and  is  expected  to  include  applied  research  with  companies  in  the  following  areas:   • • • • • • Remote  Sensing     Digital  Mapping     Data  Storage  and  Management     Rapid  Prototyping     Repetitive  Manufacturing     3  D  Modelling     • Develop  an  ARI  Strategic  Plan  building  on  recent  ARI-­‐related  consultation  and  research  efforts  and   recent  lessons  learned  from  the  ADT  project,   Develop  ARI  policies,  processes  and  procedures,   Develop  an  Institutional  Enterprise  Model  and  related  systems  for  self-­‐funded  institutes  and   departments  to  support  the  integration  of  ARI  within  administrative  functions,   Establish  mechanisms  to  support  the  consolidation  and  coordination  of  ARI-­‐related  activities,  evaluation   and  reporting  and  communications,     Establish  mechanisms  to  encourage  and  support  faculty  and  student-­‐led  ARI  activities  (i.e.  release  time,   research  internships,  community  service  learning  placements),  and   Create  opportunities  to  share  ARI  stories  and  celebrate  successes.     This  project  served  to  reinvigorate  an  Applied  Research  and  Innovation  (ARI)  Working  Group  at  Selkirk  College.     This  group  is  now  actively  moving  forward  on  recommendations  aimed  at  further  improving  applied  research   and  innovation  capacity,  including:       • • • • •   Selkirk  College  is  also  now  well  positioned  to  broker  the  support  of  other  post-­‐secondary  institutions  that  can   offer  specialized  technological  expertise  outside  the  scope  of  existing  Selkirk  College  capacities  and  capabilities.     For  example,  an  MOU  will  be  signed  between  Selkirk  College  and  BCIT  to  support  commercialization  related   needs  of  companies  in  the  region,  a  geospatial  research  partnership  is  being  explored  with  College  of  New   Caledonia,  and  opportunities  for  partnerships  related  to  ‘mapping  market  opportunities’  are  being  explored.   Future  training  and  applied  research  efforts  will  continue  focus  on  identified  SME  cluster  needs,  actively  building   college  applied  research  capacity,  and  incorporating  lessons  learned  from  this  project.   The  success  of  the  Selkirk-­‐SME  ADT  project  is  further  evidenced  by  our  National  Research  Council  success  story:   http://www.nrc-­‐cnrc.gc.ca/eng/irap/dtapp/resources/casestudy_05.html       5