16 CASTLEGAR NEWS REVIEW, March 24, 1985 Selkirk College ° The right pla ce, right now a CASTLEGAR NEWS REVIEW, March 24, 1985 v7 NEW EXPANDED at the Cast Selkirk College has undergone a recent more than 60,000 titles, subscriptions to 500 Periodicals, film library Screening room and Student access to typewriters, computers Qs audiovisual playback equipment. FACILITIES . . . The library gar Campus of expansion and now offers and photocopiers as well LEARNING RESOURCES Services extensive Learning Resource Services at Selkirk College are available at the Castlegar and Rosemont campuses. The larger facility at the Castlegar Campus éonsists of two departments: library and audio-visual services. The library contains a collection of more than 60,000 items; subscriptions to about 500 periodicals, Canadian Federal and B.C. government document collections, plus a variety of audiovisual media in the form of cassette tapes, single concept films and videotapes. In addition, photo- copying, calculators, computers, typewriters, microfilm ar in Adult Learning Centres throughout the Selkirk College region. Books, periodicals, films, videotapes and documents may be ordered through these college centres. Audio-visual Services houses a 16 mm film collection of approxi ly 800 titles, a vid P ion and a wide variety of audio-visual equipment for student and faculty use. Production facilities and assistance in their use is also -provided by Audio-visual Services. The Rosemont Campus houses a 6,000-volume technical library and subscriptions to numerous trades journals are collections and playback in the library. For students residing in outlying areas of the college region, copies of the catalog of library holdings may be found at the R library. Special care is taken to have on hand the manuals, journals, periodicals and duplicate copies of instructional audiovisual material that augment the instruction offered in the various trades programs. A city for all seas KEEPING PACE . . . Stud iT IN MOST PROGRAMS For most students attending Selkirk College, the time spent here represents a mere step on the path to a more promising future. University transfer students are here for a year, maybe two, until such time as they can afford to transfer to the degree granting institution of their choice. Students enrolled in the career technology programs are preparing themselves to be a marketable quantity in the labor force. With current unemployment figures hovering near the 20-30 per cent mark, can graduates of the various career in many technology programs prac- honing their skills on modern equipment thot is vant to their training. Forestry, Electronics, Selkirk College ca ti As technological improvements reshape the work- place, then necessarily, career/technological training programs at Selkirk College must keep pace by i ing to the and tech that predominate the way in which work is done today. Technological training in many of the programs offered at Selkirk College utilizes up-to-date equipment Train on hi-tech equipment phic C icati and Electrical trades ining are just a few of the areas that enjoy training on up-to-date apparatus. He explained how, with CAD/CAM, students will design circuit boards electronically on the computer, test them, change them if necessary, and finally produce a finished product on a ing device that routers the circuit design into a fibreglass board. At Selkirk College, computers are figuring into most that often surpasses that to most upon their entry into the workforce. Selkirk College's Forestry Program is a good. example. The department, recognizing the impact of computerization in the forest industry, strives to ensure in ever ing ways. Electrical trades training at the Rosemont Campus introduces students to the realm of industrial applications of computers. In the course of their studies, students experience programmable circuitry on the college's automated sand that students acquire a working k ledge of basic computer programming, and experience on the depart ment's digitizer, plotter and IBM-XT hard-dise computer. “The day is coming when college computers will network with data bases stored in other parts of the province, and may also link up with remote sensing satellites,” said Garth Collins, forestry instructor. Through the use of specialized forestry programs and the digitizer, students learn to produce computer- generated landscape analysis, impact studies and the myriad data that make up a comprehensive forest plan. Once information can be graphically reproduced on a plotter that is computer driven. Recent federal funding allocations now allow Selkirk College to increase the number of these computerized lab stations to six, thereby allowing students to acquire more experience on the isti fi i Another Selkirk College program to benefit from the federal grant is Electronics Technology. Their share of line, the led robot arm and other training aids that illustrate modern applications of electrical technology A new course, Electronic Publishing, offered for the first time in Sept 1985, will i d to aspects of today’s publishing industry. Developed as a one-year certificate program, Electronic Publishing will provide students with the opportunity to use computer. ized work stations, the college's infr: and Y programs be assured of finding jobs on the outside? The dire straits of the economy is a favorite topic with the media, that jobs are scarce in today’s marketplace is one of the facts that faces graduates of any technological or post- secondary institution. However, for graduates of Selkirk College's career technology programs things are not quite as bad as they might appear. A survey of some departments at the college revealed a number of successes in the area of graduate job placement. Two programs, Aviation and Nursing, recorded excel- lent graduate job-placement ratings from recent classes. Both programs report 100 per cent of their 1984 graduates found jobs shortly after completing their Selkirk College training. Of 17 Aviation department graduates, all are reported to be employed in the industry. According to flight instructor Adrian Walker, all but one graduate is working as a pilot. The other is working as a freight agent, with a chance at a flying position as soon as one opens up in that company. Most of the recent Aviation graduates found positions with the smaller charter outfits that operate in Western Canada. Once students gain experience, more opportunities become available to them Walker said. Allied Health Services department head Marg Nickle reports that graduates of the Practical Nursing program are ‘also “mostly employed” shortly after completion of the program. “Many graduates are working, at least part-time,” said Nickle. “Most of those who were able to relocate were able to obtain employment.” Graduate employment in the area of Forest Resources which includes Forestry and Wildland Recreation, is respectable given the current economic condition. Depart- ment head John Adams reported the results of a student i i pl in 1984 as showing 27 of 30 Forestry Technology graduates finding jobs in their field, while 16 of 22 graduates of the Wildland Recreation program found employment in their specific area. Adams indicated that jobs are rarely posted now. Students must go out and find them. While some jobs still exist in government, the greatest potential is in the computerized typesetting equipment. Students will work on projects while they receive instruction in computer graphics, page generation, type setting, writing, photography and graphic design. Similar innovations have been introduced into the Technical Drafting Program. The recent acquisition of a Computer Assisted Design (CAD) station on the Rose. mont Campus now permits those enrolled in the drafting program to experience ized drafting acting area — “pri ” Available employ now tends to be for shorter terms for definite periods. “Graduates have to be prepared to be flexible, willing to move around a lot more and be able to live with less job security now than was the case in previous years,”. said Adams. The Office Administration program in Trail reported a 52 per cent job placement figure for recent graduates. This means that 71 of 114 students found jobs. Some were Similarly, students in the college's Office Adminis tration Program are trained in the use of moderan elec tronic office equi From ized bookkeepi Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Manufacturer (CAD/CAM) station. “Acquisition of a CAD/CAM gives us up-to-the minute technology,” said Bill Susut, head of the college's Electronics Technology. the funding allows the p of new tsand to sp to work pr test equipment. The crown jewel of these new acquisi- receive training on up-to-date electronic office equip tions in the ies Tech will be a C ment. » Secretarial students In this day of “high-tech” work environments it's nice to know you needn't relocate for training in the career/technology of your choice. It is quite likely the training you need is available at the Right Place, Right Now . . . Selkirk College. ployed before ing the course. Helen MeLellan, head of the Office Administration program in Trail said the figures do not represent the total employment picture since several graduates are continuing their education and others are not in a position to begin working at this time. One student who benefitted tremendously from the Office Administration program in Trail is Brian Smitheram of Castlegar. He found a job with the Canada Employment Centre in Trail. even before he completed his training program. Smitheram, 25, was a heavy equipment operator who Computer centre growing Selkirk College's Computer Centre is growing in size as well as scope. A shot in the arm by way of recent federal funding allocations now allows the college to acquire five more of the sophisticated work stations that utilize hard dise computers, digitizers and color plotters. Expansion in this area means more student access to the sophisticated programs that train students in terrain English and Business Administration students make extensive use of the 16-station microcomputer lab as they learn business applications or word processing Computer Technology students and those in Physical Sciences such as Physics and Chemistry gain experience in date management and statistical analysis using the college's instructional mainframe computer. As computer applications in industry become even more forest and envir impact College's computer lab serves other academic and hnok as well. in Bi Administration, English and, of course, Computer Informa- tion Sy T all log computer time in the course of their studies. 80 too, does Selkirk College attempt to keep pace, by offering instruction in computer applications and by expanding to provide growing numbers of students with the opportunity to become familiar with the tools of today’s workplace. Set your sights on a brighter tomorrow and explore all that at the right place — Selkirk College — right now. had been unemployed for a year-and-a-half. With Canada Manpower sponsorship, he retrained into an area where there were jobs available. “Before retraining I'd never even used a typewriter or knew anything about office procedures, so all my training in the (Office Administration) program was extremely helpful,” said Smitheram. As for the career shift, Smitheram said he “really enjoys it.” Job prospects for Hairdressing program graduates are also quite good. Nadine Hatherly, department head of the seven-month Program at the college’s Rosemont Campus, reported promising employment figures for graduates of her program Of recent graduates of the program, 14 out of 16 have found jobs. This is not too surprising since Selkirk College enjoys a reputation as one of the top training centres in this field. Often graduates are placed into apprenticeship positions by the college, as salons often seek graduates through contact with the department. Job prospects bright for gra JOB PLACEMENT . . . Many programs assist in placing their graduates while others include job-search skills training in their curriculum. Recent placement figures for Selkirk College graduates demonstrate that Selkirk College graduates can and often do find em- ployment in their career field after training. Another Rosemont program is Ski Resort Operation and Management (SROAM). Instructor Peter Wood said his program graduates have experienced “nearly 100 per cent employment in the ski industry for seasonal winter positions.” “The ski industry is still largely seasonal and full-time staff is generally small,” Wood said. “It takes a season or two for a graduate to work his way into a full-time position. Our full-time placement rate is probably about 50 per cent within the first year of graduation.” The 11-month SROAM program enrolled 17 students during the last session of the course. He believes most of those will be employed in the ski industry this winter. One SROAM graduate who is placed in the industry and “loves it” is Lou Yardley. She is now employed by Sunshine Village in Banff, Alberta. Yardley says she would never have gotten her job as pi i it at Sunsh Valley without her certificate from Selkirk College. Instructor Wood was instrumental in providing her name for consideration to the Organization. In her estimation, “the ski industry respects the course.” A well attended program on the Castlegar Campus is Business Administration. This two-year program graduated 25 students of which 17 have jobs according to department head Doug Glover. Graduates of this program often find jobs with accounting firms, finance companies and retail operations, as well as government and industry bookkeeping and accounting functions. Judy Pollard, department head of the Social Services Worker and Early Childhood Education programs reported encouraging statistics pertaining to graduates in her disciplines. Early Childhood Education graduates are eligible for employment as day care supervisors, playgroup supervisors, teacher's aides, governesses and other positions dealing with preschool children. The most recent graduates numbered 14, and of those, faculty are aware of eight who have found positions in the workforce. There are several unaccounted for who may be employed that the faculty are unaware of said Pollard Four-season recreational playground The quality of life offered by a is a major component in determining whether one wishes to reside in that community or not. Quality of life is determined by a number of factors and one of those main factors is the recreation opportunities that exist. In Castlegar, those opportunities abound through tap dancing, gy baby ballet to variety hour, canoeing, art and skating for the children. The department offers three sets of programs, September to December, January to May, and June to August, with the fall and winter programs proving most popular. Within each set of programs there are between the natural setting and the efforts of the local R i Department. Castlegar, situated in a mountainous valley at the mouth of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers, is an outdoor recreation paradise. The surrounding mountains offer some of the finest downhill skiing in the province. Cross-country ski trails are within minutes of the community. The rivers, in conjunction with the Arrow Lakes, offer excellent fishing, boating, sailing and wind surfing. The rugged mountain terrain offers a wide variety of hiking and climbing experiences. To augment these natural recreational opportunities, the local Recreation Department plays a very active part in community affairs. The department is responsible for the operation of the Community Complex, two ice arenas, one regional overnight camping park, an outdoor pool plus the programing of numerous city-owned parks and playgrounds. The department's philosophy — “services are provided for alj community residents” — is evident by the high usage each of these facilities receive. A major component of the department is the programing division. It is the aim of the department to offer the widest range of recreational opportunities to the greatest number of people at the lowest cost possible. As a result, the program offers vary from cake decorating, weaving, quilting, dough art to aerobies, dog obedience, jazzercise, volleyball and tennis for adults and 60 and 70 diffe offered. The i ponds with to these activities and it is nothing to see people on registration day waiting in line for over an hour for registration to begin. Because of the demand for and popularity of the programs, the department continually attempts to offer new and different activities. Along with the regular program activities the department offers numerous special events throughout the year. These activities may be geared to children such as Santa's visit, the Easter egg hunt, the waterslide or for senior citizens or the community at large with such activities as fun runs and fitness days. People in Castlegar have come to expect a high quality of recreation experience. Be it either gained by one’s own initiative or through the assistance of the Recreation Department, it is certainly available. The recreation opportunities in the area are only going to grow. With a plan for development of 21 acres of land known as the civic property, service clubs and local government have taken up the challenge of providing additional facilities and beautification of the site. An overnight camping facility initiated by the Kiwanis Club is well underway. Another service club has made some indication that they will be developing a ball field. And finally, a great amount of planning is presently going into the feasibility and planning of an indoor aquatic-fitness centre. Recreation makes Castlegar a nice place to live. IN KI CLI J PED PiouNt a | 7 GOOD TIMES... (Clockwise, from top right): Cross-country skiing at Nancy Greene Provincial Park; lining up that fateful putt at the spectacular 18-hole Castlegar Golf Course; spring skiing at Red Mountain; hiking along e plentiful nature ‘ails near tie city; and windsailing on the Lower Arrow Lake.