Events Calendar All events take place at the New Westminster Campus unless otherwise noted. Tuesday, October 7 Volunteer Fair with Volunteer Burnaby 10am-2pm, Concourse Wednesday, October 8 The Changing Planning Context: From Institutional to Regional Approaches A College-wide forum 4-6pm, Boardroom (Room 4920) Thursday, October 9 Noon at New West: French Impressionism in Music and Artwith Erica Northcott, Kathryn Cernauskas and Barrie Barrington 12:30pm, Performing Arts Theatre Tuesday, October 14 Co-Housing: Community Connections Series Joyce Cameron (DVST) speaks on co-housing 12-1pm, Room 2803 October 14, 21, 28 and November 4 Wenlido Self Defense Course for Women 12-2pm, Room 1231 4-6pm, Women's Centre David Lam menu each. Abbotsford. 604-777-6176. Anticipating A Class Act Prosciutto papaya with avocado roll, bouchees of strawberries or seasonal fruit kebabs. It can all be yours for only $50, and there’s no need There are many exciting items up for grabs in the Partial proceeds will go toward financial aid for student aid and drawing 400 guests. The Executive Plaza Hotel is located at 405 North Road in Coquitlam. For tickets or more information, Dungeness crab with herb sauce, Okanagan apple slices with Stilton rosettes on sour dough baguettes... Now imagine washing these hors d’oeuvres down with some delicate Chablis, earthy Chardonnay or rich Cabernet Sauvignon. Then follow it up with some Frangelico-flavoured white chocolate-covered to feel guilty for such luxurious indulgences, because you will be supporting a great cause — the Douglas College Foundation’s annual fundraiser, A Class Act. The classy affair, featuring entertainment, great door prizes and a live and silent auction, takes place Thursday, November 13 from 7 to 9:30pm at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam. Students from Douglas College's Hotel and Restaurant Management Program are involved in organizing the event. Representatives from several wineries will be on hand, pouring four to six wines auctions including a fishing trip donated by Langara Fishing Lodge in the Queen Charlottes (valued at over $3,500), one night at the Narmata Heritage Inn and Spa for two, and donation of a private wine tasting for 12 people ata A Very Fine Winery in students in the College’s Hotel and Restaurant Management, Athletics and Dispensing Optician programs and the CKNW Orphans Fund. Last year’s festival sold out, raising more than $26,000 for contact the Douglas College Foundation at Douglas College acts fast to meet labour market needs Stephen Gee found work at Home Depot after taking the Light Warehouse Training Program Douglas College honours its own The Sixth Annual Recognition Reception and Retirement Dinner will be held on October 24. This year we will be recognizing a total of 57 employees for 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service and honouring 20 employees who have retired. Also, the 2003 Awards of Excellence will be presented. The Recognition Reception will be held in the main cafeteria from 4:30pm until 6pm. The Retirement Dinner will follow. To purchase tickets call Danean Gray, Employee Relations Assistant, 604-527-5667. Coming next month in the INside: profiles on the winners of the Educational Excellence awards. Honouring the entrepreneurial spirit The Douglas College Self- Employment Program will host its Seventh Annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards on October 22 at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam. The event will be attended by more than 400 guests including members of the College Board and President Susan Witter, as well as graduates and staff of the Self- Employment Program. The Entrepreneur of the Year Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and success of businesses started through the Douglas College Self- Employment Program, which works with unemployed people who want to become entrepreneurs. Since the Program started in 1995, it has helped launch over 1,500 businesses in the local area. It is the largest and most successful Self- Employment Program in Canada. Statistics for the Program show that 94 percent are still in business after one year, when the national average for other self-employment programs is 28 to 30 percent. After four years, 67 percent are still in business. For more information, call 604-788-4588. Job markets don’t stand still. Many people are interested in fast- turnaround, skills-focused training that helps them find employment quickly. That’s where Douglas College’s Quick Response Fund comes in. “We want to create opportunities that give students access to the College and the workforce,” says Jan Lindsay, Dean of the Faculty of Child, Family and Community Studies and Chair of the Quick Response Committee. “If you can target a particular skill deficit and provide the appropriate training, you can help a person develop the skills they need to quickly get a job.” Douglas College earmarked $300,000 in the 2003/ 2004 budget for the Quick Response Fund, which so far has supported five programs designed to provide quick turnaround, skills-based training that meets the needs of the labour market. The programs are: Light Warehouse Training, Working with High Risk Youth, Community Mental Health Worker, Customer Service and Cashier Training, and Palliative Care for Care Aides. Programs like these are a first step for many people, says Lindsay. “Some students don’t feel ready for a two-year program or university transfer courses. A short program increases their confidence. As they develop their study skills, they may start to think that maybe this is just the beginning.” The BC Government was responsible for introducing quick response funding and Douglas College decided to continue the initiative. This year, the College set its own budget for Quick Response programs. “There’s a need for short-term career- related programs that we can mount quickly to meet the needs of the changing job market,” says College President Susan Witter. Lindsay adds, “Faculty usually have connections with their employment areas through advisory committees and networking with employers in their field, so they know where there’s a need for specialized training,” says Lindsay. Sometimes there’s a request from the community. “We're running a second round of the Light Warehouse Training Program because employers came to the College and said there’s a real need for this type of training,” says Lindsay. The Palliative Care for Care Aides Program is offered collaboratively with the Hospital Employees Union for workers displaced by health-care restructuring. The Quick Response Fund also allows the College to test new programs as pilot projects, assessing demand before launching a longer program. In the case of the Working with High Risk Youth Program, some courses are transferable to Douglas College’s Child and Youth Care Counsellor Diploma Program ifa student decides to continue their education. “This program was created to provide workers with the skills needed to help troubled youth in communities like Surrey and the downtown East Side,” says Lindsay. Geraldine Street, the Faculty Coordinator for Continuing Education in Health Sciences, says the Quick Response Fund’s support of the Community Mental Health Worker Program increased access for students. This program was planned for 16 students, but 24 students were able to enrol because of the increased funding. “Employers want a knowledgeable workforce,” says Street. “Our graduates are employed all over the Lower Mainland.”