RRC Polytech open house puts focus on prospective instructors

Jessica Burzminski is ready to answer questions about her job.

Yes, she’s a college instructor. No, she never thought she’d teach. Yes, she did go to school for machining — and yes, she’s happy she’s back on campus.

She’ll be stationed near dozens of colleagues during Red River College Polytechnic’s first open house of its kind for prospective instructors.

The Winnipeg post-secondary is targeting industry professionals interested in teaching. It’s holding campus-wide events on Monday and Wednesday. Roughly 200 people have already registered, though drop-ins are accepted.

“(It’s) being able to come down, look at all the programs and see what’s actually out there,” said Burzminski, RRC Polytech acting chair of the Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics.

Campus tours, instructor testimonials and networking are on the schedule. The goal is to build relationships for current and future positions, said Brad Peters, academic lead of the ‘Industry to Classroom’ event committee.

“Recruitment is an ongoing thing for us,” said Peters, RRC Polytech’s associate dean of continuing education.

The networking nights aren’t borne from necessity, he continued. However, many positions require specific accreditation and can be difficult to fill. Incoming instructors don’t need teacher certifications, but they must fit the needs of the programs they’ll teach.

Health-care and trades slots can be tricky to recruit for, Peters said.

RRC Polytech has more than 150 full- and part-time programs. Micro-credentials are also in rotation.

Its instructor count wasn’t available by print deadline. The number is in the hundreds, Peters estimated.

The post-secondary has held program-specific recruiting nights in the past. It worked with stakeholders on the larger, upcoming events.

“There is a direct correlation between what we’re doing in the polytech and how industry is able to respond from a workforce development perspective,” Peters said. “Everybody benefits from this.”

The first event — competing with Canada’s federal election — will occur at the Exchange District campus, 319 Elgin Ave., from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday. Another will happen Wednesday, same time, at the Notre Dame campus (2055 Notre Dame Ave.).

All six academic schools within Red River College Polytechnic will be represented each night, Peters said. Up to 50 staff — including instructors, deans and academic chairs — should be in attendance.

‘Every day is rewarding. There hasn’t been a day where I was like, “I don’t want to do this anymore”’–Jessica Burzminski

“What this is meant to do is start the conversation, make people aware of the benefits of working at the polytech and really address some of those (recruiting) challenges,” Peters said. “(We can) maybe gain some interest early on.”

Skilled trades, health sciences, business, information technology and creative arts are among the sectors RRC Polytech covers. Presentations during the ‘Industry to Classroom’ events will touch on skillsets needed across programs and student experiences.

Peters expects the networking nights to become an annual occurrence.

Burzminski, 33, took teaching courses while she began her career as a CNC machining instructor. She started in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I felt young. I was also a woman in a male-dominated industry,” the RRC Polytech alum recalled. “(But) within the first week, two weeks, the nerves were gone.”

She’ll encourage others to swap industry for post-secondary careers.

“Every day is rewarding,” Burzminski said. “There hasn’t been a day where I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’”

On Wednesday, RRC Polytech had four external instructor postings listed on its website and two expressions of interest. Advertised pay was between $63,375 and $96,946 per year.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com