RRC Polytech tallies pair of tech programs

Red River College Polytechnic has announced two new degree programs aimed at preparing students to meet workforce demands in Manitoba industries such as engineering and manufacturing.

The first cohorts working toward bachelor of technology degrees in advanced manufacturing and mechatronics will enter the classroom in January at the Winnipeg college’s Notre Dame Avenue campus.

The two programs include a foundation in research methods, Indigenous worldviews and Industry 4.0 technologies to equip graduates with the skills and confidence to take on increasing responsibility in the workplace, RRC Polytech announced earlier this week.

They offer more options for existing students, graduates and mid-career professionals, the school said.

Through the college’s two- plus one-year degree-completion model, students can build on their existing technical training, such as an engineering technology diploma, and earn a bachelor’s degree in as little as one additional year.

There are full- and part-time completion options.

“We recognize that we have graduates from our technology diploma programs who are really interested in moving into leadership positions within advanced manufacturing and mechatronics,” said Christine Watson, vice-president academic.

“This gives our learners an opportunity to stay in Manitoba and use their strong technical education to leverage into degrees that their employers and Manitoba can benefit from.”

Graduates who emerge from these programs will be an asset to employers in Manitoba, she added, especially in fields such as automation, robotics, manufacturing, data and cyber security.

“Our degree programs really prepare people to work across systems — to redesign processes, use data, lead continuous improvement and really turn technology into a competitive advantage for Manitoba businesses,” Watson said.

In the advanced manufacturing program, students will gain hands-on experience with techniques and technologies that are reshaping the manufacturing industry. The program caters to both SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) and large enterprises.

Meanwhile, students working toward a mechatronics degree will study automation, robotics and Industry 4.0 (a term that refers to the trend toward digital transformation across manufacturing and industrial practices).

The flexible structure of RRC Polytech’s bachelor’s degree model allows students to study while working full-time, upskill during their career by building on prior education and experience, and program from technical training to degree-level study, the school said.

This model responds to growing demand for post-secondary qualifications in Manitoba’s labour market, the college said in its announcement. It pointed to the provincial government’s most recent labour market outlook, which forecasts that nearly 70 per cent of all job openings between 2025 and 2029 will require some form of post-secondary education.

The two new programs will produce the exact kind of professionals manufacturers need, said Mike Nicholson, general manager at Winnipeg-based Price Electronics.

“(They’ll) hit the ground running and help us out … adding automation to improve reliability, collecting data so that we can optimize our factories and adding robotics,” said Nicholson, who sits on an advisory board at RRC Polytech’s Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics.

Graduates of the two new programs will also have better job prospects, he added.

“You’re graduating with a degree, so I think that opens up the opportunities for them to apply for more senior jobs.”

RRC Polytech has set aside 30 seats in the first cohort in each of the two new degree programs, Watson said.

aaron.epp@winnipegfreepress.com