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| March 2009 |
Vol 1, Edition 17 |
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Algonquin College
International E-Newsletter |
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 Dear Nadia
It's Spring!
The sun is shining once again and as Canadians, we are anxious to get out and enjoy the longer days, warmer weather and our traditional Canadian BBQ's. It also means another academic year is coming to an end. Students are busy preparing their final assignments and studying for exams which will be held in a few short weeks.
Both Nadia and I will be travelling abroad in April to attend some educational fairs.
Expect to see Nadia in Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico as she expands our marketing into the Latin American markets and for myself, well, I will be participating in the upcoming Canadian Education Centre (CEC) fairs in India and hope to see some of you there!
In this edition of our newsletter, we decided to give you some good news for your students... there is an article about the "hot" gaming industry in Canada. For many students, there are concerns about studying abroad and the current economic downturns affecting the job market, but it is always important to look for where the jobs are and so I hope you enjoy this latest upbeat news article.
Warm Regards,
Nadia Ramseier
Susan Olszynko
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Video Game Industry: Important for the future of Canada |
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 Boom, not doom, in video-game sector:
Canada's thriving industry now world's third-largest
By Vito Pilieci, The Ottawa Citizen March 25, 2009
According to a study released today by the Electronic Software Association of Canada (ESAC), more than 14,000 people are now directly employed by more than 247 Canadian video-game companies. And the number balloons higher once related jobs such as those in retail and transportation are included.
The head count is enough to see Canada leapfrog Britain to become the world's third-largest hotbed for video-game development talent, trailing Japan and the U.S.
A study conducted by ESAC last year indicates the need for more video game-oriented education programs at Canadian institutions. In Ottawa, Algonquin College offers a 3-year Game Development program. As in any booming industry, finding top-notch talent is getting hard and competition is fierce among gamemakers. And the competition will only grow: according to ESAC's study, Canadian video game developers hope to add as many as 29 per cent more employees by 2011.
Ottawa is feeling the video-game heat. Fuel Industries Inc. is ready to take on 30 people -- a 30-per-cent increase over the next year. The company is looking within Ottawa for employees, and is holding a job fair at its Ottawa offices on April 1. Fuel is also opening or expanding offices in Colorado and Los Angeles.
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Game Development Program: Market Driven |
Massive industry demand in regions of Canada, the United States and throughout the world led to the creation of the Algonquin Game Development program. It is the first program of its kind in Ontario, and the first in Canada concentrating on game design and development and recognized by the Ministry of Education in the province of Ontario.
There are about 25 different career paths for game developers. Game designers, developers, programmers, and engineers are the main employment opportunities. But jobs like graphic designer or software developer are other options. Animator; sound designer, game tester, level and character designer or video creators are other possibilities. Program Coordinator Tony Davidson has been involved with the program since its creation in 2005, and explains how relevant this college program is for the industry as a whole.
" With the help of Professional Game Developers who are hired to work with them on their final projects, our students produce games of commercial quality for PC and XBox."
" This program is unique in that it will teach both programming and game design to the students."
"Even though, every semester, we welcome a big cohort of over 80 students, our program is always wait-listed early. And since it is geared towards an industry, and calls for, not only programming skills, but more creative qualities, our program attracts students from all over the world, some of whom have already competed a degree."
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Algonquin Student Connecting Punjabis around the World Wide Web |
 
Since he graduated from Algonquin's Interactive Multimedia program in 2008, Tejpreet Singh Dulat from Patiala, India, has been busy working on a social network website similar to Facebook, and designed to connect Punjabis around the world - www.saanj.net
Saanj is a Punjabi word, which means 'shared connections'. These shared connections are what www.saanj.net is all about. Beside re-connect with childhood friends, classmates from school and colleagues, learn more about the community, make new connections and stay in touch with friends and family around the world, www.saanj.net also enables its member to join groups or participate in forums on various topics like entertainment, matrimonial issues and Study in Canada.
Tejpreet, who had completed his Masters in journalism in India prior to studying Interactive Multimedia at Algonquin College, is also working for a South Asian Radio Station called "Radio Humsafar" and applying for different jobs in the Media sector.
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Nadia Ramseier, Assistant Manager, Marketing and Recruitment International Education Centre Algonquin College 1385 Woodroffe Avenue Ottawa, Ontario K2G 1V8 Canada Phone: (613) 727-4723, ext. 5808 Fax: (613) 727-7665 ramsein@algonquincollege.com http://www.algonquincollege.com
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