Month: April 2016

New program to launch at Algonquin College in January with space for 20 apprentices.

Students considering a rewarding career designing, building, and maintaining landscapes will have another opportunity in January 2017.

With input and direction from the horticulture industry, Algonquin College has been approved by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to offer the Horticulture Technician apprenticeship program, creating 20 new spaces for apprentices in the Ottawa region.

This ‘earn while you learn’ program will complement the College’s existing diploma program to support the growing need for a skilled horticulture workforce in Eastern Ontario. Algonquin College will deliver the 720 hours of in-school training to apprentices which complements their 5,400 hours of on-the-job training. Both the apprenticeship and diploma programs will serve the need of postsecondary graduates and the existing workforce who aspire to gain skills through these recognized programs.

“We are thrilled to offer this new programming opportunity, investing in both our future workforce and in our Green Infrastructure,” said Robyn Heaton, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Media, and Design. “Algonquin College is already a significant educator of horticulture professionals in our region, and we are looking forward to expanding our offerings to meet the needs of students and employers.

Richard Rogers CLM, of RJ Rogers Landscaping of North Gower, Ont., and Ontario College of Trades Horticulture Technician Trade Board Member, said, “The horticulture technician apprenticeship program has been a tremendous benefit to our company for the past 34 years. It has been a valuable training resource giving us greater ability to retain employees while increasing our firm’s skill level. We would not be where we are today without it.”

“Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association is delighted to know that the Horticulture Technician Apprenticeship program will be delivered at Algonquin College. We applaud the MTCU and Algonquin College for their progressive support of the horticulture profession that grows, designs, builds and maintains Green Infrastructure. Green Infrastructure continues to be recognized for its contribution to enhancing lives by providing health, wellness, environmental, social and economic benefits to every community. The continued growth in demand puts pressure on the need for a skilled workforce; the addition of this apprenticeship training program at Algonquin College will support the development of the horticulture profession’s future workforce,” said Sally Harvey CAE, CLM, CLT, Landscape Ontario’s Manager of Education, Labour Development and Eastern Ontario Region.

For more information on Horticulture Technician apprenticeship programs in Ontario, visit www.horticulturetechnician.ca or contact the Landscape Ontario Horticulture Technician Association (LOHTA) apprenticeship team at apprenticeship@landscapeontario.com.

A hard drive containing names and grades of past students in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program was stolen from an Algonquin College professor’s car on April 8, 2016. The Ottawa Police Service has been notified of the theft.

This unencrypted hard drive contained the names and grades of approximately 474 students enrolled in the GIS program from 2005 to 2016. This includes students who undertook GIS courses 4204, GIS and 4304. A subset of the students who undertook GIS course 1003 – 43 students in total – also had their phone numbers, personal and college email addresses, and student numbers compromised.

The College is sending detailed letters to the 474 potentially affected students via their College email account and by sending written letters to their last known street address. Concerned individuals can call the toll-free help line set up for this incident at 1-844-853-0326 or by sending an email query to icthelp@algonquincollege.com.

Algonquin College is covering the cost of credit bureau monitoring and identity theft protection for two years for potentially affected students. The College has also notified the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of Ontario of this matter.

The College is taking the matter seriously, and sincerely regrets that this occurred. The College is reaching out to all affected students whose personal information was compromised, and reminding our staff about the various resources available to keep sensitive College data safe.

How did this happen?

On approximately April 8, 2016, an Algonquin College Professor’s briefcase was stolen from his personal vehicle. The theft was reported to the Ottawa Police Service. In the briefcase was an unencrypted external hard drive that contained student names and course grades from approximately 474 students in the Geographic Information Systems program that attended Algonquin College from 2005-2016.

How long have you known?

We were made aware of this incident shortly after it occurred on April 8, 2016.

Why did it take so long for you to notify?

The incident occurred on approximately April 8, 2016. We sent out information advisories via email and regular mail to all applicants that were impacted within ten (10) business days.

What personal information was involved?

For the majority of affected students, the personal information that was stolen was the following:

• Last Name
• First name or First name initial
• Various course grades including final grade.

The information sent did not include phone number, street address, birth date, social insurance number, personal health information, account user ID or password, banking information or credit card information.

In a small number of cases that applies only to students that took course GIS1003, the information also included student ID number, telephone number, Algonquin College email address, personal email address, and course taken.

Who received my personal information?

The information was stored on an unencrypted hard drive that was stolen out of a professor’s vehicle.

Does this affect course grades?

No. Course grades remain unchanged.

Did the College lose my course results?

No. The College still has your master copy course grades stored in our central system.

Are changes being made to ensure this does not re-occur?

Yes. This was an isolated incident. We take our role in safeguarding personal information very seriously. We are also committed to implementing the necessary remediation steps to minimize the possibility of future incidents of this nature.

Have you had reports of identity theft related to this incident?

No. We have not received any reports of identity theft or other misuse.

I did not receive an email or notification letter. Does this mean my personal information was not affected?

If you are not on our list of approximately 474 students, then this does not affect you.

I know someone who didn’t receive an email or notification letter.

Please have them contact us soonest so we can send them the appropriate information.

Did you call the police?

Yes. The Ottawa Police Service was notified.

Should I be concerned?

We have uncovered no evidence of misuse. However, we advise that the affected take the precautions set out in the letter that was sent to them.

For the sixth year in a row, Algonquin College ranks first in Student Satisfaction amongst large Ontario colleges according to the 2015 Key Performance Indicator (KPI) survey data. The 2015 KPI numbers were released today by Colleges Ontario.

The College’s score of 80.4 once again exceeded the provincial average of 76.8 and represents an increase from last year’s score, which was 80.2.

“On behalf of the College, thank you to our students for once again giving us a strong mark in student satisfaction,” said Claude Brulé, Senior Vice President, Academic, Algonquin College. “We take pride in our efforts to ensure students have a positive and meaningful learning experience, and will continue to strive for that “A”.”

The KPI survey is a government mandated survey administered to Ontario community college students. All students who are in full-time funded programs (except those in their first semester) are surveyed in class to determine their satisfaction with college programs and services. To ensure all students have an opportunity to complete, three survey periods are conducted during the year (June, November and February). Survey results are compiled by a third party research firm (CCI Research). Students are asked to rate their satisfaction with their program outcomes, the quality of learning experiences, the quality of services, the quality of facilities and resources, and their overall satisfaction – where Algonquin placed first among large colleges for the sixth straight year.

While 80.4 per cent of Algonquin College students said they were satisfied, just 4.9 per cent were dissatisfied – below the provincial average of 5.6. The remainder were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied”.

See full 2016 results at www.collegesontario.org.