RDC expansion to include manufacturing centre

08/29/07
BY ERIN FAWCETT
Red Deer Express

Red Deer College is on track of attracting thousands of more students as the $110 million expansion races to completion.

“The expansion will allow us to enrol another 3,800 students and about 50 new faculty by 2010,” said Rick Tofani, director of applied research and innovation at RDC.

The first phase of the expansion will include a Centre for Trades and Technology, Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing, Centre for Business Enterprise and the Centre for Visual Art.

The new facility, which is currently under construction, will house trades programs including rig technology, power engineering, instrumentation, wire process operator and parts technologist, among others.

The engineering and technology programs, as well as some of the arts programs including ceramics, glass blowing and welding, among others will also be included in the new facility.

“Because we’re focussing on mechanical and electrical engineering for our technology programs we’ll have lots of computer programming, instrumentation and power engineering on the electrical side,” said Tofani. “On the mechanical side we’ll have drafting labs, we’ll have 3D design labs that actually have pieces of equipment to allow us to do reverse engineering graphically.”

Tofani added the Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing will offer the college and its students something new and will expand staffs teaching expertise.

“The Innovation Centre itself will offer equipment that the college doesn’t currently have,” said Tofani. “It’s more focussed on the high industrial machining side of things so we’ll have more specialized and high end welding machines and things like that.”

Tofani added industry dictates what the kind of programs the college teaches on the trades side.

“A lot of it will be focussed very much on the kinds of industries that are present here in Central Alberta and the kinds of equipment that are being run there so that students who are trained here have an advantage with companies right here,” he said.

Part of the first phase of the expansion also includes a new welder/steam fitter and pipe fitter wing on the south portion of the college as well as the new automotive service technician wing on the east side, both of which have already opened and have been available to students.

Tofani added once the first phase of the project is complete, it will allow RDC to train more trades people.

“This will allow more trades people to move into this community to get trained,” he said. “It allows more companies to send more of their people here to get training.”

He added other benefits to the community will include a higher standard of living, more Central Albertans staying and working in the region, more companies will expand as a result of an increase in graduates and there will be a increased employee retention, growth and competitiveness for companies in the region.

Phase one of the project is expected to completed and officially open in September 2008.

Meanwhile, the second phase of the project will include a Health and Wellness Centre.

The centre could include a new swimming pool, ice rink, at least one new gymnasium, and indoor running track and a fitness facility.

It is expected construction on the health and wellness building will begin sometime this year.

“We need this facility,” said Tofani. “We can’t even hold nationals in any event here because our gyms are too small.

“When you have the eight time national volleyball champions who can’t host nationals because the gym isn’t big enough, it’s a real shame.”

Tofani added the second phase of the project is not set in stone.

“There is still a lot of discussion around this second component,” he said.

In addition, Tofani said the community is in support of the expansion at RDC.

“We’ve actually been working on the expansion idea for close to two or two and a half years,” he said. “I, was a consultant at the time, was contracted to go and talk to companies and we started talking about expansion to the trades industry and trades programs and we saw a lot of heads shaking up and down saying that’s what we need.

“It’s been extremely well received.”

Tofani added a number of staff are continuously out in the community speaking with grade students about programs offered at RDC including what will be offered once the newly expanded facility opens.

efawcett@reddeer.greatwest.ca