New name, new opportunities for College contract trainers

October 17, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Timing was right for Douglas College's Coquitlam-based contract training division to change its name from Centre 2000 to The Training Group at Douglas College.

"We've been Centre 2000 since the mid-90s. Our clients - individuals, industry, government and community organizations - will get to know us as The Training Group. It's the perfect name because training is our specialty," says Training Group Director Bob McConkey. The Training Group is a major training operation serving the Tri-Cities region, says McConkey, and generates several million dollars annually from training services.

Success has evolved from the combined strengths of Douglas College and two key service streams: customized training for regional businesses and career-search and transitional services for people on Income Assistance. Years of working with Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) clients has led to some of the best results in the nation. The Group's Self-Employment Program trains income assistance recipients to run their own businesses. Graduates have started over 1,500 local businesses, with 76 percent still operating after three years. That compares with national rates that hover around 30 percent after one year. On the other hand, people seeking a new career instead of a new business are also served, through programs such as Training for Jobs and Career Builder.

The get-it-done track record enabled the division to earn the first ISO 9001 designation for high service standards ever awarded to a B.C. institution. The designation was presented by the International Standards Organization in 2000 following an intensive 10-month review process.

It's time to build on those accomplishments, says McConkey. "Clients succeed in our employment-transition and self-employment programs. The next step is to take our successful training tools and make them more available to small-business operators and the broader business community. As part of this, we also want to increase activity in industry-specific certification training, such as we have provided for the Motor Dealers Standards Association of BC," says McConkey. "It's exciting to build on things that we do well as a Group and that includes opening doors for people to access professional and college programs."

For more information on The Training Group, please call 604-777-6150.

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For more information, please contact:
Kim Fehr, Communication and Marketing Office: 604-527-5325