Red River College Polytechnic
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

Learning is a core value at Red River College Polytechnic. It is at the heart of our mission. It underlies all of our day-to-day business activities. As a Top 100 Employer, RRC Polytech is committed to providing professional growth opportunities for all employees through a blend of programs and services aimed at enhancing the College’s learning environment and the effectiveness of its employees in serving our students.

Some examples of ways RRC Polytech staff have access to internal sustainable professional development are listed below.

Employees of Red River College Polytechnic have access to tuition-waived Continuing Education courses (classroom delivery), subject to availability. In addition, all RRC staff have access to funding support for professional development opportunities which can be used towards Distance Education courses, or other external professional development opportunities. This includes sustainability focused and inclusive courses.

All staff are required to complete the following courses:

- Respectful College: This course orients staff to RRC Polytech’ Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment policy and explores what harassment and discrimination looks (and doesn’t look) like, the process and obligation to disclose incidents of sexual violence, and how staff can, in practical terms, do their part to ensure that everyone at RRC Polytech experiences respect.

- Four Seasons of Reconciliation: Four Seasons of Reconciliation follows Indigenous principles and was formed under the guidance of our Indigenous Advisory Circle and the First Nations University of Canada. This resource can assist staff in providing respectful reconciliation education in the workplace. This unique two-hour 33-minute online course promotes a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians through transformative learning about truth and reconciliation.

- Anti-Racism: A Journey to Allyship: This new course tackles urgently needed and under-acknowledged issues of racism in Canada with a particular – but not exclusive – focus on anti-black racism. Opening with a stunning short documentary from Canadian journalist Desmond Cole, this course cracks open concepts of privilege, unconscious bias and decision-making, the difference between anti-racism and systemic racism, why microagressions are called “death by a thousand cuts” and why silence makes things worse. Staff leave with concrete actions they can take towards racial equity and tackling discrimination that make a difference.

- Accessible Customer Service: RRC Polytech employees are obligated to provide accessible customer service to everyone in the workplace, including students, fellow employees, and members of the public. This course includes an introduction on barriers to accessibility, how to remove them, and a review of several case studies. The course includes three short quizzes. This course is mandatory within 14 days of hire at RRC Polytech.

RRC Polytech’s ENGAGE provides common needs training and development to all RRC Polytech staff across the employee lifecycle. Driven by College strategy, in consultation with employees and leaders, ENGAGE sessions align with RRC Polytech’s Values of Learning, Respect, Inclusiveness, Integrity, Sustainability and Service to Community. These courses are optional but are made available to all staff. Some examples include:

- The Blanket Exercise: In this workshop, a team of trained facilitators guide participants assuming character roles of Indigenous people and government officials through a chronological narrative where blankets represent North America’s land base. Through this facilitated simulation, you will experience your characters ‘outcome’ as you literally ‘walk’ through an experience of colonization to present day. The day also includes a de-brief sharing circle, guided by a RRC Polytechnic Elder in Residence, to discuss the learning experience, process feelings, ask questions, share insights, and deepen your understanding.

- Gender and Sexual Identities: Advancing Understanding and Inclusion: This training aims to enhance Red River College Polytechnic employees’ understanding of gender and sexual diversity identities, and provide strategies for advancing inclusion.

- The Working Mind: Virtual Training for Employees: The Working Mind is an education-based program designed to address and promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness in a workplace setting. Developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, it provides training for employees and managers alike to support mental health conversations, self-awareness and increased resilience. This half-day workshop aims to increase awareness of mental health, reduce the stigma of mental illnesses, and offer resources to maintain positive mental health and increase resiliency. All employees are encouraged to take this training.

RED Forum: RED Forum is an annual event focusing on Relationships, Education, and Direction and is geared towards greater engagement and more opportunities to network and to learn about on-going and new developments at our College. RED Forum’s theme focuses on the main priorities in RRC Polytech’s Strategic Plan, In Front of What’s Ahead, offering professional development and networking sessions for staff to choose from. Some examples of sessions from past years relating to sustainability include:
- STARS and Beyond
- Promoting Wahkowtowin and Moving to Reconcili-ACTION
- Reconciliation in Post-Secondary Education with The Honourable Murray Sinclair
- Shifting from Unconscious Bias to Conscious Inclusion
- Creating Reconciliation through Metis-Cree Beading to become an Up-Stander in Indigenous Education
- Leaders and Community Developers: A Discussion with Indigenous Women in Leadership Roles
- Herb Your Enthusiasm: An Experiential Tour of the RRC Greenhouse
- Bust Your BS! Navigating Blind Spots and Bias
- Iga Mamawi Wiijiitimin "We Will Help Each Other": Vulnerability, Microagressions & Indigenous Achievement
- Keeping Paper from Becoming a Staple in the Classroom

The Sustainability Office holds an annual State of Sustainability on Earth Day which provides staff with an overview of sustainability at the college, a report on our performance over the past year, and a preview of the goals for the upcoming year. This session is recorded and made available to staff at any time. In addition, the office regularly organizes workshops on various topics for staff and students. Some examples of past workshops include: Winter Cycling 101, Meet the Bees (hands-on beekeeping workshop), Honey Extraction Workshop, The A-B-C’s of Cycling, and The Carbon Tax and You.

LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning is an online educational platform that helps all levels of learners discover and develop workplace business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos. RRC Polytech staff and students have unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning at no cost. The college has curated self-directed LinkedIn Learning Collections of videos and courses to help staff get started. Some examples of these collections are listed below:

- Unconscious Bias Collection – includes courses on: Unconscious Bias, Cultivating Cultural Competence and Inclusion, Developing Cross-Cultural Competence, Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences, Communicating Across Cultures, and Developing Self-Awareness.
- Self-Care Collection – includes courses and videos on: Mindfulness, Well-being, Resilience, and Stress Management.
- Sustainability LinkedIn Learning Collection – At RRC Polytech our lens derives from the 1987 report of the Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future. We are committed to carrying out our institutional mandate in a manner that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” We recognize the interconnectedness and interdependence of the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability and work to strike that balance in everything we do.

CCDI Employer Partnership: RRC Polytech is an Employer Partner with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) which provides the college with a number of benefits that will support us on our individual and organizational equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) journey. The following benefits are available to RRC Polytech Staff: CCDI Monthly Webinars, CCDI Knowledge Repository, and
CCDI Monthly Newsletter.