New Canadian initiatives for Willis College
OTTAWA, ON - Aug 22, 2000

Since 1896, Willis College has been a leader in recognizing emerging job market demands and then developing and delivering the training required to meet those needs.

More importantly, according to Rima Aristocrat, president and CEO of Willis College, is that Willis College is proving consistently that the “power of knowledge” is the engine for life long learning.

Willis College is focused on providing a wide variety of clients with the very best IT training. The College provides technical career training for people who are changing their careers by combining their transferable skills such as management, sales and customer service with the latest technical skills.

Willis also reaches out to corporate, government and public sector organizations, evidence that partnerships are the best solution in providing meaningful technology education in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing environment.

Their current mandate is focussed on providing Ministry of Colleges and Universities-approved educational programs that grant industry certification as an acknowledgement of the growing recognition that certification in technical training is essential for ensuring individual competency and to provide measurable standards within the industry.

The curricula of Willis College are geared to intensive IT technical training for individuals who have a desire to achieve or maintain success in a relevant IT profession.Willis is also creating evening versions of its popular regular daytime offerings, which will be geared towards working professionals wishing to upgrade or expand their skills while remaining in their current jobs.

Willis College is the only Canadian training institution chosen from over 1,300 universities and colleges in North America to become a member of the Microsoft Education Council.

Willis College’s partnership approach continually manifests itself in new ways. Recently, Willis formed an alliance with a local firm, Alcea Technologies, which enables their students to work on real Oracle database development projects while studying at Willis College.

This enables students to gain the practical work experience that is demanded by employers today. “We at Alcea find Willis College graduates ready, willing and most importantly able, not only to meet but also to exceed the demands of the challenging Oracle environment,” says Alcea president Robert Lacasse. “The Alcea and Willis College partnership recognizes the necessary fusion of industry and education that has become essential for both parties to maintain the cutting edge.

Because their focus is on providing training, human resources development and e-learning capabilities, Willis College is an ideal partner for the global marketplace. The countries initially identified in the Willis College global market development strategy are Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Greece, India, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

All these countries urgently require a number of IT workers in order to attract investors and new enterprises as well as to build their respective economy in the global knowledge market place.

The lifelong love of learning extends beyond the College’s classrooms. Last May, Willis College donated technology support and training to the Kanata Seniors’ Centre. “Once again, they are demonstrating their strong commitment to the community,” said Kanata Mayor Merle Nicholds. “Thanks to Willis, Kanata seniors are going to receive the computer training and support they need to get connected to technology, and the opportunities this would open up to them.”