Winnipeg Adult Education organizes Micro-Credential training for its students

Winnipeg Adult Education Centre (WAEC) recently hosted a two-day micro-credential training event for approximately 300 adult students to help boost their skill sets with training that employers find valuable. 

"We designed this program to give our students an edge in the job market," said WAEC Principal Dino Di Fabrizio. "These certifications show employers that students have specific skills they need right now." 

Students attended from multiple WAEC campuses, including its main Isbister campus, three adult learning centers, and the Adolescent Parents Center. 

Planning took several months to secure all the partnerships and course facilitators. WAEC partnered with several local organizations to offer training.  

"Our main partners are the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, Manitoba Adult Literacy Training Initiative and Manitoba Tourism Education Council," Di Fabrizio explained.  

"We also contacted several colleagues in Winnipeg School Division to help us deliver sessions. For example, WSD's nutrition program food coordinator Eliana Hotz taught the Food Handler Certification course." 

Sherri Cairns, MTEC business analyst and instructor, taught the Manitoba Service Excellence course. She focused on customer service skills and handling difficult situations. 

"It's about customer service, taking it to the next level, and how to resolve difficult situations with customers," said Cairns. "Sometimes, when upset, customers just want to be heard, and we need a positive attitude and engage with them with a smile."  

Cairns, who has worked with MTEC for nearly 20 years, believes these certifications are valuable to employers. 

"Many employers come to MTEC, especially in the hospitality field, where they're looking for specific training like customer service," Cairns said. "Manitoba Service Excellence is about having consistency in customer service."

During the planning process, WAEC consulted with all students and community partners to choose short courses that could lead to valuable certifications.  

"We looked for courses that would provide students with certification," said Di Fabrizio. "They had to be short courses because we only had two days to deliver them."
 
Other courses offered included RELATE training, Cleaning It Right, Handling Difficult Situations, the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and Respect in School.   

RELATE training equips staff with strategies for de-escalating situations, managing stress, and building resilience to better support students. 

A special three-day Driver’s Ed training was also included to give students theory lessons before they began their driving lessons. Driver Z offers students the tools, knowledge, and confidence to improve their driving ability, reduce risk, and prevent collisions. 

Sierra Stove, a student, attended the Manitoba Service Excellence and RELATE training to enhance her people skills. She plans to pursue post-secondary education in Psychiatric Nursing at Brandon University, and both micro-credential courses helped improve her customer service. 

The First Aid and CPR course was another popular option. Student Julia Reeks found it extremely valuable. 

"I've learned many things I did not know about," said Reeks. "I learned that with a child, you only use one hand when giving CPR, but it's still the same 30 compressions and then two breaths." 

Reeks plans to use her new certification as a stepping stone toward a career as a paramedic. 

"I'm hoping that once I graduate from here, I will find myself at Red River Polytech for a paramedic course," she explained. "I'm trying to get myself more into First Aid and CPR and learning about helping people." 

During the event, each student could earn multiple credentials. Students could take up to four half-day courses over the two days. 

"We estimated that students earned at least 600 different credentials," said Di Fabrizio. "That's an average of two to three per student."
 
With these micro-credentials on their resume, Di Fabrizio encourages students to start attending upcoming job fairs, such as MTEC’s annual hospitality, tourism & retail job fair, to secure gainful employment in any industry.