July 2010
Please join us in welcoming Tom McFee as the Business Training Coordinator. Tom was most recently General Manager of the Flying J Travel Plaza, where he had worked since 2008, and prior to that Tom was an owner/operator of Grapes Kenaston Village from 2003-2008 and the managing partner of Grapes Pembina Trail from 2006-2008.
You can reach Tom at 957-7437 or 1-800-820-6832 or by email at tmcfee@mtec.mb.ca
MTEC’s Business Training for Owners and Managers in the Tourism Industry is off to a successful start, having been delivered to over 100 businesses!
It is well documented that with the right blend of training and planning, you can significantly increase your chances of business success. MTEC’s business training is designed to increase the sustainability and profitability in the tourism industry in Manitoba.
We are still delivering management and supervisory training, teaching how to be good HR managers. What we have added to our curriculum is teaching owners and managers how to be good “business people” by increasing their knowledge in operating their organizations in a good or bad economy.
Many of us in the tourism industry have moved up through the organization with little or no formal training. In some cases this is like driving a small boat. You can become really good at it with experience, but if you get a bigger boat, experience may not be enough. You can’t be a captain of a ship without having formal training, experience and a licence.
As a business owner or senior manager, you are the captain of the ship. When the business succeeds or fails, you get the credit or the blame. We know that many circumstances factor in to business success and failure, but the person running the operation is the one who is ultimately responsible.
Our courses focus on training which directly impacts your bottom line. We currently deliver a business improvement series, which targets some of the core areas of your business such as creative marketing, full limit selling, risk management, business insurance, using your financial statements as a management tool and business planning. All of these workshops are delivered by independent business owners, who possess current relevant education and experience. The topics delivered are specific to our industry.
There is renewed interest in safety & health in the workplace, therefore our government has responded with legislation making safety paramount for all businesses. Many businesses are unaware of their responsibilities under the new legislation, resulting in severe penalties costing in the tens of thousands of dollars. It is imperative that we know our responsibilities and use the best safety practices available to help us sustain a safe, healthy and respectful workplace. MTEC’s SAFE Hospitality has responded to this mandate by integrating specialized safety workshops, which will help our industry stay ahead of current legislation and increase customer and employee satisfaction, safety, retention and improve the bottom line.
Refer to our website for a full list of course descriptions and our training calendar. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Training Coordinator, Tom McFee, at 957-7437 or 800 820-6832 or via email at tmcfee@mtec.mb.ca
MTEC would like to congratulate Canad Inns and True North Sports & Entertainment Limited for being named as two of Canada's 50 Best Top Employers for Young People. These tourism industry members are two of three Manitoba companies to be recognized with the designation.
Indu Brar Named Hotel Manager of NYC Plaza Hotel
MTEC would like to congratulate Indu Brar of the Fairmont Winnipeg for being recently named the new hotel manager for the Plaza Hotel in New York. Best of luck in the Big Apple!
Paletta Family to Break Ground for Hotel in Thompson
Angelo Paletta, his brother Anthony and some partners are breaking ground on an $8-million, 70-room Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in Thompson.
While the new Thompson property may be off the beaten track, Angelo Paletta said he believes the business case is solid. "We really think the extended-stay concept will work well in Thompson," Paletta said. "There are a lot of corporate or business travellers who are going up to Thompson and staying for awhile."
It will be the first Canadian property for the Suburban Extended Stay brand, one of 11 brands marketed by the Choice Hotels International hotel company.
Source: Winnipeg Free Press
MTEC in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC), is looking for individuals to write a pilot certification examination for Travel Counsellors. The CTHRC is currently revising the certification exam for Tourism Counsellors to ensure that it stays up to date with changes that are occurring in the industry.
No experience as a Travel Counsellor is required to write this examination. You will be part of the comparison group to be used for test development purposes. This is a great way for anyone to experience writing an emerit certification exam at no cost.
Examinations will be administered at MTEC between August 9 – 27, 2010.
August 11 1pm to 3pm
August 18 9am to 12noon
August 24 9am to 12noon
The CTHRC is a not-for-profit organization that addresses labour market issues and promotes professionalism in the Canadian tourism sector.
Through our emerit tourism training brand, the Council provides resources that include:
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More than 50 National Occupational Standards
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On-line and paper-based training tools
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National Professional Recognition
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Professional Certification for 26 occupations
As part of the pilot, you will be asked to write a 100-125 question multiple-choice exam at the MTEC office. It will take you 2-2.5 hours to write the examination. There is no need to study for this examination. Your scores will be used in a statistical analysis which will help us determine if the questions in the examination are performing well and should appear on future examinations. Individual scores will be kept confidential.
Examinations will be administered at MTEC between August 9 – 27, 2010.
August 11 1pm to 3pm
August 18 9am to 12noon
August 24 9am to 12noon
If you want to participate in this pilot testing, please respond with your name, contact information, and the preferred exam session by July 23 to lslobodian@mtec.mb.ca
Summer Into Summer Retail Success
Get your business on course and sail into summer retail success with high impact training designed specifically for the retail industry. We are offering 15 complimentary seats for each session, sign up now! *
Cultural Considerations In The Workplace
July 15 | 9:00am - 12:00pm | More Info
MANITOBA BEST
Retail Customer Service Excellence
July 19 | 9:00am - 12:00pm | More Info
Retail Loss Prevention
July 22 | 9:00am - 12:00pm | More Info
Negotiating
July 26 | 8:30am - 11:30am | More Info
New Media Marketing
July 28 | 9:00am - 12:00pm | More Info
*Space is limited in all courses and are offered on a first come first served basis.
All courses will be held at the MTEC Learning Centre, Suite 100 - 1534 Gamble Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Reserve your spot today! To register contact us by email at admin@mtec.mb.ca or by calling (204) 957-7437
This month, we thought it would be nice to introduce you to the friendly voice who answers all you’re ‘It’s Good Business’ Responsible Service and Safety Program inquiries. Joseline Romero has been with MTEC for 10 years and is one of our longest serving staff members. In the time she has been with MTEC, she has moved from general reception duties to being the ‘It’s Good Business’ (IGB) Coordinator.
Joseline is responsible for all of the program administration, coordination of workshops and reporting to the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and employers on the IGB status of potential or current employees. On a monthly basis, Joseline deals with close to 500 servers and 100 managers.
“I really enjoy dealing with the public. I have learned a lot about how people see their work in this industry as a career and I really admire that.”
The program itself has gone through many changes and Joseline has been involved from the start. “We now have a new and improved website that allows people to view the manual, write their exam online and print out their temporary certificate, once they have passed. This makes it much easier for busy servers and managers to access the program. ”
For more information on the “It’s Good Business” Responsible Service & Safety (IGB) Program, contact Joseline Romero at 694-7233 or visit the website http://itsgoodbusiness.ca/
Brandon! Get Ready for MANITOBA BEST!
MANITOBA BEST Service Excellence and MANITOBA BEST Managing Service Excellence will be held in Brandon, Manitoba on July 21 and 22. For more information about these sessions, please contact Luanne Christensen, Training Services Coordinator at
lchristensen@mtec.mb.ca or (800) 820-6832.
From the Canadian HR Reporter, June 14, 2010
Communicating in different languages
In some circumstances, it may be a best practice to communicate with employees in a language other than English or French. This can also be a legal requirement or a matter of life and death where occupational health and safety is concerned. For example, section 25(2) of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act states a copy of the act and any explanatory material prepared by the Ministry of Labour outlining the rights, responsibilities and duties of workers must be provided to workers in English and the “majority language of the workplace.”
Consult Carswell is a Canadian HR work solution that delivers best practices, legal compliance, news, articles and a suite of ready-to-use tools in one easy-to-use online service. For more information, visit www.consultcarswell.com.
Aboriginal Labour Market Update
During the recent labour market downturn, Aboriginals living off-reserve experienced sharper declines in employment rates than non-Aboriginals, according to a Canadian study. Between 2008 and 2009, the average employment rate fell faster for off-reserve Aboriginals than for non-Aboriginals, with the gap widening from 3.5 percentage points to 4.8 percentage points in 2009. The unemployment rate rose more dramatically for Aboriginals, from 10.4 per cent in 2008 to 13.9 per cent in 2009, while the rate for non-Aboriginals rose from six per cent to 8.1 per cent.
Source: “Aboriginal People Living Off-Reserve and the Labour Market: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2008-2009,” Statistics Canada
Council to reduce poverty through education, training
Winnipeg — A council of community leaders will be looking for the best ways to ensure more Manitobans complete education and training that lead to better jobs. The 29-member Premier’s Advisory Council on Education, Poverty and Citizenship brings together Manitobans from public and post-secondary education and training, community development, First Nation, Métis and Aboriginal organizations, and newcomer and refugee organizations.
In 2006 the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Regulation (MR 217/2006) was revised to include a part pertaining to Ergonomic Injuries. Manitoba was the third province in Canada to develop an ergonomics regulation.
Ergonomics can be described as the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population. Essentially, it means fitting the task to the worker. When someone has an ergonomic related injury it is referred to as a musculoskeletal injury (MSI). An MSI is defined as an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, or related soft tissue. Examples of MSIs include sprains and strains, tendonitis, bursitis, and tenosynovitis. Signs of MSIs include swelling, redness, aches, pain, numbness and tingling. Signs may appear suddenly or may appear gradually over a longer period of time.
Every employer is responsible to provide a safe and healthy work environment. An employer can prevent MSI injuries by developing an ergonomics program with the help of the workplace health and safety committee. Part 8 of the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Regulations 217/2006 requires employers to:
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Conduct a risk assessment when they have been made aware of a work activity that creates a risk of sprain and strain injury.
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If the risk assessment identifies a problem, the employer must implement measures to eliminate or reduce the risk of injury.
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Monitor the effectiveness of the measure taken and inform exposed workers of the risk of injury, common signs and symptoms of injuries and provide instruction and training on the how to work to avoid injuries.
Ergonomic hazards can be much trickier to identify than physical or chemical hazards which are usually quite obvious. Some ergonomic hazards include:
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Using force (example: lifting boxes, pushing a cart, pulling a table)
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Repetition – doing the same type of work or using the same muscles or limbs over and over (example: stocking shelves for an eight hour shift)
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Awkward postures (example: bending to reach your work surface, twisting to lift a box, over-reaching)
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Vibration – from machinery (example: operating a fork lift for an eight hour shift)
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Static work – staying in one position for a long period of time (example: a reception worker standing in one spot for an eight hour shift)
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Contact Stress – when a sharp edge of a tool or work station presses against a part of the body (example: using an skinny handled knife)
Why should your staff receive Ergonomic safety training?
Training INCREASES:
Training DECREASES:
Introducing: Ergonomics in the Workplace (Practicable Solutions)
Ergonomic hazards in the workplace have slowly made their way into the public eye. Many of the ways we work such as lifting, reaching, or repeating the same movements may strain our bodies and lead to injuries. Ergonomics prevents these types of injuries by fitting the job to the person using proper equipment and work practices. This results in the safest way to work and prevents workplace injuries.
By making workers more comfortable doing their job employers will see an increase in workplace moral and productivity as well as a decrease in time-loss injuries such as the common sprains, strains, and tears which account for more than 60% of injuries in Manitoba.
This course will give participants the knowledge they need to go into their own workplace and be able to identify the hazard, assess the risk, and find the safer way.
Course Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Time: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Location: MTEC & SAFE Hospitality Offices - Suite 100-1534 Gamble Place, Winnipeg Manitoba
Facilitating this new safety course for us will be Andrew Dolhy. Andrew is a Certified Professional Ergonomist who has over 14 years experience in private industry, government, Manitoba Labour Workplace Safety and Health and an Occupational Health Centre. Andrew has performed assessments and training in over 200 different workplaces across the country and delivered over 30 guest speaking presentations locally and internationally. He has a BSc. Degree in Honours Kinesiology Co-op program from the University of Waterloo and a certificate in Business Management from Red River College.
Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise. ~Author Unknown