Fleming president talks skills training, better connections with employers
Tony Tilly, president of Fleming College, was recently the guest speaker at a round table discussion hosted by the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce.
Tilly made a short presentation on how Fleming – and Frost Campus in particular – has been playing a key role in specialized education the Lindsay area, before taking questions from community members.
Such specialized areas include forestry technician programs, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and accreditation through the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment, among many others.
“As a Chamber, we listen to our member businesses and focus on the needs of employers and residents,” says Chamber President Mike Perry.
“To me, skills training and workforce development is the key for us here locally, both to help people find work and increase prosperity for local businesses.”
Tilly has told The Advocate before that although the college is there to teach specific skills through their programs, he is also aware that employers are asking for more soft skills from employees.
“We’re also here to help people develop those softs skills so they can work with others, collaborate, and communicate well,” and engage in creative problem solving, he says.
Something on the mind of Perry and others at the round table discussion was how Fleming College, as a key asset in Kawartha Lakes, could entice “more Fleming students to stay, work, and live here after they graduate,” Perry says.
It was agreed that the Chamber and the college would explore more placement ideas and strategies in the future, to help make this possible.
“We look forward to enhancing the local relationship with Fleming to build concrete opportunities and economic impacts for business and our communities moving forward,” says Perry.
The Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce has two potential upcoming projects with Fleming in Lindsay, in the areas of rural transportation and unique computer skills training, especially for local young people.
