Village Gamer

Skills Canada British Columbia has announced the results of the Skills Canada British Columbia Provincial Competition 2013 including the 49 qualifying first place winners (PDF List) who will be competing at the 19^th Skills Canada National Competition. The provincial competition concluded today at the Trades – Trade & Exhibition Centre in Abbotsford. Medals were awarded to champions in six skilled trade and technology categories:  transportation, construction, manufacturing, information and technology (includes Animation, Film, TV, IT and Robotics), service and employment. Read the rest of this entry »

Communitech‘s HyperDrive startup incubator has opened applications for its third cohort amid news that Incentivibe, a first-cohort HyperDrive company, has been acquired by Rebellion Media of Waterloo. Since its creation a year ago, HyperDrive has admitted 18 companies to the first two cohorts of its $30-million-plus program based at the Communitech Hub in Kitchener. These companies have created more than 70 jobs, raised more than $2.5 million in investment and generated more than $500,000 in revenue. Read the rest of this entry »

John Bura, owner of the game development studio Mammoth Interactive, has announced a new online course that aims to teach kids how to code, Kids Coding -Introduction to HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It’s time to admit it, the anti-social, unkempt, thirtysomething computer programmer who still lives in his parents’ basement is a myth. Today programmers have great job prospects, making on average 78k, which is nearly double the national average. They work for large corporations and small startups, the public and the private sector, for profit and nonprofit organizations. The ability to program is becoming as essential as the ability to read, write and count. The bad news is that the K-12 system hasn’t caught up (yet.) The good news is that kids can learn how to code online. Read the rest of this entry »

Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the CUPE Local 15 support staff have reached a tentative agreement under the 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate, Minister of Finance Michael de Jong announced today. The two-year agreement provides for modest wage increases funded from savings found within existing budgets, as required under the 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate. This agreement covers about 160 staff working in a variety of positions ranging from information technology, administration, studio and library technicians, facilities and other services that support students and the institutions. Read the rest of this entry »

The Government of Canada has launched a national Call for Concepts to identify organizations who are interested in forming a pan-Canadian network focused on improving the literacy and essential skills of Canadians. The announcement was made by Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour, at the 16^th Annual Skills Manitoba Competition. Read the rest of this entry »

For the third consecutive year, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) and Canadian innovative children’s toy and entertainment company Spin Master Ltd. have teamed up to launch the Spin Master Innovation Fund (SMIF), with up to $50,000 in start-up financing, a hand-matched mentor from CYBF’s industry-leading mentoring program and a trip to the Spin Master offices in Toronto to attend a two-day Innovation Launch Pad Workshop, with exclusive access to senior Spin Master executives. Applications open today and will offer qualified 18-39 year olds the opportunity to kick-start their innovative start-up business and are invited to apply online before May 21, 2013.

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Recognized as the largest English-language entrepreneurship conference of its kind in Quebec, and now in its 16^th year, the Youth Employment Services (YES) Montreal Entrepreneurship Conference brings together more than 250 entrepreneurs at various stages of business development, as well as seasoned veterans of the Quebec entrepreneurial scene, for a full-day of informative and inspiring workshops and discussions. This year, English-speaking entrepreneurs all over Quebec will now be able to connect, share knowledge and actively participate in this month’s YES Conference: Today’s Insights for Tomorrow’s Business via a new live stream option. Read the rest of this entry »

Toronto-based online training software vendor SkyPrep released its eCommerce platform at the beginning of 2013. Since its release, the company has implemented many new features to its training platform. There are currently over 350 companies registered with the eCommerce platform looking to sell their courses online. Read the rest of this entry »

Registration is now open for the fourteenth annual PMC Science Fair Fun Run, which will take place on Sunday, May 26^th at the Athlete’s Village Plaza (the former Olympic Village). The Fun Run is the largest timed 5K race in BC and is one of the technology industry’s largest fundraising events. All registered Fun Run participants are eligible for prizes and receive free admission to the TELUS World of Science on the day of the race. Families can meet student science fair participants, view science fair projects, pick up free giveaways from run sponsors and participate in the day’s activities, all while learning how science education can be fun. Read the rest of this entry »

The Visual Effects Society Vancouver Section along with the Vancouver Economic Commission and the HR Screen Council Board are pleased to announce the date for the 2nd Annual VES Vancouver Career Fair at the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building. The Career Fair doors will be open from 11:00am through 4:00pm on Saturday, April 20th, with students welcome to attend after 2:00pm. Last year the VES Vancouver Job Fair hosted 1200 attendees and 20 exhibitors. This year the space has been expanded to accommodate over 30 exhibitors. Attendance is free, pre-registration is suggested. Participants for this year’s Career Fair include: Read the rest of this entry »