Ontario helps low-income women enter skilled trades
TORONTO, Ont. — The Ontario government will invest more than $1.2 million to help low-income women develop new skills, find employment and develop economic independence.
"This is a great time to be entering the skilled trades, as demand is high and will increase even more due to large numbers retiring from the industry," said Sandra Pupatello, the minister responsible for women's issues. The Women in Skilled Trades (WIST) program will fund five training programs across the province. This year, women will receive instruction in such trades as welding, carpentry, landscaping, construction, industrial/metal working and mechanical/motive power at training institutions in Sudbury, Burlington, Waterloo, Thunder Bay, Dryden, Kenora and Hamilton.
For more information, visit www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/owd.

Canada and Manitoba invest in manufacturing training facility
WINNIPEG, Man. — The federal and provincial governments, through the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), will invest more than $1.1 million towards a state-of-the-art manufacturing training facility and program to be run jointly by the University of Manitoba and Red River College. The program will be located on both schools' campuses, and allow students to study different aspects of manufacturing. Together, these facilities will be equipped to provide a comprehensive education for students at each campus, as well as the opportunity for skills upgrading and training for industry.
The University of Manitoba will house an advanced, computer-based, product development program located in the school's new Engineering and Information Technology Complex. The facility will include a 40-seat computer laboratory, along with a mini-simulated manufacturing laboratory with a rapid prototyping machine, mini-numerical controlled machine tools, and a small virtual reality system.
Red River College will host two simulated factory laboratories that will provide students the opportunity to experience all steps of product manufacturing, using modern processes and advanced technology.
For more information on this and other projects funded under EPA, visit www.epa.gov.mb.ca.

Invensys increases footprint in Western Canada
CALGARY, Alta. — Invensys Process Systems, a global supplier of instrumentation, automation systems, software and services for the industrial process industries, recently announced that it has significantly expanded its customer sales, engineering and support capabilities in Western Canada. The expansion includes a new, 15,500-sq.-ft. regional headquarters facility in Southeast Calgary, which will be twice the size of the company's current Calgary office, and have three times the staging area to accommodate staging, testing and verification of customer automation systems. Scheduled for completion next fall, the facility will also include a state-of-the-art customer centre with meeting spaces, a training facility and a fully equipped demonstration area.
www.invensys.com

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CME names Koslowsky VP of Manitoba division
WINNIPEG, Man. — Ron Koslowsky is the new vice-president of the Manitoba division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), replacing Tony van Rosmalen, who retired earlier this year after almost six years with the organization.
Koslowsky holds the professional designation of Certified Human Resource Professional, and an honours diploma in business administration. He joined CME in 1986, and since then has held numerous positions on the board of directors. He is currently involved in leading the Advanced Manufacturing Initiative in Manitoba, which works to improve the level of productivity in the manufacturing sector. His role includes human resource development, supporting productivity and promoting the value and career opportunities of manufacturing.
www.cme-mec.ca

PTDA Foundation welcomes new project director
CHICAGO, Ill. — The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) Foundation recently announced the appointment of J. Craig McAtee to project director of the Industrial Careers PathwaySM (ICP) initiative. McAtee spent the last seven years as executive director for the Workforce and Economic Development Division of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was responsible for all advanced and applied technologies related programs. From 2003 to 2007, McAtee represented Tri-C as a volunteer on the PTDA Foundation Board of Trustees.
Before working in education, he spent more than 23 years in engineering, technology and senior leadership positions at the Swagelok Company, an international manufacturing organization in Solon, Ohio. In his new role with the PTDA Foundation, McAtee is responsible for implementation and management of the ICP initiative, which links students to career paths in industrial distribution through partnerships with local educators and employers.
www.industrialcareerspathway.org

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Data acquisition modules
Agilent Technologies Inc. recently introduced a series of multifunction data acquisition (DAQ) modules and instrument chassis. The company's U2300A Series USB modular multifunction data acquisition device is intended for use in design validation, by manufacturing engineers who conduct data logging, measurement or monitoring in a broad range of industries. It has a plug-and-play PC interface for high-speed data acquisition applications. The U2300A Series consists of seven modules with USB 2.0, up to 64 analogue input channels, and a sampling rate of up to three mega samples per second for a single channel. Agilent's Modular Instruments Measurement Manager software is also included. The software is designed to ease instrument configuration and control, support data-logging and enable the export of data to printable formats for analysis.
The Agilent U2700A Series is a six-slot USB modular chassis. Like the U2300A Series device, it offers plug-and-play setup and configuration with its USB 2.0 interface. The U2700A Series can connect up to six modules of U2300A Series DAQ devices, allowing an expansion up to 384 channels for various tests and measurements.
Agilent Technologies
www.agilent.com

ID reader
Cognex Corporation's high-performance DataMan 100 fixed-mount ID readers use IDQuick software, the company's decoding tool. All DataMan 100 readers are designed to offer easy setup with integrated illumination, beeper, adjustable optics, a built-in aimer and a push-button trigger. The readers are suitable for identifying items marked with 1D or 2D codes in the automotive, packaging, electronics, medical device and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, the compact design makes it suitable for applications where space is limited.
Cognex Corporation
www.cognex.com

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