NACC Magazine

The next NACC Magazine is being prepared for Spring 2010. The magazine is distributed to every high school guidance department across Canada, NACC members and key stakeholders such as Members of Parliament. It is also published on the NACC website.

There is space for “good news” stories from every provincial association. These should not be student testimonials but items that would be of interest to prospective students about special events, special recognitions such as awards at the Skills Canada Competition, community service, new programs or any other items that are newsworthy.

If you have an good news story from your college, please e-mail it to kristas@oacc.on.ca by noon on February 8, 2010!

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Delicious, Tumblr, LinkedIn, blogs and wikis – the list goes on, but you get the idea. There have never been more ways to connect with others. The online explosion of user-generated content begs the question – how do you, as a business, harness its power?

It’s a concept that many organizations have been toying with. The Ontario Association of Career Colleges waded into the world of web 2.0 a month ago, with a new blog and accounts on Twitter and Facebook. So far, the experience has been positive. Our small base of followers is slowly growing.

Many organizations have jumped to include social media in their communications strategy. A recent survey done by Sage North America found that 88 percent of U.S. and Canadian nonprofits are using some form of social media, although less than half of this number have been using the channel for more than a year.

According to a 2008 survey done by agency Com.motion and Pollara, two-thirds of Canadians (65 per cent) who use social media say social media tools are important for learning about products, services, organizations and brands, up from 59 per cent in 2007. Nearly four in five Canadians (79 per cent) say they have used social media tools. That’s up from 71 per cent in 2007.

This all spells potential for savvy marketers. For private career colleges, the most obvious benefits could be in student recruitment – it could be a direct channel to people considering going to school.

So tell us – what has your experience been with social media, professionally or personally? Does your business have a blog? A Twitter account? A Facebook page? What are the challenges with using social media? How can private career colleges use it effectively?

Social media has emerged as a topic of interest to OACC members. Several respondents requested a speaker or workshop dealing with online marketing and social networking for OACC’s conference in April. What would you like to learn? Could you suggest a speaker?

Let’s start a discussion…

The Blue Mountain Resort, Photo by Qinn

The event will be held at the beautiful Village Blue Mountain Conference Centre in Collingwood on April 21, 22 and 23.

The details of this year’s conference are still under construction – and that’s where YOU come in. What would bring you to this year’s OACC Conference?

Administrative Assistant April Chato prepared a variety of questions to assist you in giving feedback. Please consider and respond – by sending an e-mail (aprilchato@oacc.on.ca) or providing a comment below.

1. What kind of workshop topics would you like to see at the conference?

2. Is there a specific topic that you would like the key note speaker to focus on?

3. Do you have the contact information of a key note speaker you would like to recommend?

4. What government or ministry issues would you like addressed at the conference?

5. Please provide the names (with contact information) of two suppliers that you would like to see as exhibitors and/or sponsors at the conference.

And, now for the fun part…

6. Given the opportunity to participate in a group activity Friday after the formal conference conclusion, what would interest you? (Golf, Scandinavian spa, historical tours, scenic caving, the possibilities are endless and we’re open to suggestions…)