Published: February 8, 2023

IBT College’s Healthcare Team wins a Ministry of Colleges and Universities Award of Excellence – the first-time ever for a career college.

IBT College’s Healthcare team was honoured with an Innovation and Entrepreneurship award for working with the healthcare industry to drive innovation and economic development. Award winners included: IBT College’s Vice-President James Rice, Andrea Kurth, Kristen Peach, Jen Ferrier, Melanie Kowalski and Ken Rice.

The IBT College team were among 22 selected in the province for the Minister’s Awards of Excellence, out of over 500 nominations received.

The Awards of Excellence recognize the exceptional performance of faculty, staff and graduate students from colleges, universities, private career colleges and Indigenous Institutes across Ontario.

Minister Jill Dunlop of the Ministry of College’s and Universities alongside Ari Lassen, CEO of Career Colleges Ontario and IBT College Vice-President James Rice

During the onset of the pandemic, when the healthcare industry was facing a critical shortage, IBT College developed a Virtual Healthcare program that expanded into utilizing ground-breaking Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality tools to rapidly train workers. In addition, IBT College launched the Home Care Staffing Forum to bring the industry together to discuss Recruitment, Retention, Training and Technology. The Forums were held throughout the province.

“We are grateful that the talents and skills of the Healthcare team and their tireless efforts to go beyond just building capacity, but also to bring the industry to together and improve the way we will teach healthcare workers in the future,” stated IBT College President Joe Shokour.

“It has been an incredibly journey from conception to creation to implementation. Watching the programs grow and branch out into all kinds of creative areas has been very rewarding. My team has been incredible. They worked diligently and quickly through a variety of challenges. I sincerely appreciate the Province and Minister Jill Dunlop taking the time to recognize the incredible achievement of our team,” stated award-winner James Rice

This year’s winners received a certificate signed by Minister Dunlop and were honoured at an Award’s ceremony on February 6, 2023.

Andrea Kurth, Project Manager stated, “I am thankful to be recognized for being a part of rethinking the delivery of education in the healthcare sector. It has been so much fun to see our vision come to life and I am excited to continue on the development of these programs.” Jennifer Ferrier, a content creator for the program, said, “It is an honor to receive the Minister’s Award of Excellence in the category of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for our work in virtual training for healthcare workers and the Home Care Staffing Forum. The work we do is amazing, seeing the change and support to our Healthcare Sector, the knowledge sharing amongst our students and the ability to provide those utilizing virtual training.  Our work with Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, a variety of technology and the strength and focus of our team has made receiving this award so appreciated.”

Request Information

Don't take our word for it..

Trust our Students

big bold single quotation mark

Going to IBT was the best decision I have ever made. I forever changed my career path and myself with this CHW course. My mentor/educator was the best I could ever ask for. I have confidence and compassion that I never expected to gain as I enter the work force in my new career. Thank you IBT!

IBT testimonial
Kalpana KC
big bold single quotation mark

I advise everyone who needs to extend the visa, get documents for work who has problems with their documents in Canada to contact them, I asked immigration team to extend my visa and get a work permit, they did their job 100 percent and in the shortest possible time I was approved for a visa and I got a work permit!

IBT testimonial
Abdullah Madaliev
big bold single quotation mark

Being able to do this course virtually gave me the opportunity to expand on my education. Our instructor was absolutely amazing and made learning so fun and I retained so much information. I am so thankful for this program and hope that this is a long running program!

IBT testimonial
Kendra White
big bold single quotation mark

My time at IBT College was an enriching experience, and a significant part of that credit goes to the exceptional instruction of Sumita Das and Tenzin’s Guidance. I feel well-prepared to navigate the professional world, armed with the knowledge and skills acquired during my studies. I highly recommend IBT College to anyone seeking a top-notch education in business management and entrepreneurship, and I am immensely grateful for the guidance and support provided by Sumita Das and Tenzin.

IBT testimonial
Babatunde Ogundipe
big bold single quotation mark

As I prepare to embark on the next phase of my journey, I carry with me not just a certificate but a profound sense of responsibility and compassion. My time at IBT has not only honed my skills but instilled in me a deep appreciation for the human connection that lies at the heart of being a PSW. I am immensely grateful for the invaluable experiences and relationships fostered during my study. Thank you for being an integral part of my PSW journey.

IBT testimonial
Appiness Akinwale
IBT testimonial
Kalpana KC
Abdullah Madaliev
IBT testimonial
Kendra White
IBT testimonial
Babatunde Ogundipe
IBT testimonial
Appiness Akinwale

Take the next step

Talk to our admissions professionals - they are standing by!

If you have any general inquiries, please fill out this simple form and someone from our team will get back to you shortly!
flyout form closer

Request Information

Request info