Preparing the workforce of today for the work of tomorrow
The Eastern Ontario College Consortium/Consortium des Collèges de l’Est de l’Ontario is a publicly funded coalition of five Eastern Ontario colleges that came together to support skills and workforce development in Eastern Ontario. We deliver innovative, sector-based workforce training and development programs and help fill the pipeline of trained talent for a stronger future.
NOTE: The SkillsAdvance Ontario Construction and SkillsAdvance Health Care sponsored training program was a great success but has now ended. If you are seeking training either on a full-time or part-time basis, please click the College logo that you are interested in attending to view their Continuing Education or Industry/Corporate training courses available. Please continue to check this website for updates on future training programs offered through the Eastern Ontario College Consortium.
Meet the team leaders at our partner colleges
Pouya Safi
Director, Business Development
As part of the College’s leadership team, Pouya is responsible for developing, implementing and sustaining corporate training services, workforce development programs and innovative, cross-college initiatives — such as the EOCC-CCEO — offered to a wide range of employers and clients in the public and private sectors at local, provincial, national and international levels.
Pouya holds an MBA from the University of Ottawa as well as an undergrad degree with a specialization in finance. In 2020, he was awarded the prestigious Telfer Young Achiever’s award for his accomplishments in business and the community while under the age of 40.
John Conrad
Director, Innovation and Business Engagement
John is a senior academic leader who is known for his ability to energize learning communities to undertake initiatives that improve quality, engagement and success. In his role, he builds cultures of innovation through a commitment to relationships and transparency. John is seen by his peers as an innovative, fiscally responsible and goal-driven leader who has a long history of building high-performance teams.
John has a doctoral degree in organizational leadership, two master’s degrees and a degree in science. He is also an adjunct professor in the Community Economic Development MBA program with Cape Breton University.
Paul Toupin
Director, Employment and Corporate Training Services
With more than 20 years of proven executive experience, Paul leads a dedicated group at La Cité that delivers customized training to meet current and future labour market needs and support the inclusion of French-speaking newcomers.
Before joining La Cité in 2018, Paul was vice-president of enterprise and community relations at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology. He also worked for 10 years at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (now Colleges and Institutes Canada), serving in roles such as manager of Student Connections and manager of the Canadian Forces College Opportunity Program.
Amy Harder
Senior Director, Business Development
Amy’s focus at Loyalist is finding new and exciting opportunities for successful partnerships between the College and community stakeholders. Previously, she was the COO at Amber Canada, a cannabis start-up that she guided into operating as a federally licensed company. She also held executive positions with Enactus Canada, which empowers young innovators to solve pressing social and other issues through the positive power of business.
Amy has a diploma in public relations from Humber College. She also completed programs in governance and leadership at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management and Harvard Business School.
Musabbir Chowdhury
Dean, School of Business and Information Technology, Continuing Education
With over 20 years of experience in higher education, entrepreneurship and management roles, Musabbir provides vision and leadership in developing innovative continuing education curricula and programs at Fleming, as well as integrating business and educational technologies and exploring partnership opportunities at the college.
His extensive academic background includes aeronautical engineering degrees from the National Aviation University in Ukraine, a post-graduate certificate in interactive media from Sheridan College, an MBA from the Ivey Business School of Western University and a post-graduate certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation from Stanford University. He earned his doctorate in educational technology from Walden University in Minnesota.