History
Radio College of Canada was founded in 1928 to train factory and service technicians in the fast-growing radio industry. And so began Canada’s oldest technology institute and a remarkable history serving Canada’s high technology sectors and pioneering innovative and responsive technology education.
RCC has always responded to the needs of its sectors and the nation. In the late 1930s RCC introduced courses in commercial radio operating and trained large classes of radio operators for the Federal Department of Transport. During WWII, the Radio College established additional facilities and developed specialized training programs to aid Canada’s contribution to the war effort. Training was provided for the merchant marines, for government departments and for other allied governments. Several classes of women radio operators were assigned to air stations across the country as part of the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme. Following the war, the college did extensive rehabilitation training for Canadian and American veterans.
With the advent of digital electronics in the 1950s and into the 60s, RCC developed programming that enabled its graduates to assume leadership positions in the new digital-, computer- and microprocessor-based occupations that have continued to transform the world. At the same time, the Institute established a fundamental tenet of its programming: educating graduates who have the ability to learn and who have the fundamental knowledge required to continue to more advanced levels of study. By design, RCC graduates know how to continue learning and to participate in the future advances in their chosen field.
This focus on career success has been complemented by RCC’s long-standing support for standards of certification and accreditation. According to a story in the 1930 Toronto Globe “Two pioneering organizations, Rogers-Majestic Corporation and Radio College of Canada established a plan for registering radio service men of the entire Dominion.” In the 1950s working with the Professional Engineers of Ontario and Ryerson, RCC helped to establish standards for technicians and technologists and the accreditation requirements for technologist programs. Today, RCC’s engineering technology programs are accredited by the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board (CTAB) and its bachelor degree programs have met the rigorous standards of Ontario’s Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board.
In 2007, RCC Institute of Technology joined Yorkville University as the University’s undergraduate technology division. Yorkville University is a private, non-denominational university designated in New Brunswick. The University’s mission is to provide access to rigorous and flexible professional programs in curricular areas that are personally rewarding for students and that contribute to the betterment of society. www.yorkvilleuc.ca
In 2008 RCC acquired the International Academy of Design and Technology-Toronto. This well-known private college began operations in 1983 as the International Academy of Merchandising and Design. Over the years, the Academy’s programs have achieved a strong reputation for developing hands-on, industry-relevant skills and competencies for the interior design, fashion and media industries. Today, the Academy of Design is part of the family of RCC programs, thereby expanding the Institute’s offerings, encouraging convergence between design and technology education and advancing the Institute’s mission.
In 2009, RCC acquired the assets of Yorkville College, adding programs in dental health, paralegal and community studies to its program offerings and establishing its Davisville Campus in downtown Toronto.
