Niagara College helps employees discover their passions

Students aren’t the only ones at Niagara College learning and exploring what they’re passionate about.

Nimisha Sumathi, a co-curricular engagement coordinator, is also an alumna who loved being a Niagara College student. In the months before she graduated, Sumathi did a co-op program that allowed her to work with college employees on the student engagement team. That experience encouraged her to apply for a part-time position in 2016 – which in turn has helped create a kind of virtuous circle.

“Once I started working here, I was like, 'wow, this is an amazing place where I can continue to learn and grow,'” Sumathi says. “Being a staff member helped me discover what my passions were. It really helped me realize how much I enjoy helping people and helping them discover their passions and skills, and giving them the confidence to feel like they can be a great employee someday too.”

Niagara College offers its employees multiple ways to learn new skills. The College’s Centre for Organizational Excellence offers sessions for staff and faculty at all levels of the college on a wide range of topics. The college – which has campuses in both Welland and nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake – also provides tuition assistance to support employees who want to pursue advanced degrees, professional designations and credentials.

Sumathi, who was active in volunteerism and charitable work as a student, now continues that tradition on behalf of her employer. Niagara partners with organizations, including United Way, and holds several fundraisers throughout the year. In addition to her involvement in those campaigns, Sumathi helps host a volunteer fair twice a year where organizations are invited on campus to find students who may want to volunteer with them.

“So it’s not directly us volunteering with them, but it is us connecting our students with the community,” Sumathi says. “I just enjoy being able to be a part of something that helps other people and really be able to give back to the community.”

Pam Skinner, senior vice-president, college operations, says Niagara College places considerable attention on articulating and maintaining its culture, which is defined by four core intertwining attributes: “We’re passionate, trailblazing, student-focused and welcoming.”

Skinner says college employees promote those attributes through multiple events held throughout the year. One of the big annual all-staff meetings is “Day of Reflection,” where staff look at what the college has accomplished and what it wants to achieve next. The meetings focus on important forward-looking topics such as improving its sustainability efforts or strategic planning with the larger community.

“One of the things that I really noticed about Niagara College coming here is the very strong sense of community,” says Skinner, who joined the college nine years ago. “Employees care about the students, they care about where the college is going, and they care about each other. It is part of the reason that I think we are an attractive employer and people come and stay.”

Summing up her thinking on why she enjoys working at Niagara College, Sumathi says it’s the warmth of the culture and “the way you feel when you come into work.”

“We have a lot of employees, but it really feels like we’re a small, tight-knit community,” she says. “We share a common passion for our work, for our students, and for each other that knits us together as a community.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Hamilton-Niagara’s Top Employers winners, published January 16, 2025 in The Hamilton Spectator. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.