Véronique Vaudrin, communications counsellor at Collège de Valleyfield, astounds when questioned about her duties. She is the consummate portrait of a committed professional with multiple attributes.
Knowing how to juggle priorities
“Communications are the heart of a cégep,” she says. From public relations to advisory roles with cegep stakeholders, as well as event logistics, webmaster duties, and communications tools: these are just a few of the experienced advisor’s responsibilities.
“The organization of work varies from one institution to another throughout the network, as do the number of resources. In a small cégep, it’s important to be well equipped. And we also need to remember to take one bite at a time!” she explains with humour.
Weathering the storm
The Collège de Valleyfield hasn’t escaped the wave of cutbacks in recent years. These have led to difficult choices, prioritizing, and tightening budgets.
“During this time, we’ve reminded the cégeps’ various bodies of the value of the communications team, as well as identified our needs and asserted their importance,” explains Véronique Vaudrin, who has occupied this job for 9 years.
The union has supported these efforts, and although there’s still work to do, it has led to concrete results, notably with the reinstatement of an information technician position, which had been abolished through attrition, and the opening, in the summer of 2017, of a communications advisor position (three days a week).
A source of pride
A cégep’s reach and visibility within its community are part of its core mission. And this unseen work extends far beyond simple press releases.
“I am very proud of the work I do when conducting college information tours with my colleagues. It’s one of the parts of my job I am most passionate about. Being able to communicate directly with high school students at a critical time for their futures and to see the sparkle in their eyes when they discover new fields of study... these are special moments,” she concludes.
