Province funds college expansion

A new Trades and Technology Centre for Parkland College in the city will begin construction within a few months following an announcement by Premier Brad Wall last Tuesday.

Wall announced the province is providing $10 million in funding to support construction of the new Centre in Yorkton.

In making the announcement Wall said the Trades and Technology Centre is one aspect of maintaining the growing economy Saskatchewan has been experiencing.

Wall said he believes the opportunity "to sustain a growing economy in this province is pretty good." He said he bases that on the fact many of the strongest emerging economies in Asia "want what Saskatchewan can supply" that being food, fertilizer and fuel.

But for Saskatchewan to grow its economy there has to be people to fill jobs as they come on stream, and Wall said that is where education provided in a facility like the one being built in Yorkton is essential.

The new Trades and Technology Centre will increase the number of graduates in many highly skilled areas that are needed in Saskatchewan, reasoned Wall.

Wall said the new centre is also a great example of a cooperative approach of building toward a better future. He cited the City involvement donating 20-acres of land valued at




$3.5 million, the Potash Corp donations of $1.2 million, the federal government investing $1 million, and local support raising $2.6 million.

"It's a very dynamic partnership," he said.

Parkland College President Dr. Fay Myers called the $10 million a "wonderful gift."

The Trades and Technology Centre will yield educational excellence, foster innovation, cultivate inclusion, and create accountability to the citizens of the Parkland Region as well as the entire province of Saskatchewan, she explained.

"It's a wonderful addition to post secondary opportunities in this part of Saskatchewan," said Myers.

The money announced last week will make up just more than 50 per cent of the project cost. Parkland Regional College has raised $8.27 million within the Parkland region through their Capital Campaign, to fund the remainder of the project.

The proposed facility will be more than 2,500m2 and is expected to help address the trades and technical training needs of the region by graduating an additional 360 students and providing upgrading for more than 2,000 new students annually.

The planning phase for the Trades and Technology Centre is complete and the design is well underway. The project is expected to be ready to proceed with tenders in November 2013.

Myers said she expects they will accept a tender in December, with work starting in January toward a Sept. 2015 opening.