The president and CEO of North West College was at the Battlefords Rotary Club Monday to familiarize members about the activities of the educational institution.
Tavia Laliberte was there to speak about what the college offers to students and some of its initiatives.
In her presentation, Laliberte explained that this past year the college served 2,265 students, including 89 new Canadians from 21 communities, including 11 First Nations.
Some 59 per cent of its programs are adult basic education, with 35 per cent skills training for certificates and diplomas, and six per cent university training.
“Workplace exposure has been a big part of our strategy at the college,” Laliberte said. Last year there were 123 work placements with more than 300 different employers.
NWC's signature event is Try a Trade and last year 1,200 students took part, as they surveyed career opportunities at various booths.
The college’s programming footprint covers a wide area of the Northwest, including in North Battleford and Meadow Lake, where campuses are located.
Laliberte also spoke about programs being piloted at the college as part of a strategic plan.
One is a Leadership Development Program, which includes one-to-one partnering, sponsoring students to attend external conferences, the facilitating of internal group activities and leadership workshops, and the cultivating of community-based initiatives. Another initiative is diversified program delivery tailored to meet student needs.
This included a Level 3 pilot program at the college in which students learned how to run a business.
Laliberte said that particular program has been successful, with an eight to 10 per cent increase in student retention and a 36 per cent decrease in attendance issues. Laliberte noted the college has been impressed with the interest and the participation level of the students involved in the pilot project.
“They really rely on each other to be accountable,” Laliberte said, “which is pretty impressive to see at that Level 3 academic range.”
One of the future initiatives they want to see is a new campus. Laliberte notes space has been an issue at the existing North Battleford location, which adjoins the high school.
“There’s really good reasons with the demographics that we serve,” said Laliberte about that idea.
A couple of major events are planned for the college. The first is their scholarship awards ceremony Friday at 10 a.m., celebrating student achievements.
In June will be the graduation ceremonies and the keynote speaker has been lined up for the North Battleford ceremony. Rick Lewchuk grew up in North Battleford and went on to be senior vice-president of Creative Services for CNN Worldwide.
The college moved towards a more traditional graduation ceremony last year, when Brett Wilson was the keynote speaker.
