Saskatchewan's Colleges are contributing millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to the provincial economy, according to a new study by Praxis Research/Strategy.
The Colleges commissioned the study to assess the economic impact of the Colleges' students, graduates, and operations on the provincial economy.
"This is the first time in a long while that we have looked at this data as a group," said Dion McGrath, President and CEO of Southeast College and spokesperson for SaskColleges.
"It's a significant contribution that our Colleges make, and we are consistently doing so across the whole province."
The study concluded that College students, graduates and operations generate a significant economic contribution to the provincial economy. The data (collected over the course of the 2012--?13 fiscal year) shows the impact of all the Colleges, province wide.
Altogether, the Colleges provided in 2012--13:
• 4,041 jobs within the province;
• $367.4 million in provincial gross domestic product (GDP);
• $173.2 million in new wages and salaries (included in GDP in Saskatchewan); and
• $88.5 million in federal, provincial and municipal government revenues.
"Saskatchewan's Colleges are consistently and efficiently making the most of provincial government investment to train learners for the labour market and educational needs," said McGrath. "The results provide evidence of the impact Colleges have throughout the province."
Through partnerships with other post--secondary institutions, Saskatchewan's Colleges deliver a variety of career, vocational and academic programs to meet the economic needs of the province. Colleges also serve their communities by offering business, safety, industrial and personal interest courses.
