Sault College sees enrolment boost

Enrolment is up amongst first-year students at Sault College, which is seeing an increase of five per cent over last year's numbers.

A total of 1,462 first-year students have enrolled this year, bringing the total student population to more than 4,000, with the largest area of growth appearing in the health sciences sector, which has an increase of 17.8 per cent.

Pre-trades programs are equally popular with 10.7 per cent more students attending; the engineering, skilled trades and aviation courses are experiencing a 7.4 per cent increase. Overall, enrolment at the college is up two per cent in all years across the college. Since 2008, the college has grown by 30 per cent.

“We are pleased that we are continuing to see growth and that our expansion is contributing to the overall prosperity of the Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma region,” Leo Tiberi, vice-president academic, said in a news release. “It is clear that students are responding to the programming that we are offering. This is a win-win situation for the training and retraining of Ontario’s workforce.”

First-time programs—public relations and event management, home inspection technician, and pharmacy—have all been well received, and programs introduced last year, such as digital photography and imaging, and peace and conflict studies, continue to be popular.

“We are building a campus environment that continues to appeal to students and inspire them to learn with us,” president Dr. Ron Common said in the release. “With our dedicated staff, passionate faculty and inspired students, along with increasingly impressive facilities, we are creating an atmosphere here that embodies our strategic vision of providing a transformational learning experience unlike any other.”

The top 10 most in-demand post-secondary programs this academic year include aviation, fish and wildlife conservation technician (co-op), collaborative bachelor of science in nursing, practical nursing, pre-health sciences, police foundations, adventure recreation and parks technician (co-op), early childhood education, occupational therapist assistant and physiotherapist assistant and social service worker. January starts will be available in some programs to accommodate learners.

“There is an air of enthusiasm and excitement here on campus,” Leo Tiberi said. “We are extremely proud of everyone who is contributing to this continued success.”