More details were released last week regarding the impending reduction in services offered by Portage College at the Centennial Centre, as media representatives from the institution confirmed that there had been a ten per cent cut from its 2013-2014 budget.
The cut equates to just over $4 million, resulting in a number of jobs lost, one campus closed, a campus reduced and a shift in the delivery of academic upgrading.
As the Nouvelle reported last week, Portage College has handed its six month notice to the C2 board of directors, signaling their intent to vacate the upper floor classrooms and ground floor computer lab. The pullout will see four full-time members of staff lose their jobs, and two others transferred to the college's Cold Lake campus.
As well as the cuts to the Bonnyville campus, the college officially announced they would be withdrawing all services from its Vegreville campus, putting an end to a partnership that began in 1997.
President and CEO of Portage College Trent Keough said the closure of the Vegreville campus and reduction of the Bonnyville campus is regrettable, but necessary due to a number of unforeseen circumstances.
“Unfortunately, student numbers do not warrant the accompanying infrastructure and service costs attributable to these locations,” Keough said via press release. “In a time of a reduced budget we are not able to sustain low demand, under-utilized leased locations.”
As well as the recently announced cuts, the college will also be completely withdrawing the services it currently offers in Wainwright, and Keough emphasized that with the way enrolment numbers have been going in recent years, service cuts were to be expected.
“Historical enrolment patterns were pointing us to change,” Keough said. “The recent budget changes have only accelerated the anticipated decline in our traditional upgrading programming.”
The college's Vice President of Academic Programming Mardere Birkill said although there were a number of changes to the way services were being offered, no actual programs were being cut.
“The reductions we've made will impact all locations of the college but we are not seeing the elimination of programs,” Birkill said. “There will be a significant change to how academic upgrading is delivered. We have been anticipating the need for change in that area for some time.”
The academic upgrading program that Birkill is speaking about had been offered at the college's Bonnyville campus for a number of years, but due to the recent announcement from the province that students are now eligible to stay on at high school until the age 21 many believe it wouldn't be financially feasible to continue offering the program.
The Bonnyville campus has 37 individuals enrolled in the academic upgrading program but expects that number to drop significantly next year, with the best case scenario seeing 26 students enrolling – which would not be viable relative to the delivery costs and space utilization involved. Instead, the college has made the decision to transfer all academic upgrading services to its Cold Lake campus.
Brydon Ward, chair of the Board of Governors of Portage College says college administration addressed the budget shortfall as best they could, concentrating specifically on ensuring the long-term viability of the institution.
“The government has apparently moved from an access agenda to one of system rationalization,” Ward said. “They're moving in a new direction of non-duplication of programs, cost control and increased focus on results. Some learners may be lost in this shifting of the government focus but Portage College will remain strong, rise to the challenge and remain a strong advocate for under represented learners.”
Portage College will continue to offer its Electrical program in Bonnyville for the 2013-2014 academic year and is currently in negotiations for a new lease for its electrical classroom and trades lab.
For more information concerning the college's locations in Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Saddle Lake, Lac La Biche, Vegreville and St. Paul visit the college's website at www.portagecollege.ca
