Southeast College has been successfully navigating through the pandemic and now they are ready to greet the new students at all of their campuses.
“The Southeast College board of governors has worked closely with our CEO Patrick Stoddart, along with our management and staff, since the start of the pandemic to ensure that our return to campus for staff and students is done in the safest manner possible. We are pleased with the work that has been accomplished in a short period of time to adapt and prepare for the integration of blended learning and the COVID-related changes within our college operations,” said board chair Janice Giroux.
While the end of the year and some summer plans were interrupted by the pandemic, the college was still able to bring back the majority of their safety training courses by the middle of June.
“We were able to run (safety courses) consistently throughout the summer … It was nice to be able to get back to somewhat normal of our routine and be able to provide those valued courses and services to the industry and to other clients in southeast Saskatchewan,” said SE College marketing and communications manager Sheena Onrait.
The college dedicated a lot of time to preparing for the fall, and as the situation with COVID-19 was evolving, they had to adjust all of their procedures to be able to have a safe start to the new class year.
“We are transitioning most of our programs into a blended learning environment. We put all our staff through an online learning course just to prepare people for that, so that they have a basic knowledge of what it takes to learn online and what it takes to put programs online,” said Onrait.
She noted that the engagement for the upcoming year has been “excellent.” The majority of the programs are either filled or are almost at the capacity. The college is accepting the applications right up to the start date of the programs, and the spots are going fast. The college will have a staggered start to their programs, so they still expect to see some changes in their engagement numbers.
Onrait said there is a lot of interest in all of the programs offered by the college. With the pandemic and the slowdown in the economy, a lot of people turned towards education, choosing to invest in themselves, becoming stronger as professionals.
Since March, the college’s board was working hard and in tight contact with the staff, providing assistance and support.
“Our engagement across the board has been wonderful,” said Onrait.
“The college is also getting great feedback on their plan and implementation of their plan for fall for resuming post-secondary and our adult basic education (ABE).
The only big change the students will see in the new school year due to the ongoing pandemic is the size of the classes in some cases.
“Earlier this summer we went in and we looked at our classrooms. We looked at how we could reconfigure our classrooms to accommodate social distancing within our classroom spaces,” said Onrait.
In some cases, some of the class sizes may have been decreased, but other classes have stayed the same depending on the class settings.
The college will also implement other safety measures required and recommended by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Ministry of Advanced Education.
“It’s everything from decreased classroom sizes to accommodating social distancing, to enhanced cleaning protocols, which is standard across the board. We have a COVID health screening questionnaire, which is again very common out there now, hand sanitizer stations throughout our campuses as well as our front doors. And, of course, we are a mask-friendly environment as well.”
Onrait went on to explain that masks are not mandatory at any of the campuses at this point, but if people prefer to wear them, they are welcome to do so. She added that the situation remains fluid and it can change as they move forward, but as of right now masks are not mandatory.
“We are looking forward to classes and to being able to provide the level and the quality of education that the Southeast College is known for in southeast Saskatchewan,” said Onrait.
Further information about the SE College and its programs can be found at their website at www.southeastcollege.org.
