The Southeast College is accepting registrations for the programs it will be offering at its Estevan campus this fall.
Sheena Onrait, the manager of marketing and communications for the college, said the college has space available for its welding, electrician, office administration and power engineering courses.
Heavy equipment is the only program full at this point with 10 registrations.
A industrial mechanic program won’t start until February.
Onrait said it’s common to have space available for programs at this time of the summer, although there are more open spaces than usual.
“Typically we are a little higher registration rate by this point … but this year seems to be a bit of an anomaly,” said Onrait.
“But it’s not just us. In talking with the other regional colleges across the province, as well as folks from Sask. Poly (Polytechnic), the trades programs and technical programs do seem to be a little bit slower in registrations across the province as a whole.”
Spaces are also available for the first-year post-secondary education courses - English 100, Indigenous studies 100, sociology 100 and biology 140 – offered at the Estevan campus through the University of Regina (U of R):
Classes for the spring semester courses include English 110, film 100, math 101 and religious studies 100.
The college is offering the first-year courses in Estevan, Weyburn, Moosomin and Indian Heat.
“The courses are determined in consultation with the U of R, our U of R representatives and our VP of education, Kelly Hilkewich,” said Onrait. “What we do is we take the broadest offerings possible that give the most options possible for our students.
“Usually there’ll be a math, there’ll be an English, there’ll be a social science and there’ll be an arts component.”
The courses are offered through distance learning, and allow local residents to study closer to home.
Last year marked the first time offering first-year courses through the U of R in several years. It will take time to re-establish the courses in a community, she said, and it’s a challenge the college faces with all of its new programs.
“We’re confident that first-year university is here to stay, and if anything, we expect it to get bigger and better, and hopefully expand to second year at some point.”
It’s not too late to register for a program at the college, either. Onrait said registrations will be accepted until the start of the program, and it’s not uncommon to receive calls the week before a program starts from people wondering if there is still space.
It’s also simple to register online for the programs, she said, and the college has 24 new entrance awards that were launched recently to assist with student financial needs.
