Young and ambitious future professionals gathered at the Southeast College in Estevan on Nov. 21 for the Post-Secondary Information Night.
The college staff along with University of Regina representatives offered students help with applications as well as some discounts if they made a decision on the spot. And for the first time in the Southeast College history, those who met the requirements had their transcripts or preliminary high school marks on hand, and applied during the event received a ”Congratulations! You were accepted” e-mail that same night.
Seven new students joined the college that night.
This year the industrial mechanic program and trades programs were traditionally in high demand. On top of the regular curriculum, the college has launched a brand new two-year Health information management Diploma program, which will lead graduates towards the administrative careers in healthcare.
College marketing and communications manager Sheena Onrait told the Mercury it always takes a lot of research to choose programs, which will allow students to succeed in the future.
“Every year before we decide which programs we are going to offer for the upcoming years we do what’s called the program decision-making matrix. We take into consideration everything. Right from student demand, student interest to what the job classification looks like, what the job demand across the region looks like, and what the job demand across Saskatchewan looks like for that type of educational program,” said Onrait.
Such a well-grounded approach to program decision-making along with strong theoretical and practical training makes Southeast College graduates highly competitive when it comes to job hunting. According to the college data, the employment rate within the full-time programs graduates in 2017-18 was over 75 per cent. Onrait also pointed out some other advantages of going to school in Estevan.
“There are smaller class sizes, there is significant cost savings both university and post-secondary. Our programs are traditionally cheaper for post-secondary courses than they are if you go to the Sask Poly (Saskatchewan Polytechnic). Then, of course, the advantages of staying at home. You’ll have the support of your family and friends being able to keep your part-time job,” said Onrait. “We estimate that a first year university can save students up to about $10,000 by taking that first year here, in Southeast College.“
The college also offers a number of entrance and application merit-based scholarships and bursaries to help students go to school and not come out with an overwhelming student debt.
Those who didn’t make it for the event can check out the programs and application processes at the Southeast College website.
