CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A new student support centre and a sports field are among the major changes coming to Holland College.
While those two entities are located near the Charlottetown campus, the college is embarking down a new path of how it delivers programs and services.
The Guardian sat down to discuss the changes with president Sandy MacDonald following a board meeting on Saturday.
The college plans to renovate existing space and create a wellness centre that would offer students and faculty access to physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed practice nurses and psychologist services. The college is currently working with the Canadian Mental Health Association to improve on campus access.
There are also plans to build a new turf field next to the college’s parking lot on the other side of Joe Ghiz Park.
There had been talk of building a turf field on the site of the Charlottetown Event Grounds but those plans have been abandoned. A new turf field next to the park would mean losing some parking, but MacDonald said some of the lost spaces would be moved to the existing parking lot at the event grounds. There is also talk of building an overhead crosswalk on Grafton Street, which connects the two parking lots, but those are considered long-range plans.
COVID-19 put a stop to plans to do anything on that front this year but MacDonald expects fundraising to begin soon.
However, much more change is coming.
For the past 50 years, the college has focused primarily on two groups of people — students coming out of high school and the unemployed.
“Without minimizing the first two groups, we are now going to focus as well on people that are already employed; the people that need to be upskilled and reskilled,’’ MacDonald said. “We have to be much more flexible and accessible.’’
Right now, the college offers one-, two- and three-year programs and operates five days per week in a face-to-face setting (during non-COVID-19 times). The college plans on having more discussions with industry stakeholders on how to offer better packages to students so they’ll meet the needs of the workforce.
“So, we need shorter courses; we need to offer them at different times; offer them online; more blended. It’s a different iteration of Holland College than we’ve done over the past 50 years. It’s a pivot in a new direction to better support industry.’’
MacDonald uses the early childhood education program as an example. A shortage of workers has been a problem and the industry can’t simply wait for students to graduate from the college’s two-year program.
“What we’re doing is, they will be hired and we’ll train them as they begin to work so they’re working and training simultaneously. So, they get paid as they get trained.’’
There will be changes to the college’s bio-science and technology program. The college is partnering with UPEI to ensure that students get both lab work and theory. UPEI students will spend their third year at the college and take the second year of the bio-science program before returning to finish their degree.
“So, they graduate with our two-year credential and UPEI’s four-year credential. It will make it easier to get employed or into grad school.’’
Cryshawnda Adams, president of the student union, said the planned changes are remarkable.
“It was designed with the students in mind as well as the evolution and growth of the institution,’’ Adams said. “All the principles and disciplines that the school has stood for and by was intertwined in the future plans for the school.’’
Adams added that given the unfortunate circumstances being faced around the world, the school has found a channel to optimize opportunity during the chaos.
“Change is never easy but it is inevitable and mandatory for growth,’’ she said.
*****
Need to know
Holland College is building on a number of changes for the future, including:
• Working with an Island Indigenous group in Scotchfort to train people to build their own houses on reserves rather than have them come and take the carpentry, electrical and plumbing course.
• Finding ways to better serve international students. The college currently has students from Africa, the Bahamas, Turkey, Mexico, the United States and India.
• Improving transportation opportunities for students to move about the different campuses on P.E.I. or work in rural parts of the province.
• Improving Wifi on campuses and rural internet.
• Updating its sexual harassment policy.
• Working with the cafeteria and restaurant and culinary institute to address food insecurity among students.
