Central Newfoundland college gets $5M boost
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | 11:32 AM NT
CBC News
The province and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency are giving the College of the North Atlantic in Grand Falls-Windsor more than $5 million to expand its facilities.
"We're thrilled," college administrator Joan Pynn told CBC News on Tuesday. "We're very, very excited. We wanted to run up and down the halls shouting 'yippee.' "
Pynn said the money means the central Newfoundland college will be able to offer skilled-trades courses in two years.
"People from this area don't necessarily have to go to [Newfoundland's] east coast or the west coast. People in the central area, Coast of Bays and Exploits Valley, can now avail of that type of training here," she said.
It's welcome news to a community still coping with the loss of its paper mill and hundreds of jobs last year.
College officials said the post-secondary school will have the flexibility to change the courses it offers to meet changing labour demands.
"We can swap out basically, let's say for example, from a carpentry program to an electrical program over the summer months so there would be no renovations required, no major upheaval required," administrator Paul Chafe said.
Chafe said he doesn't expect the college will have any trouble filling classrooms. He said the school is already getting calls from potential students.
