By Kayla Bruch

Feds announce $92K for skills training programs

Mar 5, 2015 | 4:01 PM

A Nipawin college will have the “flexibility” to buy their own equipment and, in turn, offer certificate programs in Electrical and Industrial Mechanics, whenever they want. 

During an afternoon announcement Prince Albert’s Member of Parliament, Randy Hoback, on behalf of the Government of Canada, invested $92,000 into Cumberland College.

Cumberland College director of programs, Saye McKay, said the money will be used towards buying things such as circuit boards, drills and hand tools for two of their apprenticeship programs.

“What the funding is for is for equipment to offer the Applied Certificate in Electrical and the Applied Certificate in Industrial Mechanics,” McKay said. “We’ve gotten [$500,000] from IMII, which is the International Minerals Innovative Institute … and we’re getting $92,000 from Western Diversification.”  

While the $92,000 won’t cover costs for all of the necessary items used in each course, McKay said they are saving a lot of money by owning as opposed to borrowing.  

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“If we didn’t get the funding to buy our own equipment, we would have to rent the equipment from [Saskatchewan Polytechnic] … and there’s a limited amount of equipment [there],” said McKay. “If we rented … it would probably cost us $10,000 for each program each year that we want to run them.”

McKay said for an electrical or industrial mechanic program the shop tools needed cost about $180,000, but it’s a cost that’s well worth spending with a high demand for electricians and industrial mechanics.

“With support from the Government of Canada, Cumberland College will purchase new equipment to expand their Electrical and Industrial Mechanics certificate programs. The expansion will allow the college to offer a second intake per year for both programs, resulting in an additional 36 electricians and 24 industrial mechanics entering the workforce over four years,” Hoback said.

kbruch@panow.com

On Twitter: @KaylaBruch1