Cumberland College and Parkland College plan to merge. Courtesy Cumberland College.

By Doug Lett

Two community colleges plan to merge

Regional colleges plan to merge

Jan 20, 2023 | 5:00 PM

Two of the province’s regional colleges are planning to merge.

Cumberland College covers the northeast, including Melfort and Nipawin, while Parkland College is based in the southeast, and includes Yorkton, Esterhazy, and Melville.

In a news release, the institutions say the province approved the merger this week. The two colleges have been operating as a coalition since 2019, with a shared CEO and a shared board of governors.

Interim CEO Alison Dubreuil said merging means more shared resources, better partnership opportunities, and new programming.

“We believe the merger will better position our colleges to serve our learners and our communities,” said Dubreuil.

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She said the educational landscape keeps shifting as the needs of local employers change. And they believe the merger will help the two colleges do a better job of adapting to changing needs. For example, in health.

“There’s help wanted signs in many businesses in Saskatchewan,” she said. “We’ve had some discussions with our partners in regards to some specialized programming, we know that health human resources and that field is certainly facing pressures with their labour demands, so those are some conversations we are continuing to have.”

While the merger is about sharing resources, and better programming, Dubreuil said one thing it is not about is cutting jobs.

“Job loss due to the merger is not part of the plan, has not been part of the plan,” she said “This was a key guiding principle outlined by our board of governors outlined at the very beginning…and it is something we will hold true too,” she said. “We are important employers in our communities and we value the contributions all of our staff make.”

Currently, she said, about 81 people work at Cumberland College, with just under 1,000 students.

Parkland College has 191 employees, and around 3600 students.

The two institutions combined have a budget of around 19 million dollars.

While the colleges deliver a lot of different courses, the emphasis includes adult basic education and trades.

Dubreuil said a lot of work needs to be done between now, and the planned merger on July 1, but the institutions believe they are moving in the right direction.

“The post-secondary landscape in Saskatchewan and Canada is increasingly competitive,” said Corinna Stevenson, board of governors co-chair. “We know significant change and innovation is required to ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of our students, communities, and partners.”

Among the changes will be a new name for the new, merged college, as well as a new logo.

Currently, there are eight regional colleges in Saskatchewan.

The majority of funding for the institutions comes from the provincial government.

The plan is to have the merger finalized by July 1.

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doug.lett@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @DougLettSK