New funding for next steps in new Sask. Polytechnic campus plans

Funding in the provincial budget means more training spots in Saskatchewan Polytechnic programs and further work on designing a new campus.

Larry Rosia, the school’s president and CEO, said he’s “very pleased” with the province’s 2023-24 budget investments in the post-secondary institution, calling the funding “excellent news.”

Rosia said the budget signals “strong confidence in Saskatchewan Polytechnic to continue to deliver programs and courses to help grow Saskatchewan’s economy and to provide job-ready graduates.”

The school is slated to receive $6 million to continue design and planning work for its new campus in Saskatoon.

Currently, the project is in phase two of planning, which is expected to be completed in June.

The new funding is designated for the next phase of the project, which will focus more on the design and planning aspects, Rosia explained. That phase will include decisions on the location and design plans, as well as setting a possible date for groundbreaking.

Rosia said no decisions have been made at this point in the project, but due diligence work is being done on the location for the new campus. A potential site, adjacent to the University of Saskatchewan and Innovation Place, has already been identified.

Rosia said the project will set the stage for the advancement of a technological learning and digital innovation corridor for Saskatchewan, which would bring together businesses, entrepreneurs, students and other learning institutions to create a centre of forward thinking, applied learning, teaching and research.

Funding for high-demand sectors

Rosia said investment in high-demand programs offered by Saskatchewan Polytechnic was another highlight in the provincial budget.

While all sectors seem to be on the hunt for talent these days, he said nursing and health sciences have been in especially high demand recently. Those programs will see a boost, he said, thanks to this year’s budget.

“More workers in the health system will be trained and be able to seek and be ready for work,” Rosia said.

According to Rosia, Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s nursing and health sciences programs usually have a waiting list. Though the length of that list fluctuates from year to year, Rosia estimated that each year the school gets about 10 qualified applicants for every one it accepts.

He said graduate employment rates are higher than ever, and demonstrate the high demand for graduates of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s programs.

Rosia said 96 per cent of the institution’s graduates are currently having success finding jobs, and that number only grows when narrowed to health sciences graduates (99 per cent) or nursing graduates (98 per cent).

The president was also pleased with graduate employment statistics for Indigenous graduates, which were sitting at 94 per cent this year.