For prospective St. Clair College students, this year’s most sought after programs can be found in the school’s new state-of-the-art Centre for Applied Health Sciences.
“That, by far, is the one we get the most requests for,” the college’s marketing director, Ann Hetherington, said Saturday during a school open house.
The $32-million, 100,000-square-foot building opened on the college’s main campus last September with the addition of three new popular college programs – diagnostic medical sonography, respiratory therapy and cardiovascular technology.
The building is one of the reasons 17-year-old Priscilla Byrne (along with her St. Clair College alumni parents, Debbie and Steve Byrne) is considering the college as an option.
“Right now we’re on the fence,” said Debbie, 50, who toured the University of Windsor campus earlier this week with her daughter to check out the school’s human kinetics program.
The Byrnes said they were “quite impressed” with the college’s simulation rooms that come equipped with 3G simulation mannequins which can bleed, shed tears, urinate, dilate their pupils and give birth.
“It seems like the kids will graduate with a lot of experience,” Steve said, applauding the hands-on experience the college offers.
Hetherington said in addition to health sciences, there is an increased interest in skilled trades. The college has brought back a computer numerical control operators program, a position Hetherington said is in very high demand.
“There’s been a lot of talk about skilled trade shortages, which is very real.”
A shortage of more than one million skilled workers is forecast by 2020, according to the Conference Board of Canada.
Hetherington said since 2000, the college has launched at least 30 new programs and has increased enrolment by almost 60 per cent in the last 10 years, up to 8,200 from 5,200.
Between 2012 and 2011, the college’s enrolment has increased by two per cent, Hetherington added.
“The expansion of the campus has just exploded, from the residence, to our Ford Centre, health science centre and downtown Mediaplex,” Hetherington said, adding a Healthplex to the list, which is under construction across from residence on the main campus.
The Healthplex, expected to be finished by 2014, will have three full gymnasiums, a fitness centre, track and classrooms.
Jas Bhatia, a 17-year-old Riverside secondary school student who will most likely pursue a career as a paramedic, seemed eager to get started as he toured the health centre with his dad Bhubinder Bhatia.
“I like helping people,” Bhatia said after he was shown the lifelike mannequins. “I don’t like seeing people hurt. I want to mostly go in to paramedics for the adrenaline rush, helping people and saving people’s lives.”
