The Parkland College-Cumberland College Coalition seeks input from attendees to its community engagement session.(Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Cumberland College Input

Social support, employable attributes brought up during Cumberland College’s community engagement session

Feb 12, 2020 | 3:20 PM

Groundwork for the Parkland College-Cumberland College Coalition’s five-year strategic plan is underway.

Following the first day in Porcupine Plain, the coalition saw municipal and provincial politicians, industry leaders, staff, and students fill the Canalta Hotel board room in Melfort on Tuesday, Feb. 11 for its second community engagement session in the northeast.

The coalition wants residents of all backgrounds in the northeast and east-central portions of the province to provide input on how Cumberland and Parkland Colleges can improve marketing and branding, how to make students more successful, how to be more employer focused, and being a catalyst for the areas.

Suggestions that stood out for the coalition’s President and CEO Mark Hoddenbagh throughout the discussion included social supports such as housing and transportation. Assistance in childcare for parent students and teaching soft skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving were also brought up.

“They’re not new, but it’s good to see people are still thinking about them,” Hoddenbagh said. “There were a lot of ideas, including things around making sure our policies are more reflective of a work environment. It’s good to see our students saying that about people coming in late and not participating in class the way they should. It’s a real opportunity for us to provide a real work type of environment for our students, so when they leave, they know it’s going to happen in the real world.”

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With three days into the community engagement process, Hoddenbagh said the coalition isn’t sure how to immediately address the suggestions.

Once all the public input is collected, the coalition expects to brainstorm and come up with objectives to accomplish within the next five years and devise an action plan. The coalition will then go to its board for approval before implementing the plans.

“The next stages are hopefully in June,” Hoddenbagh said. “We’ll start an implementation plan; what will we do in years one, two, three… then continue adapting the plan, because the world changes. We need structure, but we need to have flexibility to be able to move and adapt as the needs arise.”

The next community engagement session in the northeast will be Thursday, Feb. 27 in Hudson Bay from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Brooks Hall Meeting Room.

If interested participants are unable to attend the sessions, Hobbenbagh said they can voice their opinions via an online survey.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow