(File Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Cumberland College Funding

Cumberland College one of eight regional schools getting $24.2 million in provincial funding

Sep 21, 2020 | 3:00 PM

Cumberland College is one of Saskatchewan’s eight regional college’s that received some funding on Monday, Sept. 21.

The funding towards the schools total around $24.2 million and is set to go towards ‘skills training programs.’ Cumberland College president and CEO Mark Hoddenbagh said with COVID-19 causing difficulties across the world, and the provincial government continuing to put money back into the province, this funding is a welcome sight.

“It’s good that they’ve been able to provide this level of funding,” Hoddenbagh told northeastNOW. “So, it’s very very helpful to us.”

He added keeping these colleges running is important for their communities to give students a local opportunity to learn.

Programs that are to receive most of the funding according to Hoddenbagh are programs like their adult basic education program. They help adults get the right education to make sure they can get into university programs. Other programs include the continuing care assistant program and other trades.

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Hoddenbagh said Cumberland has had to move to a blended learning model for the year with partial in-person teaching, and partial virtual. He said this funding will also help make the blended learning the best they can be and help prepare the students for outside of school.

“They’re going to encounter technologies, they’re going to encounter not being at the office all the time,” Hoddenbagh said. “So, the more we can help them get comfortable with that before they leave the college, the better employees they’re going to be when they leave the college.”

The funding comes after the schools submit budgets for the year and the government decides how much is available from there. Hoddenbagh said they were really unsure of what they were going to receive this year.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6