Carlton Trail CEO and president, Amy Yeager; board chair, Sandy Flory; and board member, Darrell Paproski were happy to attend Carlton Trail College's 50th anniversary barbeque and open house in Humboldt on Aug. 23. (Submitted photo/Becky Zimmer)

By Becky Zimmer

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Aug 26, 2023 | 12:00 PM

The Carlton Trail College took time to celebrate their 50th anniversary this past week with a barbeque and community open house on Aug. 23.

Hundreds of rural communities have been served by the college with their main office in Humboldt but classroom and office locations in Watrous and Wynyard.

CEO and president, Amy Yeager, told northeastNOW that she can’t even begin to count how many people have benefitted from courses and certifications, or the number of community partnerships, including those with First Nations across their region, that have made the college what it is today.

“It’s about empowerment. It’s about changing lives. It’s about growth, not only for our businesses, but for individuals and that’s why this organization is so important.”

Providing more educational opportunities, especially those close to people’s hometowns and families has been the biggest milestone for the college, said Yeager. Offering classes and full programs close to home has sometimes meant the difference in whether or not some people have the opportunity at all, she said.

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“Seeing the folks that wouldn’t normally get an education being able to be successful and support their families, we support the people that maybe have challenges or barriers to education and to employment.”

With rent and housing causing financial and mental health issues for new students, creating these opportunities where students can still live at home or receive family support is something they’re proud of, said board member Darrell Paproski. Rural Saskatchewan is a wonderful place to grow up and work, he told northeastNOW, and he wishes he could convince more people of that.

“The college allows young adults to take classes that might interest them. It allows our students to see what they do, what they would like to pursue in terms of further education. In terms of the family environment, it’s really nice when young people can continue to grow at home, and it’s a lot less expensive.”

Especially as the college continues to expand; they hope to have shovels in the ground in the next couple of months to start their trades facility expansion project, they are looking forward to increasing the number of seats on offer for courses.

Trades courses specifically have had huge support from local industry partnerships. Learning a trade is made even better when a student can have those apprenticeship opportunities right in their home community, said Paproski.

The staff have been on an interesting journey as they looked back through the college’s history in preparation for the celebration. Seeing old newspaper clippings and photos has been a cool experience, said Yeager.

“Just seeing what the event how things have evolved, but also how many things are saying the same, and contributing to our community has been the biggest part.”

Celebrations also took place in Watrous and Wynyard on Aug. 22 and Punnichy on Aug. 24.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim