As Lethbridge College’s campus settles into its busy September buzz, leaders have had a chance to analyze this year’s enrolment numbers – and they look very good.
Overall, enrolment has increased five per cent compared to this time last year, bringing the total student enrolment up to 4,668. This is one of the largest student enrolment counts in recent years.
“I think we’re beginning to see a recognition of our commitment to inspiring and facilitating learning and innovation to meet the community’s and region’s economic and social needs,” says President and CEO, Dr. Paula Burns. “It is wonderful to see so many students pursuing their passion and interests in the wide range of programs available.”
Programs that saw noteworthy increases included Therapeutic Recreation Gerontology, Disability and Community Rehabilitation, Agricultural Technology, and Criminal Justice Policing and Corrections.
One of the areas in particular where the college saw a significant increase was in its new applicants to programs through distributed learning or more commonly known as online learning. There are 189 new students registered in distributed learning programs this fall, a 61 per cent increase from last year. A number of programs offered by Lethbridge College, including Correctional Studies, Criminal Justice, Justice Studies, Disability and Community Rehab, Central Sterile Processing, and Therapeutic Recreation Gerontology, are now completely available online, allowing learners from across Canada to access these top notch programs in a way that meets their needs. The college expects to provide additional courses with flexible learning options in the coming years.
Other programs that experienced growth this year were several of the college’s apprenticeship programs. The increased interest in these fields follows a province-wide trend, where the demand for well-trained employees in the trades has been significant. The college’s proposed Trades and Technology Renewal and Innovation Project, a 165,270-square-foot project that will support more than 880 new students across eight trade areas and four technology programs has been designed with this demand in mind.
This semester Lethbridge College is pleased to welcome 355 First Nation Metis and Inuit (FNMI) students to campus as well as 160 international students. The international students on campus come from 36 countries, with Japan, India, China, South Korea and Kenya having the greatest representation.
The campus community as well as the larger southern Alberta community is encouraged to attend some of the college’s traditional fall events in the coming weeks, including the Career Conference on Oct. 7 and FNMI Days on Oct. 22-24.