Collège Boréal to cut 12 programs across Ontario sites

Collège Boréal it will be cutting 12 programs across seven of its sites in Ontario over the coming years.

The cuts were made due to a declining enrolment, and in some cases, rising expenses over the last five years, Danielle Talbot-Lariviere, the college's senior vice-president of corporate affairs told CBC News.

She said the college refers to the cuts as "suspensions" because an increased demand from employers looking to fill vacancies may spur them to reactivate the programs in the future.

"Maybe in three, four, or five years, there could be a change in the market," Talbot-Lariviere said. "Like Chemical engineering. There's been a decrease in the number of jobs available, but maybe if there is a demand we can bring it back."

One of the programs, practical nursing, is being suspended because of increased demands by the regulatory body, the Council of the College of Nurses, she added.

"We would need to hire full-time faculty in every centre," Talbot-Lariviere said. "That's hard in Hearst or Kapuskasing  when you only have three students."

"We used to offer video conferencing, but the order of nurses now stipulates it has to be full-time faculty [who are instructing]."

The cuts won't affect any students who enrolled this year, the college said. All students will be allowed to finish their diplomas.

There will be "minimal impact" to faculty at this time, Talbot-Lariviere said. The faculty will still be responsible for students currently enrolled. The college is also bound by a collective agreement with unionized staff, which means qualified staff will be able to teach in another program.

Although watching the programs' enrolment decline over the last few years hasn't been easy, Talbot-Lariviere said the cuts are part of the institution's mandate to adapt to changing market demands.

"Industry is changing as fast as we are, and we have to keep adapting to make sure our students are ready for that job market," she said.

The college's most successful programs are its electrical program in Sudbury, the practical nursing programs based in Sudbury and Toronto, and the early childhood education program.

The programs facing suspension are as follows.

• Culinary Arts (Sudbury/Timmins)

• Culinary Management (Sudbury/Timmins)

• Dental Assistant (Sudbury/Toronto) Dental Hygiene is still offered in Sudbury

• Pharmacy Technician (Sudbury/Toronto)

• Motive Power Technician (Sudbury)

• Chemical Engineering Technician (Sudbury)

• Chemical Engineering Technology (Sudbury)

• Mechanical Technician (Sudbury)

• Practical Nursing (Hearst/Kapuskasing/Nipissing/Windsor) Still offered in Sudbury, Timmins and Toronto

• Electrical Techniques (Timmins) Still offered in Sudbury

• Electrical Engineering Technician (Timmins) Still offered in Sudbury

• Construction Engineering Technician – Civil (Toronto)