As a result of low enrollment figures and labour market demand, College of the North Atlantic (CNA) has removed seven programs from its schedule of 2017-2018 academic program offerings. The decision not to offer these permanent programs has resulted in the layoff of 11 full-time permanent faculty. Also, as the result of the college completing extra sections of various program offerings this academic year, 34 contractual faculty will not be renewed.
The decisions related to program offerings are the result of the college’s Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) process, which is an evidenced-based decision making methodology for the assessment of program offerings for the 2017-2018 academic year.
CNA’s Interim President and CEO, Elizabeth Kidd, says the SEM process was wide-ranging and included various college functional areas, but also looked at student demand, labour market demand and industry feedback.
“These decisions, while difficult, are based on the best evidence that we have to determine the potential demand for graduates, their potential for employment and the skills and trades that employers are indicating they need,” said Ms. Kidd. “As a college, our ability to respond to the demands of the labour market is key and we want to ensure that our students have every opportunity for success upon graduation. These factors are at the very heart of the decision making regarding what programs we offer in a given academic year.”
The permanent programs and campuses affected are: Welding (Baie Verte); Industrial Mechanic – Millwright (Happy Valley-Goose Bay); Health Informatics (Distributed Learning); Cook (Seal Cove); Construction/Industrial Electrician (St. Anthony); and Chemical Process Engineering Technology – Co-op (Ridge Road). Process Operations Engineering Technology (Corner Brook) is undergoing a program review and will continue to receive applications for September 2018 enrollment.
The SEM process is an ongoing one which the college uses to match program offerings with student and industry demand.
While examining enrollment applications it was determined that five program offerings which had originally be scheduled for suspension had seen an increase in applications, resulting in their continued temporary offering for 2017-2018, these programs include: Powerline Technician (Bay St. George and St. Anthony); Heavy Equipment Operator (Bonavista and St. Anthony); and Carpenter (Happy Valley-Goose Bay).
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Media Contact:
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca