St. Clair College has broken the 10,000-foot ceiling in student enrolment. The college has more than 10,500 students enrolled at the Windsor and Chatham campuses.
This represents a 12-per-cent increase over 2016. The Chatham Campus achieved a six-per-cent increase as compared to 2016.
This is the second consecutive year of increases to the college’s enrolment. In 2016, the College saw a nine-per-cent increase in enrolment over 2015.
“During our 50th anniversary year, the St. Clair College Alumni Association will grow to over 100,000 graduates (during October’s Convocation sessions), so it is exciting to be recording another milestone number along with an enrolment in excess of 10,000 students,” said St. Clair President Patti France in a media release. “More than that, it is heartening to realize that both domestic and international students have recognized St. Clair as an exceptional postsecondary destination, offering unparalleled instruction and state-of-the-art technology to pursue the careers of the 21st century.
“Coupled with the crucial task of addressing the skills gap in trades-and-technology, we continue to furnish expertise-laden graduates to the fields of health-care, engineering, manufacturing, business, information technology, social services and the applied arts – all of which are essential to the well-being of our community, and the prosperity of the local, provincial and national economies.”
This milestone has been achieved in large part to a dramatic increase in international students. In 2016, the college had 581 international students. Today, there are 1,100, a 90-per-cent increase. Additionally, the college’s campus in Toronto, Ace Acumen, saw an increase of 54 per cent over last year (1,450 students, up from 940 in 2016). Domestic enrolment held its own, in the face of continued declining catchment enrolment.
“Canada has quickly become one of the most sought after educational destinations,” says Ron Seguin, Vice President International Relations, Training and Campus Development. “The majority of students are coming from India and China and are seeking the higher education and skills expertise that the College delivers. This gives them the knowledge and tools to start careers in what today is a global workforce”.
International students are taking a wide variety of programs with the greatest interest being shown in the College’s Business and Technology programs.
St. Clair College also launched three new graduate certificates – Human Resources Management, Web & Interactive Advertising and Event Management. They have proven to be popular with both international and domestic students.
Chatham Campus is starting construction on a new National Powerline Training Centre, slated for completion in the winter of 2018. This facility will provide lab and classroom space for the Powerline Technician program, which has seen significant growth in enrolment over the past five years.
