YORKTON – Suncrest College held its Pathways to Digital Careers graduation ceremony Thursday at the Owl’s Nest in Yorkton.
The classes for the program began June 5. Students attended class for half days, three days per week, learning new digital and technology skills and incorporating the 9 Skills for Success to support their work readiness.
“In October 2024, Suncrest College Applied Research responded to a call for proposals from Future Skills Centre, a funding agency supported by the Government of Canada,. Future Skills Centre is “a forward-thinking centre for research and collaboration dedicated to driving innovation in skills development so that everyone in Canada can be prepared for the future of work.” Future Skills Centre was looking for opportunities to fund innovative skills training for equity-deserving populations in rural Canada. Suncrest College partnered with Southwest College and Yorkton Tribal Council to bring a new skills training opportunity in computer science and job readiness to Yorkton, Kamsack, Estevan, and Ocean Man First Nation,” detailed the graduation booklet.
The local submission was one of nine to receive funding from more than 400 proposals submitted.
“In late April, Suncrest College, Southeast College, and Yorkton Tribal Council began to plan and promote the summer courses. The computer science section of the course is based on Southeast College's “Computer Science Training Through Projects” course, that has been in place for the past 15 months. The job readiness section applies Suncrest's successful Skills for Success training. We received wonderful response and filled the classes, despite the short timeline and the summer time frame for the classes,” detailed the booklet.
Local businesses and organizations partnered with Suncrest College to provide real-world projects for the students. The projects included efforts around the Yorkton Brick Flour Mill, SIGN Food Security Website, Shearer Counselling Services, Central Prairies Development Alliance and others.
“The concept of the course and the foundation of the funding proposal was driven by knowing that people living in rural Canada, particularly people from equity-deserving groups, require face-to-face training with additional support to achieve success. This course provided numerous forms of support to the students – laptops, monitors, internet access, travel subsidies, nutrition, counselling services, additional classroom assistance, day camps for students' children, and engagement from many areas of the colleges and community,” stated the grad booklet.
The first-time program was held in both Yorkton and Kamsack with 17 graduating.
