Theme 1: Student Success and Employable Labour Force

At the time of this submission and in addition to NWC’s new strategic plan, the following have influenced NWC’s strategic priorities, goals and measures: i) North West College 2022-25 Strategic Plan – Balanced Scorecard. ii) Performance framework included in our 2022-23 budget letter. iii) Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan – The Decade of Growth 2020-2030. iv) Advanced Education’s Plan for 2022-23. v) Immigration and Career Training, Plan for 2022-23. NWC will align directly with the goals, strategies and actions in each of our two Ministry’s 202223 plans, which in turn align to the Government goals: i) A strong economy. ii) Strong Communities, and iii) Strong Families. In addition, NWC has aligned with the following actions from Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan: i) Developing Saskatchewan’s labour force. ii) Growing our population by keeping more young people in Saskatchewan and increasing immigration to the province. iii) Growing Indigenous participation in the economy through the growth of Saskatchewan’s natural resource industries and labour market development. iv) Delivering on the purpose of growth by ensuring growth builds a better quality of life for Saskatchewan’s families and communities. v) Supporting the transformation of Saskatchewan’s economy through technology and the growth of Saskatchewan’s technology sector. vi) Growing Saskatchewan’s agricultural economy. vii) Growing Saskatchewan's oil, gas, and natural resource economy. viii) Adding value and increasing Saskatchewan-based processing of the province’s agricultural products. ix) Promoting the quality and sustainability of Saskatchewan’s agricultural and natural resource exports. x) Engaging internationally to secure access and expand international markets for Saskatchewan’s products.

Theme 1: Student Success and Employable Labour Force Facilitate Student Success and Employment

The first theme calls on the College to be accessible and responsive. ‘Student Success and Employable Labour Force’ is at the forefront of the College’s purpose and several objectives are a continuation of long standing efforts. Educated and skilled graduates contribute to economic growth by fulfilling employer labour demands. Improving student employment and earning prospects reduces turnover for employers and provides a quality of life over time that benefits the students and their families. NWC continues to prioritize the success of First Nation and Métis students, and endeavor to build a labour force that is representative of our region.

As pandemic restrictions are lifted and we learn to live with Covid-19 NWC’s plan is to return to normal capacity in the fall of 2022. There is optimism that student retention and resulting student success will improve markedly relative to the past two years. While the College was successful at pivoting to hybrid and online learning when needed, and plans to use of these options where appropriate, there is little question that off-campus participation did not translate into the desired rates of completion and graduation.

Another strategic objective in this theme is to ‘facilitate student success and employment’. With a greater proportion of time spent on-campus the student experience will benefit from greater interaction with the NWC Student Services team. Staff are prepared to be proactive in the

provision of services required by students and to serve the increasing number of students needing accommodations.

Expand and Diversify Program Options & Delivery A commitment to assessing training needs region-wide aligns with the Ministry of Advanced Education’s (AE) expectations to be responsive and accountable. Programs will be provided where needed, to best meet labour market demands.

Pursuing micro credentials will enable the College to be agile in responding to business and industry needs. The College is currently assessing micro credential programming needs and determining which offerings to launch. Recent discussion with First Nations partners supports the need for office software training for band workers. Another potential micro-credential in preemployment cooking.

The first NWC international students will arrive in the fall of 2022 for diploma programs in North Battleford and Meadow Lake. A new position, International Education Coordinator, was initiated in March 2022 to recruit international students and to ensure processes are in place to welcome and support them during their program. This position has connected to an AE ministry committee to discuss opportunities, recruitment, and strategies with other regional college staff.

Support Employer Needs Committed to employer engagement, the College will meet regional needs by providing workready graduates and/or through the upskilling of the existing workforce. Work placement opportunities are integrated into programs to apply theory to practice thereby ensuring students have the necessary skills and confidence to enter the workforce. The placement opportunities afforded by regional employers provides students with an excellent opportunity to make a good impression and potentially secure employment upon graduation. In addition, these placements provide the connection with employers that facilitates NWC’s assessment of training needs as well as the quality of training being provided. In some cases, these mutually beneficial relationships lead to scholarship contributions and general support for the College.