Vol. 105 No. 21
THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014
Box 40, 122 Main Street, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0
College optimizes student success G reat Plains College continues to optimize student success ensuring graduates are well equipped and positioned to meet the region’s labour market demand, according to the annual 2012-13 Student Outcome Report and 2011-12 Annual G r a d u a t e Fo l l o w - u p Survey conducted by Fast Consulting. The Student Outcome Report found that 77 per cent of the college’s post-secondary graduates from the 2012-13 year had secured full-time employment within 90 days
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of graduation, an increase of 18 per cent over the 90day rate of graduates from the previous year. Also on the rise, the college saw 59 per cent of its Basic Education graduates employed full-time within 90 days, up from 36 per cent the previous year. Alumni continue to find opportunity in Saskatchewan with 99 per cent employed in the province, and 83 per cent right here at home in the Great Plains College region. The Annual Graduate Follow-up Survey assesses employment trends one year after graduation, and found that 84 per cent of graduates were employed and 91 per cent indicated Great Plains College had prepared them to work in their field of study. “Saskatchewan is experiencing growth, Oh, happy day! . . . Paisley Suter punches her arms in and there is tremendous the air, along with the rest of her fellow Tiny Tot Nursery opportunity for our students School graduates, May 15. The happy grads will now to build a career in the province,” said director of planning Keleah Ostrander. met while growing both Great Plains College “It is an exciting time for our student base and our also recently initiated Great Plains College to programming to meet its first ever Economic ensure industry needs are future demands.” Impact Assessment to
www.biggarindependent.ca ndependent.ca
make Kindergarten their new vocation! (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
measure the impact of the college, its students and graduates on the region and provincial economies.
Annual impacts show that Great Plains College: created or maintained 742 …see college, pg 20
Prairie Branches taking on prominent role in community by Alicia Leclercq of The Independent
It
has now been seven months since Staci Walker stepped into what she calls her dream job, as Executive Director of Prairie Branches Enterprises Inc; a role that has her responsible for all aspects of the organizations operations. Two years ago, this former Nova Scotian moved with her family and established a life in the Prairies, setting up home in Biggar. With a strong educational background and expertise in the financial industry, Wa l k e r v e n t u r e d o n a different path taking up the job shortly after the amalgamation of Wilkie Independent Living Services (WILS) and Biggar Community Connections, which took place on April 1, 2013. This movement of joining the agencies was “for the ability to be a louder voice for our residents with the government and communities,” says Walker. P r a i r i e B r a n ch e s i s referred to as a CBO:
Community Based Organization. The non-profit organization, whose funding mainly comes from the Ministry of Social Services, Community Living Service Delivery, is set up in the communities to care for and enhance the daily lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. This care comes in the forms of group homes, seven in total, as well as day programs, supportive living, and support for employment possibilities with the clients. The organization is spread out through several neighbouring communities. Along with residential group homes in Wilkie, Unity and Biggar, there are also Semi-Independent Living homes in Kerrobert, Luseland, Wilkie, Unity and Biggar. And with 106 staff members, whom says Walker, make a positive impact in the lives of our clients everyday, the service is larger than many expect. As a non-profit, the organization does fund
raise to help promote quality of life for their clients. Currently, the community of Biggar is in need of a new wheelchair accessible van, an application has been submitted to the Kinsmen, who have supported WILS in the past. The van is required for the use of transportation to medical appointments and social outings, something which Wa l k e r e m p h a s i z e s , enhances clients daily living. As one of the programs, the Wilkie Day Program, now housed in the old St. George School building, provides an interactive life style, promoting comfort, safety and growth, for the clients who travel from the local group homes to take advantage of the different activities available to them. What used to be c l a s s r o o m s, n o w a r e areas in which the clients have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities. With the availability of arts and games rooms, work areas where clients can create
Staci Walker has filled the roll of Executive Director for Prairie Branches quite nicely, helping transition the Wilkie and Biggar operations into a seamless entity. (Independent Photo by Alicia Leclercq)
items they can sell and sensory rooms – rooms which house different pieces of equipment which are geared to support the needs of some of the clients; some of whom may enjoy the bubble lights, used for visual stimulation, or the hammock which gives them the opportunity to enjoy ‘cocooning’ or maybe it is the sensory mats, which have music
and vibrations, the Day Program provides an amplitude of interaction. “We work towards each client maximizing their individual potential and accessing supports available to them,” says Walker. “We are community based and strive always to have our clients be seen as the valuable members of the community that we know they are. Each one
of them has gifts to share with their communities and I feel privileged to be able to work with them.” With the responsibility of all the communities, Walker shares her time between Wilkie, Unity and Biggar, supporting and promoting the agency. “We are happy to be part of the communities,” says Walker, “and we thank them for all their support.”