Education
November 9, 2006

$4.5 Million Brings College Campus into the 21st Century

A vastly improved facility for students, instructors and staff at the Prince Philip Drive campus of College of the North Atlantic is quickly becoming a reality, as government�s investment of $4.5 million transforms the campus into an accessible, energy efficient building. Today the Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Education, provided details on work that will greatly improve the teaching and learning environment at the Prince Philip Drive campus.

"This college campus was constructed in 1963. Since that time, the infrastructure has aged and needs to be modernized. This funding will ensure the campus is a state-of-the-art learning facility that will better reflect College of the North Atlantic�s position as a leader in skills and technology training on the national and international stage," said Minister Burke.

The final work on the upgrades includes a new vapour barrier and insulation, new composite metal panels and a new main entrance and steps. The addition of two new elevator-equipped entrance lobbies will greatly improve wheelchair accessibility.

"The overall renovations and upgrades underway at the Prince Philip Drive Campus is a tremendous step forward, and we are especially thrilled with the improvements for students with disabilities," said Bruce Hollett, President of College of the North Atlantic.

Minister Burke added that there has been a 30 per cent increase since 2001 in the number of students with disabilities attending the college. "The changes to improve accessibility at this campus are part of an effort to better accommodate students with disabilities and make sure they have every opportunity to succeed."

A critical piece of the renovation is the replacement of all windows. The campus was originally constructed using a glass wall building concept. The steel frames have deteriorated and the windows must be replaced to ensure a comfortable learning environment. Upgrades will also see improvements made to shops and classrooms and renewal of the site in general.

The minister noted that this is the latest in a series of infrastructure investments for College of the North Atlantic. Work is also being done at the campus in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and an assessment is being conducted on options for Labrador West. In total, government is investing $11 million on these three campuses to ensure they are fully responsive to student requirements and labour market needs. This is one piece of the $60 million allocated in Budget 2006 for upgrades and on-going requirements at the province�s public post-secondary institutions for infrastructure, equipment and better programming.

"Government is making important investments in post-secondary education to enhance quality, facilitate access and foster a positive learning experience for students. We realize that, in order for our post-secondary institutions to be competitive in the global environment, they must have state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to attract both students and new faculty and researchers," said the minister.

The majority of the work at the Prince Philip Drive campus will be completed by March of next year and will be fully finished by summer 2007.

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Media contact:
Jacquelyn Howard
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca

2006 11 09                                                      1:00 p.m.
 


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