1980-87

The College continued to operate during the years 1980-87 with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The roots of the College were firmly based within the community and courses were developed in response to their needs. Some of the popular courses during this time included microwave cooking, aerobics, computer literacy, horse training, First Aid, and dough art. Many technical courses ran for farmers including welding, farm greenhouse operation, carpentry and farm wiring.

Other programs of interest included a week-long fur trapping course, Steam Engineering programs and secretarial studies offered via the competency–based model through Wascana Institute. Career Counselling was expanded to a full-time counsellor for a period of nine months in 1985-86. During April and May, 1986, the College hired an Art Instructor in Residence for 8 weeks which ran in the form of workshops, evening courses and guest lectures with an enrollment of 223 individuals.

During these years, facilities continued to grow and expand with increasing staff requirements. In Nipawin, 210 Centre Street housed the College during the ‘80’s. Melfort’s facility moved from Burrows Ave to the Melfort Mall and then moved again to 706 Main Street. Beth Goertzen’s adult basic education classrooms in Carrot River moved from a house to the old hospital. The College administration office in Hudson Bay closed in April, 1985, although Adult Basic Education courses continued to operate.