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Portage numbers incorrect, says president

Officials at Portage College were quick to correct a report issued by the provincial government last week that painted an unwarranted bleak picture about the completion percentages of the college’s courses — and the corresponding financial implicatio
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The Portage College float in this year’s Pow Wow Days parade has been in the community parade for as long as the facility has been in the region.

Officials at Portage College were quick to correct a report issued by the provincial government last week that painted an unwarranted bleak picture about the completion percentages of the college’s courses — and the corresponding financial implications.

Last Tuesday, the UCP government released a report compiled by the Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances. The reports overview focused on what was said to be over-spending in many departments of the government. Also included in the report were findings that Portage College had the lowest program completion rate of any post-secondary institution — just 40 per cent.

But two days later college officials fired off a news release showing the panel’s error in compiling the information, noting that Portage has a much higher completion rate — more than 76 per cent — on par and exceeding other post-secondary institutions.

Portage President Nancy Broadbent said the panel putting together the report mistakenly took old information and came up with the wrong numbers.

 Portage College President Nancy Broadbent says the Advanced Education minister is aware of the error in the recent report relating to the college. Portage College President Nancy Broadbent says the Advanced Education minister is aware of the error in the recent report relating to the college.

The error, she says, was caused when 2011 historical data was used to determine students taking programs at the college. At that time, said Broadbent, there were a lot of students registering for just one or two courses out of an entire program. At one point, upwards of 1,100 students were registered for individual courses rather than programs. But the recording of their enrolment information at the time had them as full-time students.

“These 1,100 learners represented approximately 33 per cent of the overall College enrolment for that year. Most students only intended to take one or two courses that they needed to enter a very hot job market at the time,” noted Broadbent. “The methodology for counting these part-time registrants was changed by Advanced Education in 2013-14 as the government realized the impact on learner completion statistics at the time.”

Unfortunately, the accounting firm hired to audit the enrolments missed footnotes relating to the classification changes.

 Alberta's Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides had a good conversation with Portage College officials during an in-person visit last Wednesday. Alberta's Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides had a good conversation with Portage College officials during an in-person visit last Wednesday.

Minister sees the error

Once the mistake was noticed in the report by college officials, a correction was sent directly to media outlets, government departments and was shared, first-hand with Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides who was visiting the college on a scheduled stop just a day after the report was released.

“We had a good conversation with the minister,” Broadbent told the POST. “We know that he understands our mandate at Portage.”

That mandate, explained Broadbent is to provide valuable education to a diverse and rural population, many with social and economic challenges. With the corrected 76 per cent completion rate partnered with an 83 per cent of Portage graduates who are currently employed, Broadbent says the college’s faculty and staff at each of the campus locations is doing a great job at fulfilling the mandate. She says as the economy changes, many residents in the area are seeking new career paths or opportunities that are provided by colleges like Portage.

Broadbent also noted that post-secondary institutions along with many public-sector areas are also seeing economic challenges and budget concerns.

“The college has done some real work to keep costs in line, and we have to thank the staff and faculty directly because like other areas, people are doing more with less,”she said, adding that all staff are awaiting the release of the provincial budget — expected in October.

“Like others, we are waiting,” said Broadbent.

In recent years, the college and other Alberta post-secondary institutions have faced zero funding increases and have had to cut staff and programming.

Broadbent hopes the financial preparation — as noted in a report issued by the Auditor General, a week before the Blue Ribbon Report, that said Portage was operating at a satisfactory level when it came to the financial accounting — will help.

“I feel that we are going to weather the storm ... We are being very careful with the funding, and that’s all we can do to be ready for whatever is going to come out.”


Rob McKinley

About the Author: Rob McKinley

Rob has been in the media, marketing and promotion business for 30 years, working in the public sector, as well as media outlets in major metropolitan markets, smaller rural communities and Indigenous-focused settings.
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