LAC LA BICHE – On March 24, Portage College hosted its annual spring open house at the post-secondary institution’s Lac La Biche campus.
The event provided an opportunity for prospective students to learn about programs offered at the college, and to meet with instructors and program staff. Over 40 programs were represented at the open house.
Those who attended could take a tour of the campus and find out more information about the services and resources that are available to students. Portage College also waived the $50 application fee to those who stopped by the campus and applied to a program of their choice.
Open house events also took place at Portage College’s St. Paul and Cold Lake campuses on March 25 and March 26.
Emily Steele, marketing supervisor for Portage College, said the open house events are beneficial for promoting the programs offered by Portage College and getting people interested in attending the college.
“We waive the application fees at the event, so it allows anybody with a barrier to kind of get over that $50,” Steele said.
The open house, she said, is also a good opportunity for people who are unsure and want to explore the services that are available at Portage College.
“They get to come down and speak to the coordinators of the program, and they have a chance to see the housing and the facilities,” Steele said.
Many of those who attended the open house at the Portage College Lac La Biche Campus filled out applications. This included Lola Letendre, a Grade 12 student who applied for the Bachelor of Arts and Psychology program.
Letendre, who was accepted to play for the Portage College Voyageurs women’s soccer team, said the open house is a good event to have for prospective students.
“It opens up a lot of opportunities for young people to do either part-time or full-time schooling, and it’s very flexible,” she said.
Martin Warner, an instructor in the power engineering program at Portage College, said the open house events gives high school and other prospective students an idea of what is involved in attending the college, including costs and educational requirements.
Also, the college highlights the benefits of attending, “and how we work with industry here and place the students, giving them good opportunities to be hired right away out of the course,” Warner stated.
