Holland College has announced the adjustment of several full-time equivalent positions across the college, a reduction in the number of contract employees, and changes to the method of delivery of its Adult Education program as a result of fiscal constraints.

The Adult Education program will still be offered in all nine locations across the province, and will service the same number of students, but there will be changes in the delivery model. A substantial portion of the funding for the Adult Education program comes from the Labour Market Development Agreement. The amount of funding is contingent on the number of participating Employment Insurance eligible students. Fewer EI eligible clients in the Adult Education program has made the current structure unsustainable.

“Our first and foremost concern is always our students and staff. In order to ensure that the quality of our Adult Education courses is not compromised by the changes, the delivery model of the Adult Education program will be adjusted,” Holland College vice president Michael O’Grady said.

The Adult Education program will move to a new delivery model that will better align its course hours to comparable courses offered in high school, and will facilitate a seamless transition into Holland College and other post-secondary institutions. There will be fixed entry and exit points three times per year as opposed to the continuous enrolment model the courses currently follow. The courses will focus on more instructor-led methodologies and the assessment and management of student progress. Specific schedules based on historical patterns of student demand have been developed for each centre. A total of 5.5 full-time equivalent term positions and the equivalent of 4.5 full-time casual positions will not be renewed in the Adult Education program.

In other areas of the college, a number of positions will also be affected. Every year, the college is required to review its programming and enrolment numbers, and to balance its budget. As a result of that process, three positions that are currently vacant will not be filled and two casual employees will not have their contracts renewed, while up to five other employees will see their hours reduced.

“We are working to minimize the impact of these reductions on the staff. Our Human Resources department and the various department heads will meet with the affected employees over the next few days to discuss their options,” O’Grady said.