Okanagan College instructors are bracing for job cuts

Faculty astatine Okanagan College are facing times of uncertainty arsenic the schoolhouse deals with a driblet successful planetary pupil enrolment.

“I don’t cognize however we tin mitigate this to the level wherever we aren’t going to person devastating losses and immoderate household impacts and economical impacts. We’re going to suffer planetary students, that’s different economical impact,” said Sharon Mansiere, prof and module relation president.

Earlier this twelvemonth the national authorities acceptable a two-year intake headdress connected planetary students. Then, different blow, effectual Nov. 1, the post-graduate enactment licence programme changed its requirements to let lone permits successful fields identified arsenic experiencing a labour shortage.

“For america astatine Okanagan College, it means that 8 per cent of our programs are eligible, which is simply a immense simplification and evidently impacts the fig of students coming to Okanagan College,” said Jenn Goodwin, the college’s enrolment and assemblage relations vice-president.

The assemblage saw a 50 per cent alteration successful planetary students this autumn arsenic a effect of the changes and it’s anticipating a further driblet of 70 per cent travel January.

“Like each colleges crossed Canada close present this is thing that we’re uncovering precise concerning and the impacts of these policies are profoundly distressing,” Goodwin said.

About 11 word module contracts person already been cancelled for the wintertime semester, with astir 5 much expected to beryllium impacted.

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“We person a exemplary for planetary students that’s a cost-recovery model. So erstwhile students don’t travel past we request to marque definite we’re not spending arsenic though they’re here,” Goodwin said.

The president of the module relation sent retired a informing missive to module members aft the provost told the heads of each the unions connected field that the cuts could spell arsenic heavy arsenic astir 80 full-time positions.

“Those positions person been flagged I can’t accidental they won’t beryllium renewed but they’ve been flagged with concern, I’m acrophobic they won’t beryllium renewed and beyond that we were told that determination would besides beryllium cuts into continuing,” Mansiere said.

The assemblage did not corroborate immoderate much cuts beyond the part-time contracts that person already been cancelled.