Grande Prairie Regional College will be transitioning into a polytechnic institution in the near future (Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff)

By Shaun Penner

Alberta's newest polytechnic

College President sees bright future for GPRC with shift to polytechnic

May 12, 2021 | 5:30 AM

It has been an eventful eight weeks for Grande Prairie Regional College’s Acting President and CEO, who in his short time has been given the opportunity to make a historic announcement about the future direction of the post-secondary institution.

On Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Glenn Feltham, along with Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides and GPRC’s Board Chair Bridget Hennigar, announced that GPRC would be transitioning to become a polytechnic institution.

Speaking with EverythingGP shortly after that announcement, Feltham said he was truly honoured to be able to share such news with the community.

“Very few presidents ever get the opportunity to be part of an announcement that has such an incredible impact, both on the community and on future learners,” said Dr. Feltham. “I’m both blessed and humbled.”

The announcement brings with it the achievement of a long-term goal of the institution in becoming degree-granting.

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While that achievement is being celebrated, Feltham notes GPRC’s administration does not want to depart from its past, but rather expand and build upon it. This includes its trades and technology programs.

That is why he feels becoming a polytechnic institution is the right move for the school now and into the future, over becoming a full university.

“Polytechnic education is incredibly broad. It takes in all of the apprenticeship and skilled trades, it’s certificates, it’s diplomas, it’s degrees,” explained Dr. Feltham. “It really is about being able to meet all of those broader needs of the community.”

Feltham brings with him nearly a decade of experience in polytechnic education, as he served as President and CEO at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) from 2011-2019.

Though the two institutions are not exactly alike, he draws many parallels between what helped NAIT grow during his time and what the Grande Prairie area needs now for post-secondary education.

One of those things is having applied learning opportunities which would not only work for those looking to get into a career but also those who are looking to build on their existing one. Or, were looking to change directions later in life.

“When I was at NAIT, the great majority of students were not coming directly from high school. Frequently, they already had degrees, and frequently had advanced degrees, and they were coming back to get those skills and that knowledge that would allow them to advance their careers, and the organizations they work for.”

Both Feltham and Nicolaides emphasized Tuesday the ability for the school to better meet the needs of not just its learners, but the local industry and the local labour market.

Such is the goal for the Advanced Education Ministry, which unveiled the findings of the Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs task force last month, a panel co-chaired by Dr. Feltham. The findings of the task force outlined a ten-year vision for re-molding the province’s post-secondary system.

Key among those was making post-secondary institutions better meet the needs of the community to provide the education and skills development that is needed within an institution’s region.

That work is already underway, Feltham says, as GPRC has submitted a Bachelor of Computing Science degree program for approval, adding the development of a proposal for a Bachelor of Business Administration is also in the works.

Those are on top of other new programs like the Practical Nursing diploma and Health Care Aide certificate, which are approved and ready to roll out in 2022.

These are all exciting developments for Feltham, but he says it’s now time to work and listen to the community about what other programs are needed.

“We look forward to really getting out and working with our community in understanding both the needs of industry, of business… in our community,” said Dr. Feltham. “And understanding what learners want from us. Both directly from out of high school, but also over the course of their career.”

He adds a key to getting the right engagement and input will be to better connect GPRC to the greater northwestern Alberta community.

“The more ingrained we can become in our community, and the better we can listen, the better decisions that we will make.”

As for what the school will be called when the transition is completed, Feltham says that has not yet been decided.

Though many ideas have been spit-balled within the walls of GPRC, Feltham notes it will be crucial to connect with the community to properly build the school’s new identity.

“We view this fundamentally as an opportunity to engage,” he said. “Whatever names we may have in mind, we have no idea what is truly going to resonate with our broader community.

“We so look forward to having the discussions about our broader identity and what that name needs to be to reflect that identity.”

The transition to becoming a polytechnic institution will be completed when the order in council is approved by the provincial cabinet, which Nicolaides hopes will be in the fall.

GPRC is not the only post-secondary school shifting to polytechnic status, as Red Deer College was also approved to transition to such a status last week.