The provincial government’s new budget will see some more money coming Portage College’s way with nearly 1.5 million dollars in new funding.
The college will see a 2% raise to its base operating grant as well as another million allocated for an infrastructure assessment.
Portage says they see about a 4.5% rise in costs every year due to inflation so they’ll still be cutting costs by 1.1 million this coming year. However, they maintain that staffing numbers won’t be affected.
“Existing cost pressure means we will make operational changes. More critically important is that we are maintaining our workforce and continue to provide a high level of training with increased opportunity for education.” said Dr. Trent Keough, President & CEO of Portage College.
The extra million for an infrastructure assessment is welcomed by the college, allowing them to determine what they’ll need to put in place in the future.
“We’re really delighted that the Government of Alberta is seeing the need to explore the expansion of the college campuses,” says Ray Danyluk, Board of Governors Chair of Portage College. “The $1 million dollars will enable the college to put an excellent business proposal forward for the next capital plan.”