College responds to Smiths Falls' needs

By Kat Guerin

guer0092@algonquincollege.com

Most know about Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley, with its campuses located in Pembroke and Perth.

But few may be aware that a town formerly known for its taste in chocolate also has a taste of Algonquin.

Smiths Falls, located about 80 km from Ottawa, has maintained a small campus since the mid ‘80s. Unlike most other campuses, however, Smiths Falls students go to class in the basement of a building shared with a barber shop at 18 William St. 

Despite consisting of one department, Career and College Preparation, and offering two programs, Literacy and Basic Skills and College Preparatory, the Smiths Falls campus responds to the specific needs of those in Lanark County.

“We initially perform an assessment of skills during consultations,” Anne Davis, the co-ordinator said. “Some know what they want from the programs, some don’t.”  

Students register for the programs for different reasons, from needing specific credits in order to apply to another program, to acquiring training for employment. Others may simply want to go back to school.

Last year, the school served 170 students. Since September 2008, the school has taught over 100 students, which is largely due to the estimated 1,500 lay-offs Smiths Falls has seen recently.

“The need for our services will increase, as we’re already starting to see,” Davis said.

Smiths Falls, currently undergoing economic challenges, has seen the closure of its Hersheys plant and the closing plans for the Rideau Regional Centre and Stanley Tools, which will result in even more lay-offs.

“We are dealing with a lot of fear and confusion,” Davis said. “Many of those workers need retraining to start a new career path as quickly as possible. We need more space to accommodate what I expect to be our highest numbers up to date.”

According to Kent MacDonald, the vice president of academic services, “Algonquin will look for ways to expand in Smiths Falls.” Algonquin has adopted a philosophy supported by the Board of Governors in which there is an obligation to respond to various students’ needs.

“Algonquin will continue to respond and provide the services necessary to meet the needs of our students, which will help address the economic challenges Smiths Falls is facing,” MacDonald said.