Assiniboine unveils priorities for Parkland Campus, announces permanent nursing program

Assiniboine Community College unveiled a set of priorities for its Parkland Campus in Dauphin today with the aim of developing the campus into a Regional Partnership Centre.

“We see the future of the Parkland Campus as one where it acts as a hub for the entire region, pulling together other organizations, companies and government partners to serve the needs of learners and employers,” said Assiniboine president Mark Frison.

The plan includes programs, services, campus and key partnerships as the four overarching themes. It centres on programs as the primary means of achieving growth and contributing to economic development in the region.

And the college has started gained traction to this end: A permanent on-campus Practical Nursing program was also announced today.

“There continues to be a great deal of demand for our nursing program, and we are excited to be offering it in addition to existing programs at our growing Parkland Campus,” said Frison.

Assiniboine already offers annual January and September intakes for the Practical Nursing program at both its Victoria Avenue East Campus in Brandon and Winnipeg Campus, amounting to about 140 nursing students each year. With the addition of the college’s rural rotating and community-based sites, there are currently more than 220 active nursing students.

Dauphin was announced last year as one of three communities that would host an upcoming rural rotating site. That program will still commence as planned this September, but now with an annual intake of 25 students every other September.

The demand for Assiniboine nursing graduates is high; 98 percent of graduates from the 2014-15 academic year said they were employed, making on average $54,286 a year. Graduate LPNs secure careers in hospitals, personal care homes, medical clinics, private agencies and the community. With some advanced preparation, some entrepreneurial LPNs are even choosing to start their own businesses.

In addition to Practical Nursing, the college’s Parkland Campus currently offers certificate and diploma programs in Business Administration, Carpentry and Woodworking, Comprehensive Health Care Aide, Early Childhood Education, and Mature Student High School.

View the Parkland Campus Plan here