Suncrest College is a post-secondary educational institution in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada, formed from a merge of Parkland College and Cumberland College on 1st June 2023.

History

Parkland College

The Parkland College was founded by the Province of Saskatchewan in 1971 as Parkland Regional College (1973-2008). It was renamed Parkland College (2008). The college primarily served the education and training needs of communities and industry partners in east central Saskatchewan and western Manitoba.

Cumberland College

Cumberland College was a regional college based in Melfort,

Nipawin Nipawin () is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Saskatchewan River portion of Tobin Lake. The town lies between Codette Lake, created by the Francois-Finlay Dam (built in 1986) and Tobin Lake, created by the E.B. Campbell Dam built i ...

and Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, that provides post-secondary education in the north east region of the province. Cumberland College was founded as Cumberland Community College by the Province of Saskatchewan in 1974, with the first slate of courses being offered in the fall of 1975. It was renamed Cumberland Regional College in 1988 to coincide with a new mandate under the Regional Colleges Act (1986) and an increased regional reach. Around 2008 the College attained its current name. The College primarily serves the education and training needs of communities and industry partners in northeast Saskatchewan.

Merger

Prior to the merge, Parkland College and Cumberland College shared a president and CEO, focused on improving operational efficiencies (resource use) and enhancing organization effectiveness (impact). Each of the two colleges has its own board of six governors, but the same six governors sat on each board.

Programs

Parkland

Parkland College offers adult basic education (ABE) and work essential skills training; college programming (business and industry; health care; computer training; general interest); and university programming. The college provides career counselling to students and other support services to help them be successful. ABE training enables students to obtain a Grade-12 equivalent certificate, which facilitates transition to either post-secondary education or employment. Work essential skills are needed for success in work, learning and life; they are the foundational skills that make it easier to learn all other skills. College programs are brokered from institutions such as Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Lakeland College (Alberta) and Conestoga College (Ontario) and other institute certificate programs. Select university programs are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Western Trades Training Institute (WTTI), Parkland offers Crane and Hoist certification, Boom truck certification, and rigging programs.

Cumberland

Cumberland College provides academic upgrading, college certificate and diploma, and university programs in a variety of fields and trades. The college provides career counselling to students and other support services to help them be successful. ABE training enables students to obtain a Grade-12 equivalent certificate, which facilitates transition to either post-secondary education or employment. Work essential skills are needed for success in work, learning and life; they are the foundational skills that make it easier to learn all other skills. College programs are brokered from institutions such as

Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology or SIAST ) is Saskatchewan's primary public post-secondary institution for technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and intern ...

and Lakeland College, Alberta. Select university programs are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level in partnership with the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

and

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...

. The college has a robust continuing education program that provides first aid, safety and corporate training to individuals and organizations in its region. The college has strong ties with Indigenous learners and communities such as

Yellow Quill First Nation Yellow Quill First Nation () (formerly Nut Lake Band of Saulteaux) is a Saulteaux First Nation band government in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserve is twenty kilometres northwest of Kelvington. The Yellow Quill First Nation is a signatory of ...

and

Shoal Lake Cree Nation The Shoal Lake Cree Nation ( ''pâhkwâw-sâkahikanihk'') is a Swampy Cree First Nations band government in Saskatchewan, Canada located east of Nipawin. The Cree First Nation is on the Carrot River and can be accessed by Highway 55. Nearby ...

Campuses

Those formerly associated with Parkland College are located in Canora; Esterhazy;

Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Qu'Appelle () is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan located in the Qu'Appelle River valley north-east of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina, between Echo Lake (Saskatchewan), Echo and Mission L ...

;

Kamsack Kamsack, Saskatchewan, Canada, is a town in the Assiniboine River Valley, where the Whitesand River, Saskatchewan, Whitesand River joins the Assiniboine River. It is northeast of Yorkton. Saskatchewan Highway 8, Highway 8 and Saskatchewan Highw ...

; Melville; and two in

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about north-west of Winnipeg and south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. Yorkton was founded in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1928. ...

(the college's Main Campus and the Trades and Technology Centre). Those formerly associated with Cumberland College are located in Melfort,

and Tisdale. Additionally, programs are offered in partnership with our Indigenous communities, including the

James Smith Cree Nation The James Smith First Nation ( ''nihtâwikihcikanihk'', meaning: ''at the place of good growth'') is a Cree, Plains Cree Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous band government whose reserve is north of Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada. James Smi ...

Muskoday First Nation The Muskoday First Nation (, formerly the John Smith First Nation) is a First Nation band government in Saskatchewan, Canada, composed of Cree and Saulteaux peoples. The First Nation has a registered population of 1,828 people as of September 2 ...

and

Red Earth First Nation Red Earth Cree Nation ( ''kâ-mihkwaskîwakâhk'') is a Cree community in Saskatchewan, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic ...

Research

The college has a strong agricultural research program in crop science and production that it operates in collaboration with the East Central Research Foundatio

The program is funded by industry, producers and government agencies such as the

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; , CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. NSERC directly funds university professors and students as ...

. The college has also received funding from the

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; , CRSH), often colloquially pronounced 'shirk' (), is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and training in the humani ...

Partnerships

The college offers accredited post-secondary education and skills training opportunities for local learners in partnership with the

, the

, and the province's other regional colleges. Parkland College maintains reciprocal arrangements with educational partners, including: *

Dumont Technical Institute The Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), formally the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research Inc., is a non-profit corporation serving the educational and cultural needs of the Saskatchewan Métis and Non-Status Indian commun ...

First Nations University of Canada The First Nations University of Canada (abbreviated as FNUniv) is a post-secondary institution and federated college of the University of Regina, based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. FNUniv operates three campuses within the province, ...

Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) is a First Nations-operated post-secondary institution offering training and educational programs in Saskatchewan, Canada. History SIIT was established in 1976 as the Saskatchewan Indian C ...