For immediate release
January 26, 2012

Provincial Ministers applaud Keyano - the community cornerstone

They tried their hand at the heavy hauler simulators and were delighted and impressed with the technology – as well as how relevant Keyano programming is to the region.

Four provincial ministers toured Keyano College this morning and discovered firsthand that it is a community cornerstone.  Hon. Jeff Johnson, Minister of Infrastructure; Hon. Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Education; Hon. Dave Hancock, Minister of Human Services; Hon. Ray Danyluk, Minister of Transportation visited the Suncor Energy Industrial Campus and the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre as part of their week-long cabinet tour across the province.

L-R: Carla Kelly, Trades Instructor at Keyano with Minister Jeff Johnson (Infrastructure) as he tries the heavy hauler simulator and Dr. Kevin Nagel, President & CEO, Keyano College.  Photo by:  Sean McLennan, Keyano Photographer.

“Our world is changing quickly and Keyano College is adapting quickly.  I find that impressive,” said Minister Hancock.

For Minister Danyluk, a college’s success is measured by opportunity and accessibility, both of which he enthused are provided by Keyano.

Their first stop gave the ministers the unique opportunity to try out state of the art heavy hauler driver simulators, working closely with both Keyano College instructors and students. They also toured the space that will be home to the new FINNtech Heavy Equipment Technician program and enjoyed listening to the compelling story of Keyano’s newest training addition from President Dr. Kevin Nagel and Glenn van’t Wout, Dean of Trades & Heavy Industrial at Keyano. 

At the Clearwater Campus they met with Business and Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) students who made impressive program presentations to the group.

Tatania Mills was one of those students whose dynamic presentation left a strong impression.  She showcased the Office Administration diploma program and said it was a privilege and an honour to not only present before government officials, but Keyano’s senior administration as well.

“The annual Administrative Professionals Conference organized by first and second-year students is one aspect that makes us unique, also our projects for service groups in the community make us stand out,” explained Mills, a second-year student at Keyano.

Dr. Kevin Nagel, President & CEO, Keyano College, welcomed the government officials articulating how critical their ministries are to the region.

“I can’t think of four ministries collectively who have been more committed to our region.  Thank you for being here today,” Dr. Nagel said.

Each minister spoke about the role that they are playing in our region and answered a number of questions from the large gathering of students, staff and community stakeholders.

For more information, please contact:
Kiran Malik-Khan
Communications Specialist
Marketing & Communications
Keyano College
780-791-8971
Kiran.Malik-Khan@keyano.ca


For real time updates follow us on Twitter @keyanocollege.