NAIT announces 10-year $750 million expansion

Ken

NAIT announces 10-year $750 million expansion

& i0 ]+ J5 W0 t! L+ XEdmonton Journal
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
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+ \) |4 D1 x; u5 j& u5 \( jThe Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is announcing a $750-million expansion plan today aimed at increasing its training capacity by 50 per cent.

Under the ambitious proposal, NAIT would increase its number of training spaces to 95,000 from 65,000 students a year over the next 10 years.

) Z- g3 |+ _0 {The expansion would consolidate NAIT’s eight Edmonton and area campuses to two main sites — the existing main campus and a new campus in south Edmonton.
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2 `6 W( R. H5 O. I6 tIt will include a student village and residence. NAIT is currently the only major post-secondary institution in Edmonton that doesn’t have a student residence.

' p# j+ u. P7 q, j( T( Y6 _It will also include a new Centre for Oil Sands Applied research.

# Z' _. J! a" W( N  ?NAIT president Sam Shaw is making the announcement at noon today.

6 i5 m: f, B* [: D' Q* A: A4 R/ MIt is just the latest expansion program by NAIT and other post-secondary institutions in Edmonton.
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0 I# ^: O" D4 a/ i& a' o" vLast fall, the institute launched a $50 million campaign to build 11 new training centres for apprentices and business students. The Building on Demand campaign is an effort to address Alberta's critical shortage of skilled workers.
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The University of Alberta is planning a $1 billion expansion over the next 30 years that would see its full-time student population jump to 50,000 from 34,500. The expansion will take place at its main campus and its south campus between Belgravia and 51st Avenue.
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, u% m' E- H6 u( z1 c# lGrant MacEwan College is also planning a $375 million expansion over 25 years to boost its full-time student population to 22,000 from 11,000 at its main campus downtown and a proposed new south campus near Anthony Henday Drive.

  [! d2 u" z8 ?: K) j0 z7 O. UNorQuest College plans a $100 million expansion to its downtown campus, which would increase its student population to 5,500, up from 4,000.

$ ]. _1 ~+ c" z5 R6 y0 vPreviously announced new training centres at NAIT will be built or redeveloped between August 2006 and the fall of 2010 include:

% h: P3 _/ D# q0 G, n2 ]- NAIT Waiward Steel Centre for Steel Technologies:
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Construction started in a year ago at NAIT's Souch Campus in south Edmonton. Will open this August, training apprentice welders, boilermakers, ironworkers, structural steel fabricators and platefitters. This will be a building expansion and redevelopment of existing space.
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- NAIT Spartan Controls Centre for Process Control and Instrumentation Technology and the Centre for Millwright Technology:
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Construction began last July on a new facility to house both of these centres on NAIT's main campus. Will open in August 2007, training millwrights and instrument technicians. The new building will be connected to the HP Centre on Princess Elizabeth Avenue.
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" A& J( a. S$ ?5 @1 F, T# P- NAIT Suncor Energy Centre for Piping Technologies:

# Z0 ~. _1 v! c: B2 Y2 pConstruction will start this year on the Patricia campus in west Edmonton. The centre, an expansion of current space, will open in August 2008. Training will be provided for insulators, plumbers, and steamfitter-pipefitters.
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8 J4 _( H+ Z( z: {% M- NAIT Grande Prairie Campus:
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# x% W0 c# Y& A: c+ ?; @5 {3 LConstruction will start in 2007 on this new facility, which is due to open in 2008. Campus will have space for 400 students in millwright, electrician, instrument technician, welding, carpentry, and sawfiler programs.
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# y4 j! s6 u% o  I8 |% S- Centre for Manufacturing Solutions:

Announced in January, 2005, by Microsoft Corp. and the Alberta government, the centre will at first focus on software programs for the oil and gas manufacturing sector. Construction to start this year, with centre opening in September. It will be a redevelopment of existing space. To be used by 400 students a year in mechanical engineering, computer systems, applied information systems and electronics engineering programs, and others in proposed Bachelor of Technology program.

- Centre for Power Engineering Technology:

' l# @8 g: Z! K1 F, RWill be a redevelopment of existing space on the main campus, increasing student capacity by 50 per cent.

- Centre for Building and Environmental Systems Technology:

$ B3 Y9 C, O! K9 Q5 C: NExpansion of the building and environmental systems technology program will occur when the welding program on main campus is relocated to Souch Campus in August.
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- School of Business

  x' a$ C# O# I. o  w) ~& w6 PExisting school of business will be redeveloped to create the new state-of-the-art business centre, enabling NAIT to train 4,000 students per year once the expansion is complete.

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