There's never been a better time to be considering furthering your education at Conestoga, as the college is in the midst of some serious expansion. With already 6 campuses, holding 8,500 full-time students, the college is seeing expansion in Guelph, Waterloo, Kitchener and also with a brand new campus right across from Doon in Cambridge, that will eventually add another 1,000,000 square feet of learning space. Another new campus in Ingersoll is also nearing completion.
Phase one of the new Cambridge campus is set to be finished and open for the start of the fall 2011 semester. This first 260,000 square-foot building will be the new home to The School of Engineering and Information Technology, as well as to The Institute for Food Processing Technology. The Engineering facility will have programs with a focus on advanced manufacturing, robotics, renewable energy, telecommunications and information technology. The food processing industry is continuing to grow and this expansion will help fill a need for current and future skilled workers in this sector. The Cambridge campus facility will incorporate some of the most advanced technologies, processes, and health and safety standards from some of the most advanced processing plants. Students will have the opportunity to work on skills training in food safety, process automation, industrial electrical systems, refrigeration technologies and plant management/supervision.
With this brand new campus there will be additional room at Doon in Kitchener for other programs to expand. Construction on the new “F” wing is also underway. This new wing is an extension from “E” Wing and will be home to a 75,000 square foot addition which will become home to our state-of-the-art Health Sciences building.
Our Waterloo campus is also growing. Our new Roofing Centre is almost completed and they will be adding a 10,000-square-foot HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) Skills Training Centre in the near future.
Finally, we are opening a new Power Centre in Ingersoll where we will be offering our Powerline Technician two-year diploma program – just the second program of this type in Ontario.
Over the next couple years upon the completion of construction, Conestoga will have grown to over 10,000 full-time students. The expansions will create 2,350 additional full-time spots, plus another 800 new spaces for apprentices. For further updates on construction progress please check back throughout the summer, as further updates will be made available.
Written By: Ryan Metivier