State-of-the-art health-care simulation labs are the centrepiece of the new Milton - Steeles Avenue campus, home to the Conestoga Centre of Excellence in Healthcare Education.
Conestoga's newest location in Milton on Steeles Avenue opened its doors in May.
The first students were welcomed in May to the college’s newest Milton location, which is focused on offering hands-on nursing and personal support worker training.
Work started on the approximately $5-million renovation of the two-storey building in November 2023.
The new space includes four classrooms and two labs where health-care students can practise their bedside skills in a setting that replicates real-world medical environments complete with equipment and lifelike mannequins.
Two single-bed simulation labs are situated with a control room in between where students can participate in real-world care scenarios, as well as a debriefing space after the exercise. Two more learning spaces resemble a hospital ward with a row of beds on each side of the large room. These new training spaces allow students to put their learning into action.
Programs offered at Steeles Avenue include: Enhanced Practice for Internationally Educated Nurses, Personal Support Worker (PSW), Nursing Leadership and Healthcare Management, Health and Social Systems Navigation, as well as Regulatory Affairs.
The building was intentionally designed to support the transition from student into well-trained and well-practised health-care workers under the guidance of an experienced team of teachers, said Michelle Heyer, chair of Enhanced Practice for Internationally Educated Nurses and Personal Support Worker programs.
“Our students here are learning from experts in the field,” Heyer said. “They’re bringing this real-world experience into the classroom for students.”
Building capacity for local health care to help meet the Milton community’s health-care workforce needs is a focus at Steeles Avenue, Heyer said. The college will partner with local employers for student field placements, supplying additional workers to ease the growing demand for care. Hands-on, applied learning is at the heart of the college’s health-care programs. The supportive environment is also a plus - the smaller classes create a community feel where students learn and grow together.
“It’s like a small town,” Heyer said.
And a bright, welcoming space with plentiful windows and natural light. Both students and employees have option for quiet spaces to study or work and places to socialize.
“Knowing how much our students and staff will enjoy studying and working in it for many years to come is the biggest reward that I expect,” said Stefan David, manager of Construction Services.
About 250 students will be attending classes during the first term at Steeles Avenue, which has a maximum capacity of 400 students.
In-person academic support will be available on site at Steeles Avenue, and students can access other services at the nearby Milton - Parkhill Drive campus, which is less than a 10-minute bus ride away. Both the Steeles and Parkhill locations are on one bus route added by Milton Transit at the start of 2024, along with offering a discounted pass for Conestoga students.
The Milton - Parkhill Drive campus opened in January.
The two sites join the Conestoga-Milton IELTS Centre, which opened on Main Street in 2021 to provide English language testing services and serve as a site for dual-credit programming for local high school students.
Construction at Conestoga
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting construction and renovation projects at Conestoga’s campuses. Continue reading about the college’s investments in the communities it serves here: