This year has been a journey of growth, innovation and resilience at Conestoga. The college and its community members achieved many successes, milestones and honours in 2024.
Conestoga and its community members achieved many successes, milestones and honours in 2024.
From opening new locations and completing major renewal projects to launching new degrees and expanding research activities, none of it would have been possible without our students, employees, alumni, donors, community partners, stakeholders and friends.
Here’s a look back at just a few of Conestoga’s highlights from 2024.
* Conestoga received recognition for academic excellence in numerous areas, earning the titles of best trade school in Canada, best ECE program in Canada and best college in Ontario.
The college was also recognized among Canada’s top schools for engineering technology, culinary arts, co-op programming, nursing, massage therapy, design, interior design, cybersecurity certification, and research, as well as one of Canada’s safest employers.
* Development projects continued in 2024 with Conestoga launching construction projects totalling $300 million within the first four months of the year alone.
Highlights include opening the Milton - Parkhill and Milton - Steeles locations as well as One Young Street in Kitchener, extensive renovations at the Guelph campus and the grand opening of the new high-tech pharmaceutical centre at the Doon campus.
Conestoga also committed to student housing, now offering accommodations at nine properties in various communities.
* The Conestoga Effect report released in February outlined Conestoga’s significant impact on the local economy, unmatched by any other local institution.
The report found Conestoga graduates add more than $6.2 billion annually to the province’s economy, Conestoga has served over half the local adult population and more than 5,200 Conestoga graduates are local entrepreneurs.
* Conestoga launched several Indigenous initiatives, including translating virtual tours into Anishinaabemowin, hosting an Indigenous education symposium, and two Indigenous-inspired classrooms are being created.
* Conestoga marked numerous firsts for 2024: the first annual Magna skilled trades job fair, the inaugural Girls in Gaming event, Conestoga’s first digital television channel, the opening of the Cambridge soccer complex, the first “lamb-scapers”, the inaugural safety fair for skilled trades hosted by the Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness & Performance, and the inaugural AI symposium and first high school cooking competition were held.
* Awards abounded in 2024. Some accolades included the Silver Applied Research and Innovation Excellence Award from Colleges and Institutes Canada, a national design award for the Cowan Centre for Medical Sciences and Biotechnology, Online Learning Centre recognized with four Communicator Awards, the School of Business received two PRME awards, and Conestoga was honoured with the Milton Chamber of Commerce Innovation Excellence award, a Business Excellence award and Urban Agriculture Excellence award.
* Conestoga students and alumni also received honours. The long list includes graduate Fiona Coughlin honoured with a Premier’s Award for community service, 10 student medal wins at the Skills Ontario Competition and two at the Skills Canada National Competition. The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association named Conestoga Condor Malachi Ramsay its 2023-24 Male Athlete of the Year.
This was a year to celebrate.
As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited about what’s next. Together we'll continue to push boundaries and set new standards. Here’s to another year of success, growth and shared achievements.
Watch the year in review.