April 26, 2013
Campus Manitoba to Modernize and Streamline Services
– – –Underused Offices to Close, More Services to be Available Online: Study
As part of the Government of Manitoba’s continuing efforts to find efficiencies and modernize services, Campus Manitoba will close inefficient offices and move to online delivery of programs, Advanced Education and Literacy Minister Erin Selby announced today.
“A modernized Campus Manitoba will mean greater access to programs and more affordable services for students across the province,” said Selby. “It will also mean more course options will be available across a wider range of communities.”
Over the last 10 years, the number of students taking courses at the 14 Campus Manitoba satellite offices has dropped dramatically as more people are choosing to take the online courses in their homes and attend satellite classes and campuses through UCN, RRC, and ACC in communities across Manitoba. The original model of having distance courses in regional offices was built in the 1980s and has not adapted to the dramatic changes in the Internet and information and communication technologies. The new structure will free students from the classroom setting providing Campus Manitoba with the opportunity to modernize the services it provides to students and begin developing an online hub for students wanting to transfer credits or programs between post‑secondary institutions, the minister said.
Campus Manitoba (CMB) has been tasked with developing an online credit transfer system that will help students’ transition between institutions, from college to university or vice versa, without losing credits or repeating similar courses. For example, certified red seal tradespeople are granted two years credit toward the bachelor of construction management at Red River College, reducing the time needed to complete this degree to two additional years. This allows Manitoba to get the construction management professionals it needs faster than ever before, said Selby, adding the new CMB will broker more of these arrangements, which will benefit both students and the industries that need skilled workers now.
“Our government is committed to delivering services in a modern and cost effective way,” she said. “We’ve listened to the students who are telling us they want more programming available online in their own homes. This change is a big step forward.”
The minister said this latest change is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to streamline services and find savings for Manitoba taxpayers, which have included merging Crown Corporations, reducing the number of regional health authorities and consolidating government offices in all regions.
This Campus Manitoba initiative will save Manitoba taxpayers an additional $300,000 by eliminating the need for an office operating grant, she added.
Closure of the offices will be staggered and begin in June of 2013 when Campus Manitoba will begin the transition to a fully online course provider with new services available in 2014, said Selby.
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