History
On May 21, 1965, Ontario led the way for Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology with the creation of its college system. In 1967, Niagara College’s Welland Campus was established in response to the provincial initiative to create many such institutions, providing career-oriented diploma and certificate courses, as well as continuing education programs.
In March 2004, the School of Hospitality and Tourism and the Niagara Culinary Institute relocated from the Maid of the Mist Campus in Niagara Falls to a new facility on the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus, which was opened in 1998. The new facility features food preparation laboratories, a 100-seat dining room, a Wine-tasting lab and the Niagara College Teaching Winery – the first commercial teaching winery in Canada. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus is known for its state-of-the-art facilities, "living labs” for environmental, horticulture, hospitality and tourism, and business programs. It is also home to the Centre for Advanced Visualization, which applies virtual reality technology to projects from around the world.
In response to the rapid growth of Niagara’s tourism sector and the anticipated demand for thousands of new workers, the College established the Tourism Industry Development Centre (TIDC). Housed on the Maid of the Mist Campus in Niagara Falls, the TIDC serves as a dedicated industry development and training resource for the hospitality and tourism sector. In 2007, the Ontario Street Site was added for the expanding Health & Community Studies programs.
In 2008, Niagara College embarked on a $90 million campus redevelopment plan, as part of the College’s Building Futures Campaign, which includes significant improvements and additions to the Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake Campuses. The redevelopment project is designed to increase capacity in programs that serve key industries in Niagara, including skilled trades, technology, winery and viticulture and hospitality and tourism, while providing much-needed improvements to aging facilities. The project is also a response to the College’s unprecedented growth, including a 10.1 percent increase in total enrolment for the Fall 2008 term - the largest increase among all Ontario colleges.
Construction at the Welland Campus includes a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) expansion to the Niagara Technology Centre, as well as a new Academic Wing, a Library and Learning Commons, a two-storey Athletics Centre and a Student Centre. The Welland Campus will also be home to the state-of-the-art $40 million Applied Health Institute, funded by the Federal and Provincial governments under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP), which will give a permanent home for the College’s Registered Practical Nurse and Personal Support Worker programs (currently in a leased facility), and will provide 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) of expanded space for existing applied health programs, including Therapeutic Recreation, Paramedics, Pharmacy Assistant, and Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus features a new Wine Visitor + Education Centre, integrating academic programming, facilities for the unique Niagara College Teaching Winery and an educational centre for students, industry and visitors. The Campus will also see the expansion of the world-renowned Niagara Culinary Institute and the construction of Canada’s first teaching brewery.
Completion of the campus redevelopment project is scheduled for 2011.
Read more about this topic: Niagara College
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