Sask. Polytechnic losing 42 employees due to shifting labor market

Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the largest trade school in the province, is losing 42 employees through layoffs and buyouts.

The school issued 22 layoff notices, 17 in academics. Another 20 faculty members accepted voluntary buyouts.

“As a polytechnic, our goal is to align our programming of labor force requirements,” Dr. Anne Neufeld, provost and vice-president academic of Saskatchewan Polytechnic, said. “So that involves things like programming specifically as well as seat capacities, and that was the rationale behind these changes.”

Both the buyouts and layoffs will affect each of Sask. Polytechnic’s four campuses in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw.

“Our approach with a polytechnic is to be responsive to industry,” Neufeld said.

Neufeld says this a process they do every year in alignment with their collective bargaining agreement.

“I think it’s wise stewardship on their part,” the Minister of Advanced Education, Tina Beaudry-Mellor, said.

While Beaudry-Mellor said the government is always concerned with job losses, she says Sask. Polytechnic is doing a good job of responding to needs in the workforce, and that can be seen when it comes to the programs seeing reductions.

“They’re pipe-fitters, they’re plumbers, they’re electricians and welders,” Beaudry-Mellor said. “All of those people happen to work in the energy industry and on pipelines and things like that.”

Beaudry-Mellor believes the jobs may return dependent on a rebound in the energy sector.

“I’m never happy to see layoffs but they’re a responsible organizations,” Beaudry-Mellor said. “This is one of the reasons 90 per cent of their students have jobs upon graduation.”

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili questioned the government on the layoffs.

“I see a lot of institutions are very cautious and very reluctant and its understandably so to criticize those decisions and to point the finger at the government,” Meili said. “We’re in a difficult economic time, that’s not the time to cut back on university education.”

According to Neufeld, the layoffs and buyouts are not directly linked to this year’s provincial budget, which saw Sask. Polytechnic’s funding remain at 2017-18 levels despite fears there would be further cuts.

“We monitor graduate employment rates very closely, based on that information we could see that there is no longer a requirement for a program, or perhaps we need to reduce the seat capacities for that particular program,” Neufeld said. “Given the overall provincial situation, we do view this as a best case scenario.”