A head for business: Sault College launches School of Business.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: SAULT STE. MARIE

Sault College has been known as a technical college since it opened its doors more than 40 years ago. But with the recent launch of its new School of Business, the school is going in a new direction.

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Launched in June, the School of Business is the culmination of a more concentrated effort to attract students to study business at Sault College. The school will offer new programs, articulation agreements with other post-secondary institutions and a recruitment campaign geared to enhancing the skills of vocational grads.

Colin Kirkwood, the business school's dean, said after looking at what other schools were offering in business education, Sault College determined it needed to fill in some gaps and offer more in the way of business training.

"We're doing quite a few things to change it up and really create a situation where students are encouraged to come into our college for business," Kirkwood said.

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Priority one was upgrading the website, including video testimonials from satisfied students, to make it more appealing to prospective students.

"Anyone that goes there is going to get the message that we have a high-quality school and that when they finish with us they're going to get the education that they wanted and then some," Kirkwood said.

The school wants its programs to appeal to students looking to gain employment, but also those who plan to further their education following graduation, he said. It's now in the process of setting up articulation agreements with other postsecondary institutions so that students' credits are transferrable between schools.

Currently, students studying professional golf management can get a one-to-one credit transfer with Humber College in Toronto, which allows them to go directly into the second year of that school's program. Sault College is also working on an agreement with Algoma University that would give students advanced standing if they want to continue their education there.

New programs are also in the works in the areas of human resources management, marketing management and international business. Programs may be offered in conjunction with studies at other post-secondary institutions, Kirkwood said.

The school also wants students studying other...