A St. Albert educational institution is celebrating its 35th anniversary this week.
Known mainly for its course calendar, St. Albert Further Education also provides courses itself and grants to other providers. Located in a simple office in a strip mall on McKenney Avenue, the organization began as an offshoot of the Protestant school board. It became a standalone non-profit in 1991.
It could be the most unknown yet well-known organization in St. Albert.
“They know about our course calendar. I don’t know that they tie it to our organization,” said board chair Joan Trettler.
The organization has two mandates. One is to help organizations that offer courses reach citizens who are interested in adult learning. The other is to provide educational opportunities in St. Albert to help adults meet their needs.
This sees the organization offer courses like English as a Second Language, American Sign Language and financial planning. It also puts out a highly sought after course calendar three times a year. Courses range from yoga to language, photography, computers and music.
In order to advertise, providers must be a member and must offer courses in St. Albert. It currently has 78 members.
“We’re delighted that we’ve met that milestone,” Trettler said of reaching 35 years. “I think that the organization, in my view, continues to grow and meet its mandate.”
A big challenge is to keep on top of what people need and want.
“What you offered two years ago, people aren’t interested in anymore. You have to be constantly upgrading and moving, making sure that you know the need and are able to address it,” Trettler said.
The organization has two part-time employees and operates on about $100,000 a year, she said.
About 60 per cent of the funding comes from advertising in its course calendar. The other 40 per cent comes from Alberta Advanced Education and Technology.
“This is not a big operation,” Trettler said. “There’s a high expectation to do a lot with very little.”
Another challenge is keeping up with technology. This has the group looking at a new website, one that will possibly allow online registration. That will be a big jump forward, as the organization just started accepting credit card payments.
Attendance can sometimes be a problem.
“We’re often fighting just to get five or six students into a class,” said executive director Armella Gulley.
However, the association has worked hard to form relationships.
“With the partnerships that we’ve formed in the community, I think we’re doing well,” Gulley said.
St. Albert Further Education is hosting an open house Jan. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. Their office is located at #211, 86 McKenney Ave. in St. Albert.
