Pooja Luthra
Humber College will allow some students and apprentices from six different programs to return to the campus to complete their on-hands education starting July 6.
“We are pleased to be able to bring some students and apprentices back to receive the hands-on education that was put on hold when Humber’s campuses closed due to COVID-19,” Chris Whitaker, president and CEO of Humber College said in a news release.
These courses are a part of the essential work requirement outlined by the Ontario government to help revive the economy.
Nadia Araujo, media relations and external communications specialist at Humber, said the programs returning to the campus require in-person hours from the winter and summer terms.
“The selected programs were deemed by the Ontario government as critical to the frontline and essential work and meet Ontario’s current efforts to respond to the pandemic and help restart the economy,” she said in an e-mail interview.
Michael Auchincloss, associate dean at the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, said the college launched a pilot project for students who required a practical component to complete their course.
“The pilot project is just a small hope and way to help the students,” he said in a telephone interview. “It involves the least number of students, minimizing the amount of time that students are at Humber and making sure that students are in a safe work environment or a safe training environment.”
The college will continue to follow all guidelines and regulations set in place by public health and government authorities and take all necessary steps to keep returning students safe.
Auchincloss said schedules are designed in such a way that no more than 50 students would be in the college at the same time.
“I created the schedules for the students who were going to be at the Carrier Drive” facility, he said. “So, I looked at how many students were in each program and each section.
“My criteria were to limit the number of students within the campus,” Auchincloss said. “I tried to do is minimize Carrier Drive to less than 50 people on the campus at one time. And the campus has been broken down into four quadrants.”
This would ensure free movement without getting in contact with each other at the same time, he said.
Araujo said a COVID-19 steering committee to review returning procedures established a plan for the college’s reopening to ensure physical distancing during course delivery, enhanced cleaning protocols, and the proper use of screening and personal protective equipment.
“The students will also be supplied with masks, and passive and active screening will be required,” she said.
“This first phase will allow Humber to reopen to provide in-person instruction to students in the essential, frontline, and high labour market demand areas that require in-class hours to receive their certification or to graduate,” Araujo said.
The list of returning students should be finalized by the next week, Auchincloss said.