The $32.4 million budget was approved at the March 16 meeting of the College’s Board of Governors.
“I am pleased to report that after eight months of intensive deliberations, the Northern Lights team has achieved a budget that will maximize the College’s ability to deliver programming that ensures the training needs of students in the Peace Region are the first priority,” said Kurjata.
“By aligning with the B.C. Jobs Plan we can focus on training that is both strategic and responsive to the needs of employers and employees in the region for in-demand jobs,” he added.
Kurjata noted that another highlight of this year’s budget process is that staffing levels will not have to be reduced.
“A lot of hard word work goes into our annual budget process and one of the challenges is to try to balance the budget without affecting staffing levels,” Kurjata said. “I’m especially pleased that we balanced this budget without the need for direct staff cuts.”
Northern Lights Vice President of Finance and Corporate Services, Anndra Graff, said other objectives of the budget team were to increase student enrollment and revenues while reducing waste and duplication.
“Like other institutions every year, we face rising operating costs, and in this time of economic downturn and fiscal constraints, our goal was to arrive at a budget that took those budget pressures into consideration,” stated Graff.
In addition to undertaking budget deliberations that aligned with the B.C. Jobs plan, members of the College’s Board, Executive and Administration addressed annual budget pressures such as:
- Increase in Benefits
- Increased Utilities
- Increased Building Maintenance
“Our targeted funding addresses the government’s B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint,” explained Graff. “Other funding increases will go towards improved information technology and student residence upgrades.”
“All of these initiatives will go towards providing Northern Lights students with a better overall experience,” she added.
