Local French college expanding

BY MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

A $5.7-million investment from the Quebec government will enable West Island students interested in pharmaceutical technology a chance to stay home to study at College Gerald-Godin in Ste. Geneviève, Quebec’s Education Minister announced at a news conference last Thursday. “This program will turn out 100 students every year that can go right into the field after they graduate from Gerald-Godin,” Jean-Marc Fournier said.

The $5.7-million investment includes the $3.4-million construction of a new wing at the historic church-turned-college which will include four pharmaceutical labs, two classrooms and a computer lab. Another $2.3 million will be set aside for acquisition of new research and technology equipment

Reps from local pharmaceutical companies including Schering and Merck Frosst were on hand, and the whole crowd erupted into spontaneous applause when Fournier announced the project.

Fournier confirmed the government had identified the West Island, with its myriad pharmaceutical companies, as a centre for the industry and acted

accordingly. “This program was developed to support the growth of the pharmaceutical industry, which is very important in the region,” he said. “Studies carried out by the Ministry and the sector-based manpower committee for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in recent years confirm the need for qualified personnel in this sector.”

The pharmaceutical-technology program has been on the college’s radar screen since its inception in 1995 and its opening in 1998, board of directors chairman Pierre Lafleur said. “When the announcement was made that we would have a CEGEP here in 1995, the possibility was discussed and it was held that we would be interested in starting that type of program at College Gerald-Godin,” he said.

The school has had 400 students come through an AEC program, but starting in fall 2008, the college will be able to grant full DECs to graduates. Construction will begin on the new wing, which will be set to the rear of the building adjacent to Salle Pauline Julien, in spring 2008.

Gerald-Godin director general Pierre Schetagne said the “dream,” of such a program has finally been realized. “We had a dream and today, we’re achieving that dream. This will allow our students to become an even bigger leaf in the Quebec tree. Our students are among the best in Canada and we’ll continue to make that the case,” he said.

Schetagne added Nelligan MNA Yolande James — in whose riding the school falls — was “instrumental” in bringing industry, education and government officials to the table to make the program a reality. “Without her help, we might not be making this announcement today,” he said.

Jacques Cartier MNA Geoff Kelley was also on hand to laud the announcement.