Lac La Biche, AB — For Ryan Riberdy, the first sign that Portage College would be different from other post-secondary choices came on day one—on a soccer field, tossing a frisbee with his new instructors. Raised in a larger city, Riberdy arrived in Lac La Biche unsure of what to expect from a smaller, rural
Portage College Graduate Heather Cappis Leads in Early Learning and Child Care
Portage College is proud to highlight the achievements of Heather Cappis, a recent graduate of the Early Learning and Child Care Diploma program, who completed her diploma in April 2025. Her education has helped her advance as a leader in Alberta’s Early Learning and Childcare sector. Heather currently works as the Childcare Supervisor at Opokaa’sin
Portage College announces St. Paul campus renovation plan for Fall 2026
As part of the continuing commitment to the community of St. Paul and to adult learning in our service area, Portage College is renovating our St. Paul student residence. The extensive renovations to the first floor will create a new, right-sized campus space in time for classes in Fall 2026. This decision addresses shifting enrolment
Portage College cultural space concept wins 2025 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence
Lac La Biche and Calgary – If you hope to build a facility in a rural northern Alberta community that will draw worldwide attention as a one-of-a-kind stage for Indigenous art and artifacts, it’s nice to win a design award right out of the gates. The concept plans for a free-standing cultural space and learning
Portage College Receives $750K Grant to Address Critical Commercial Driver Shortages in Northeastern Alberta
The two-year initiative, running from January 2026 to January 2028, will train 64 Class 3 commercial drivers across communities including St. Paul, Cold Lake, Bonnyville, and Lac La Biche.
Portage College entry shines brightly at Lac La Biche Festival of Trees
Portage College is excited to once again join the forest of community fundraising taking place this weekend at the Festival of Trees in Lac La Biche’s Bold Centre. Running from Nov. 20 to 23, the annual event fills the Bold Centre with the sights and sounds of the season, including markets, music, children’s events, art displays, photos with Santa, and the tree raffle. This year, there are 60
Meet and greets, burger flipping, NHL faves, all part of busy schedule for new Portage College President
It’s been a busy few weeks for Portage College’s new administrative boss. When Dr. Stephen Price became the new President at northeastern Alberta’s Portage College in October, there was a lot of local curiosity about the former Dean of the Faculty of Health, Community and Education at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. What kind of a
ACSW Council Approves Portage College Community Social Work Program for Seven Years
Portage College is proud to announce that on September 19, 2025, the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) Council approved the Community Social Work program for seven (7) years re-accreditation, which is the longest accreditation period. The ACSW site visit team and Council congratulated Portage College, noting that the program is strong, stable, and clearly
Portage Joins Amii’s AI Workforce Readiness Program
Portage College has joined the inaugural consortium for the AI Workforce Readiness (AIWR) program, a national initiative led by Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute), one of Canada’s three national AI centres and a recognized leader in AI literacy. Supported by Google.org, the AIWR program includes 29 Canadian polytechnics, colleges, and universities, collectively representing over 500,000
Portage College reaffirms commitment to St. Paul community
As Portage College and St. Paul area stakeholders continue to seek repurpose options for the college campus in St. Paul, college officials are reaffirming their commitment to the St. Paul community, where Portage College has maintained an educational presence for more than 50 years. “We’re not leaving, we are right-sizing our space needs,” says Bev