Thirty-two seats granted to Portage College related to mental health

Portage College is being granted more seats in mental health related fields, following an announcement from the provincial government.

The Alberta government is setting aside roughly $10 million to create more spaces in the province’s post-secondaries for mental health professionals.

These programs include psychiatric nursing, psychology, social work, child and youth care, and addiction counselling.

Portage will have 32 seats created following this investment, as they were one of a dozen schools selected.

Dubbed the “Mental Health Professions Enrollment Expansion grant program,” the hope is to train and educate more skilled professionals as concerning trends in mental health continue to rise.

“With a growing need for mental health services, this seat expansion will benefit families across the province. No matter what part of Alberta someone call’s home, they deserve access to consistent, high quality mental health care. Our government is proud to be working with post-secondary institutions, making sure services are available to Albertans in need,” said Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction.