Prince George, B.C. –  It  was  a program that was  on the chopping block,  but  it has been  officially salvaged.The College of New Caledonia has  announced it will accept students into the Dental Assisting program in September of 2015.  It is a decision that follows a  difficult budget  discussion last month,  one which resulted in the issuing of a number of layoff notices for those involved  with programs that were either cut, or in jeopardy of being cut because of  a budget shortfall.

At the time,  CNC President Henry Reiser  said he thought a revised Dental Assisting program could be offered, but it would need the approval of the Education Council.,

“I’d like to acknowledge and thank everyone who provided feedback about CNC’s dental programs over the last couple of months,” said CNC president Henry Reiser. “Through hard work and community involvement, CNC is able to offer a high-quality Dental Assisting program in the fall.”

While layoff notices were distributed to comply with the Collective Agreements, most of these notices will be rescinded with the reinstatement of the intake for Dental Assisting in September.

It doesn’t mean the program is  safe forever,  the college will continue to  review this program and the Dental Hygiene program  over the next  couple of months.

The resources available to fund the program have been realized through the program changes approved by the Education Council at CNC on May 12, 2015, along with the one-time funding of $268,000 from the Ministry of Advanced Education to enhance student learning opportunities.