Portage College

About Portage College

Campus: Facilities, Residence and Location

The main campus is located in Lac La Biche. Its other regional service centres are located in St. Paul and Cold Lake. Other additional campuses are found in Wainwright, Vegreville, Goodfish Lake Campus, Cold Lake Campus, Saddle Lake, Frog Lake, St. Paul Campus, and Bonnyville.

The Portage College Library is situated at the main campus in Lac La Biche. It offers a diverse collection of information sources for all students who are registered in the College. Students can use the library, access the Internet, view other videos and audiovisual materials. Students who plan to live near the school can live at Lac La Biche Campus. It is only a walking distance away from the buildings, and it has a number of advantages, which include: neighbors with similar interests and concerns; front-line assistance and support to facilitate various activities throughout the year; family recreation with activities for children; excellent child care facility; easy access to campus facilities and resources, such as the library, classrooms, computer labs, pool, gymnasium and more; and 24-hour campus supervision.

Single students can choose from living in the Residence (shared accommodation, with each room having 2 beds, a small kitchenette, refrigerator, cook top, and a dining room table); Townhouses (four bedrooms in each townhouse, with a full kitchen, dining room and living room areas and two bathtrooms); On-Campus Hostel, which can be used for students who would like to stay in a short-term basis. It is not recommended for those who plan to stay for a long time.

Student Services and Student Life

Portage College offers the following services to its students: Childcare Services, Counseling Services, Financial Assistance, Food Services, Learning Assistance Centre, Recreation and Athletics, ACAC Athletics, Student Employment, Student Accommodation, Student Association, Space Bookings, and Campus Tours.

Students who are into competitive sports or are interested in learning a sport can join the athletics program. They can choose to play Volleyball, Men’s Hockey and Curling, Golf, and Cross-Country Running. Those who are into fitness can choose from many other options.

The recreation program at Portage is created to help the students make the most of their leisure time. Its goal is to help the students improve their well-being. Some of the activities students can try are: Active Living (aerobics, aquasize, and weight-lifting); Aquatics (25m swimming pool complete with hot tub, children's wading pool and steam room); evening activities such as the Intramurals (mixed volleyball, slow pitch leagues, badminton, archery, and floor hockey, mini golf tournaments, skeet turkey shoot, Rambo, bicycle touring, wall-climbing, hiking, berry picking); noon hour programs, which include: volleyball, guitar lessons, archery lessons, aerobics, to golf swing clinics, country line dancing, floor hockey, basketball, and softball; and Outdoor Recreation (winter camping, canoeing, ice fishing, recreational cross country skiing, snowshoeing and sailing).

Academic Programs

The College offers programs in the following areas: Academics for Careers and Education, Universities Studies, Business Programs, Human Services, Health and Wellness, Trades and Technical, Customized Training, and Distance Education.

Off-Campus Living

Portage offers many diverse scholarships, awards, and bursaries to its students. Those who are interested can obtain application forms from the Student Services Centre or they can ask their Student Advisor. Students who are eligible will be contacted in writing or by a telephone within two weeks of the award deadline.

Lac La Biche Information

Lac La Biche is located at the intersection of highways 55 and 36, approximately 220 kms northeast of Edmonton. The Town is nestled along the southeast corner of Lac La Biche Lake, and serves a population more than 10,000 people in an area roughly 7,000 square kilometres. With a population of roughly 2,700, the Town of Lac La Biche is one of the oldest communities in the Province of Alberta.