It was a mix of young and old at the Georgian College open house on Saturday, as hundreds of high school students, their parents and people considering new careers toured the halls and classrooms.
"It's a great chance to see what its all about," said Ted Manning, a Barrie resident who recently lost his job at a bank. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do now, but I certainly haven't ruled out going back to school. Honestly, it looks like fun."
The open house theme of "be here, do this" invited visitors to meet faculty members, participate in interactive activities and hear the experiences of current students.
Students who choose Georgian gain access to more than 6,200 employer partnerships and have access to more than $2.7 million in bursaries, grants, awards and scholarships.
"We've had all kinds of people through here today, from all walks of life," said first year paramedic student Andrew Jenkins. "We have some come right from high school, but there are lots of mature students, people who have just finisted degree programs and people who might be looking for new careers."
The paramedic and nursing labs were popular spots, as students demonstrated their state-of-the-art equipment and visitors got a chance to experience "hands-on lessons.
"It's great to see what the kids are learning," said Mark Warner, a dad who was visiting Georgian from London, along with his 17-year old son. "He's thinking about Georgian or maybe Humber for next year. This is really impressive ... much more realistic than I thought it would be."
More than 50 programs start in January, 2016. Anyone interested in more information can book a personalized tour at GeorgianCollege.ca/tours. The college will also host a spring open house in April.
