About

Celebrating our Heritage, Embracing Our Future…

Welcome to the Perth Campus. Thank you for taking an interest in our “we may not be big, but we’re small” approach to training and education. Our small, friendly campus of about 350 students is located in the Town of Perth, also known as Heritage Perth, located just west of Ottawa. Our beautiful campus located in this lovely setting enhances your learning by providing a culturally rich community in which to live.

How? Just a few examples include clinical placements in local facilities for the Personal Support Worker students, volunteering by our Police Foundation Students and placements for our Early Childhood Education students.

Our unique heritage trade program, which draws students from the local community and from across the world, provides learning in a community that was awarded the Prince of Wales Prize for its continued commitment to preserving its rich architectural heritage. Carpentry projects completed by students can be found throughout Perth and surrounding Lanark County.

“Come on out and visit and see why our small campus is such a big deal” – Chris Hahn, Dean Perth Campus.

In 2016, Perth, Ontario, Canada will celebrate its 200th anniversary. Whether you’re a Perth native, a summer cottager or a visitor, each one of us has a reason why we’re Perth Proud

About the Town of Perth….
Welcome to the Town of Perth. Mayor John Fenik says it best (and listen to him here) but let me also say that our campus is privileged to be located in the very pretty, charming and community oriented Town of Perth, known for its heritage, in idyllic Lanark County known for its arts, culture, festivals, community events, music, theatre, and authentic lifestyle. The town provides a memorable life experience and an opportunity for us to provide you a memorable learning experience because our programs are closely tied to our community that we are not just “in” but a part “of”. Want to know how vibrant our community is? Click on the link to the latest “What’s On” section of the Humm – our local monthly arts, entertainment and ideas newspaper or check out the Things to Do at the Lanark County Tourism site.

Christopher Hahn
Dean, Perth Campus, ext. 5622
hahnc@algonquincollege.com

Our story, our history…

Algonquin College has been delivering education and skills training to students for nearly fifty years. The Algonquin College, Perth Campus is proud to be a member of the Lanark County community. We offer students a personalized approach to education in an encouraging, supportive learning environment. We are committed to the success of our students; it’s at the very heart of what we do.

1960s

Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology was founded in 1967, when the Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology and the Ontario Vocational Centre merged to create a new polytechnic institution.
Algonquin College continued to expand, establishing several satellite campuses to support its growth. One of those campuses was the Algonquin College, Perth Campus.

1970s

Initially, classroom space was rented from the Perth and District Collegiate Institute. By 1969, construction was underway on a permanent building for the Perth Campus at our current site of 7 Craig Street. Opened in 1970, the new campus featured a 22,500 square-foot facility that held 22 classrooms and three shops.

We provided retraining, including academic upgrading, to the residents of Lanark County. Among the first courses to be offered were English, Math, Science and Machine Shop. Skills programs such as Commercial Stenography, Business Machines—Bookkeeping, Machine Shop Training, Electronics, Welding and Carpentry were also offered. Since our opening, we have grown and expanded our program offerings to adapt to the demands of the local labour market and to meet the needs of students.

1980s

Among the programs introduced during this decade were the Women in Trades in Technology program and the Carpentry and Millwork – Heritage program, which was a first for Canada.

1990s

The Masonry – Heritage and Traditional, Office Administration- General, Office Administration – Executive, and Personal Support Worker programs were introduced.

2000s

The Social Service Worker and Construction Carpentry – Advanced Housing programs were introduced.

2010s and Beyond

The Perth Campus has continued to grow and adapt to meet the needs of our students and our programs. In 2011, we proudly welcomed students into a brand new campus: a 42,000 square-foot facility that was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. Designed with students in mind, the new building features a specialized Personal Support Worker lab, a Carpentry and Joinery Shop, a Masonry Shop, a library (which also houses a local archive), a Students’ Association Office, a fitness centre and student services (including an on-campus nurse practitioner, counsellor and student support specialist).

How Algonquin College Got Its Name

Algonquin College is named in honour of the Algonquin First Nations Peoples who first resided in the Ottawa Valley. The story of how Algonquin College got its name is shared in this video.

At Algonquin College, the world is your classroom. We pride ourselves on providing innovative, hands-on learning opportunities through lab work, placements and community initiatives. This practical experience complements the theoretical training that our students receive in the classroom, creating résumé-building experiences that they can carry into their new careers.

Building a More Sustainable Future

In the past, second-year Construction Carpentry – Advanced Housing students undertook a major construction project: building a low-energy, high-performance home from footings to finishes. In 2015, the students turned their attention to the Perth Campus as they began construction on a new applied research facility that opened in 2016.

During the 2012-2013 academic year, students had an incredible opportunity to compete in the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon as part of Team Ontario. Team Ontario was a multi-discipline collaboration of more than 100 students and faculty from Algonquin College, Queen’s University and Carleton University.

Preserving Our Built Heritage

The dry stone walls and stonework of our Masonry – Heritage and Traditional students are iconic parts of the Perth Campus’s landscape. Students have also contributed to the restoration and preservation of heritage structures within the community, including the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte, the Matheson House in Perth and the Smiths Falls train station.

In 2015, six students, accompanied by Program Coordinator Darrin MacDonald, travelled to Churchill, Manitoba, where they spent two weeks working alongside Parks Canada masons to repair the Cape Merry battery at Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site.

The sight of construction starting on our Carpentry and Joinery- Heritage students’ sheds is a sure sign of spring in Perth. Students also take an active part in projects throughout the community. In 2015, students built several outbuildings for the National Capital Commission (NCC); the outbuildings have been placed on trails in the Greenbelt. We look forward to more projects in the future for the NCC.

Supporting Our Local and Global Communities

Students in our Personal Support Worker and Early Childhood Education programs spend a significant amount of time working with local agencies on field and clinical placements. You will also find our Police Foundations students volunteering at festivals and events throughout the year.

Our Community

The Perth Campus is located in beautiful, heritage Perth, Ontario, which is part of Lanark County. Since our opening, we have been a proud and active member of the community. Stroll through Perth and the wider county, and you’ll see many examples of our students’ impact.

We were proud to be one of the stops on the Communities in Bloom judges’ tour of the Town of Perth for the 2015 award season. Perth received top honours, edging out six other communities from across Canada to win the national award for its population category (4,501-9,000). Our campus earned high marks in the Environmental Action and Heritage categories, and our strong community partnerships were also recognized.

We value the network of partnerships and relationships that we have built over the past 50 years and look forward to continuing to grow with our community.

News/Events Archive – Perth