On April 16, 2013, K+S Potash Canada announced a $121,800 gift to the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST). Funds will support SIAST's Mining Engineering Technology program and scholarships for students in several programs that support K+S Potash Canada’s operations; the funding wiill also provide student networking opportunities in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon.
SIAST is Saskatchewan’s primary public institution for post-secondary technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and internationally for its expertise and innovation. Through program and course registrations, SIAST serves 26,000 distinct students with programs that touch every sector of the economy. SIAST operates campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon, and provides a number of courses and programs through distance education.
“We recognize SIAST as one of the strong educational pillars of our province. This donation represents our confidence that SIAST will continue to develop targeted career-based programming that will engage youth in mining jobs,” said Kim Poley, K+S Potash Canada's vice-president of human resources and corporate services. “It’s all about providing Saskatchewan-based opportunities for motivated young people. We know they have choices. We are happy to join with our Saskatchewan mining partners in providing excellent career choices that will enable our talented young workforce to stay here and start their careers in mining.”
The Ministry of Advanced Education, through the Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship program, will match the K+S Potash Canada $25,000 donation reserved for scholarships. The matching program will increase the total value of this sponsorship to $145,000.