For prospective St. Clair College students,this yearsmost sought afterprograms can be found in the schools new state-of-the-art Centre for Applied Health Sciences.

Health sciences, by far, is the one we get the most requests for, the colleges marketing director, Ann Hetherington, said Saturday during a school open house.

The $32-million, 100,000-square-footbuilding opened on the colleges main campus in September with the addition of three new and very popular college programs diagnostic medical sonography, respiratory therapy and cardiovascular technology.

The building isone of the reasons 17-year-old Priscilla Byrne (along with her St. Clair College alumni parents, Debbie and Steve Byrne) is considering the college.

Right now were on the fence, said Debbie, 50, who toured the University of Windsor campus earlier this week with her daughter to check out the schools human kinetics program.

The Byrnes said they were quite impressed with thecolleges simulation rooms that come equippedwith 3G simulation mannequinswhich can bleed, shed tears, urinate, dilate their pupils and give birth.

It seems like the kids will graduate with a lot of experience, Steve said, applauding the hands-on experience the college offers.

Hetheringtonsaid in addition to health sciences, there is an increased interest in skilled trades. The college has brought back a computer numerical control operators program, a position Hetherington said is in very high demand.

Theres been a lot of talk about skilled trade shortages, which is very real.

Ashortage of more than one million skilled workers is forecast by 2020, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

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Health sciences and skilled trades top choices for future students