SAIT welcomes Centennial Baby Mohammed with full scholarship

At only a few weeks old, Mohammed Sher already has a bright future.

As the first Calgary baby born on SAIT’s 100th anniversary this fall, Mohammed was awarded a full ride scholarship to attend the rapidly-expanding technical institute once he graduates high school.

The scholarship is among myriad special events marking SAIT’s birthday this fall, 100 years after the school was first opened on Oct. 16, 1916.

“We are all very excited for Mohammed,” said mother Sidra Sher, who gave birth to Mohammad just after midnight on Oct. 16, 2016.

“We were surprised with the scholarship, we weren’t expecting it.”

Sher added that while she and her husband aren’t sure yet what kind of education Mohammed will seek, it will be a priority in his life.

Brian Bowman, director of alumni and development, said SAIT’s popularity among millennials has exploded in recent years as they look for schooling that can be a more direct pathway to the labour force.

“It’s a great school if you’re interested in trades, technology, hospitality or tourism.

“And there’s an increasing appetite among students who want to work with their hands, be creative and find success in their lives doing that.”

A century ago, SAIT began as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA). The first publiclyfunded technical institute in Canada, PITA was initially housed at the Colonel James Walker School and the adjacent police and fire station in southeast Calgary.

PITA officially opened its doors on Oct. 16, 1916 with programs in motor mechanics and metal working, 11 students and seven staff. Within two weeks, 370 students were enrolled, all but 11 in the evening, Saturday or correspondence classes. Soon, PITA was retraining so many soldiers returning from the First World War that civilian instruction was suspended for two years. In 1918, PITA also became a hospital facility for a short time to treat victims of the worldwide influenza pandemic.

But even from those earliest days, PITA focused on hands-on, skills-oriented training designed to meet the practical needs of employers.

Bowman says that philosophy continues to this day.

“Our purpose is to provide industry with skilled workers. And we focus on employment.”

Today, SAIT offers 84 day-time programs and 34 apprenticeship programs, Continuing Education programs and courses and Corporate Training offerings.

Programs are delivered through eight academic schools: Business, Construction, Energy, Health and Public Safety, Hospitality and Tourism, Information and Communications Technologies, Manufacturing and Automation, and Transportation. English language foundations and academic upgrading are also offered.

Partners from business and industry serve on SAIT’s program advisory committees to ensure students receive training that reflects the needs of the workplace.