March 10, 2014

Medicine Hat College (MHC) and its students added $168.9 million to the regional economy last year according to a study conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI).

The report, a collaborative project of eight Alberta colleges, shows how students, taxpayers and the community benefit from investing in post-secondary education.

“MHC was happy to participate in this study. It offers significant insight into both the social and economic benefits that students and taxpayers receive from their investment in college education,” said Dr. Robert McCulloch, interim president at MHC.

The study shows that in 2011-2012 the Medicine Hat service region received approximately $44.5 million in added income due to the operations of the college, and the spending of out-of-region students, and another $124.4 million in added income from former MHC students who were active in the regional workforce through their higher earning, and increased productivity of their employers.

“There are many factors that lead to a healthy community and a thriving economy, we are happy to be one of those contributing streams,” said McCulloch.  “This information makes it clear that education supports not only individuals but as well communities; so we are very open to having discussions around how we can help ensure we continue to foster a healthy regional economy.”

MHC is committed to working with the community to ensure the college offers programming that benefits students and meets industry demand.

Medicine Hat College was one of several institutions in the province which collaborated to support the study. View some of the statistic released in the study of the economic impact of eight post-secondary institutions. 

For Medicine Hat specific details, see below:

Executive Summary
Main Report
Fact Sheet
Student Benefit
Taxpayer Benefit
Social Benefit
Impact on Regional Economy