Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is set to begin a three-year, $63 million modernization and expansion of the W. J. Elliott Building in order to train more students, advance skilled trades capabilities and serve Alberta’s growing and evolving trades industry.
Since 1971, the W.J. Elliott building has served as a home to trades programming at Olds College. The renovations will include new collaborative student and staff spaces as well as adding lifting equipment, such as overhead cranes and vehicle lifts equipped with highway tractor alignment systems and wheel dynamometers, to improve trades programming. Construction is set to begin early this summer and is expected to be complete by spring 2027.
The Government of Alberta is funding $25 million of the expansion as part of its Budget 2025, with the balance of the $63 million rolling out over three years.
Once completed, the expansion will create 440 new seats for trades programming, as well as 100 seats for dual-credit trades programs, including Agricultural Equipment Technician, Heavy Equipment Technician, Welder and Landscape Horticulturist.
As part of the overall trade training, Olds College thanks its industry partners for their ongoing collaboration and contributions, including: Noble Equipment Ltd., Rocky Mountain Equipment, Brandt Group of Companies, John Deere, Kubota Corporation and Case IH.
