Grants and scholarships can be an attractive incentive for students to study at Great Plains College in Swift Current, and one organization is helping to continue that trend.

The Swift Current Regional Safety Committee recently donated $2,000 to the post-secondary school, hoping to support trades such as welding and electrical.

Dianne Sletten, donor services coordinator with Great Plains College, said that the funds, and similar donations, are incentives essential to the school.

"Many of our students, when we do post-graduate surveys, indicate that being able to stay at home, [and] being able to receive a scholarship are the reason they've chosen Great Plains College."

The funds may be a resource designed for students, but they aren't the only benefactors of the funds.

"Surveys from the graduates show that about 85 per cent of them do find work in the southwest and stay here," Sletten said. "That's what we want - we want our students to be able to find work, and stay and be contributing to our society."

She said one factor of the school's success rate was the scholarships themselves.

Entrance scholarships from the school are made possible by donations, in addition to the province matching funds.

A total of $100,000 in scholarships are handed out by the Swift Current-based college each year, but they have to raise a minimum of $72,000 each year to match provincial funds.

This year's funding program is just starting up as they look to raise money from now until September.

Sletten said that events such as Carhartts and Caviar help to raise the majority of funds, but hopes that donations such as the Swift Current Regional Safety Committee's are the first of a long line this year.