WINDSOR, ONT. -- St. Clair College has welcomed some students back to campus as part of its summer pilot project to partially resume in-class sessions.

This week the college had 329 students on campus working to complete their mandatory face to face learning components.

“This includes post-secondary students who were interrupted in their graduating semester as well as apprenticeship students who were close to completion,” St. Clair College marketing and recruitment manager Roseann Danese said in an email to CTV Windsor.

Ontario’s Colleges and Universities Minister, Ross Romano, announced in June that post-secondary schools would be able to resume limited in-person classes come July.

Danese said there are a number of programs that require face-to-face learning, but the number of courses varies per program.

“Some programs such as apprenticeship require a minimal amount of hours for hands on learning as other programs have regulatory body mandates indicating what skillsets need to be completed in a practical setting,” she said.

The number of students at St. Clair College requiring in-person lessons as part of their program, but were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be staggered over the duration of the pilot project which runs from the start of July to end of August.

This is an effort to minimize the number of staff and students on campus while allowing for a full cleaning of equipment and facilities between sessions.

Danese said all staff and students were required to complete a mandatory training program before coming back to campus. Monitors have been put in place within labs to ensure physical distancing and the college has done a risk assessment for each lab and classroom.

There has also been plexiglass and other physical barriers installed to ensure safety measures are in place for staff and students.