In 1903, Robert James Sprott partnered with William Henry Shaw of Shaw Colleges to open Vancouver Business Institute, and soon thereafter renamed it to Sprott Shaw Business Institute. Following the first college, they opened more campuses across cities in Western Canada, including Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Victoria. The Victoria campus, opened in 1913, is the longest standing location with over 116 years of continuous operation. By 1921, the Sprott Shaw chain was the largest commercial school in Western Canada with 12 banner schools across Canada and some locations in the United States. Sprott Shaw specifically designed programs to retrain military personnel after the Second World War. This training included Morse Code, Radio Broadcasting, and Aviation. During this time, the college also established a broadcast station for the school, with a signal connection that could be read as far away as Hawaii. The station was broadcast by Jack Cullen and Ernie Rose, who were also graduates of the school. In 1964, Ernie Henderson of Henderson Colleges purchased and acquired Sprott Shaw and was the owner until his death in 1974. The Victoria School was then purchased by Commander Robert N.G. Smith, who operated it until 1988, when Terry Hackett purchased the school. In addition to being a pioneer of commercial radio in BC, Sprott Shaw began one of the province's first flight schools. Throughout all of its years, its pioneering spirit has seen it flourish through 12 economic recessions, two World Wars, and the Great Depression. In 2012, the school, formerly known as Sprott-Shaw Community College, restructured into Sprott Shaw College and Sprott Shaw Degree College. In 2013, Sprott Shaw Degree College was renamed Acsenda School of Management. Sprott Shaw alumni include Emily Carr and Bill Hughes, former CEO of the Vancouver Canucks.
Corporate
In December 2007, Sprott Shaw Community College was acquired by CIBT Education Group Inc. They now operate under the legal name of Sprott Shaw College Inc. Sprott Shaw continues to expand its market and now has partnerships across the globe. Since 2017, Victor Tesan has been the President of Sprott Shaw College.
