THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Bill Mauro and Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle made an important announcement about improving access for postsecondary students in the North.
“All Ontarians should be able to benefit from a postsecondary education. By helping Ontario’s northern colleges work together to deliver shared programming, more students will receive the training they need to compete for quality employment opportunities,” stated Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and Chair of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
“It’s encouraging to see these six northern colleges come together to share best practices, streamline their resources and look hard at ways that they can drive quality in the system. We want to make sure that every student in Ontario has access to a world-class education and quality overall experience, and this investment will help us continue to achieve that goal in northern Ontario,” stated Bill Mauro, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.
“Confederation College is excited to work with our fellow northern colleges to improve and expand access to programming. Providing a high-quality postsecondary education to students studying in the North has always been our top priority. This collaboration builds on multiple initiatives with our northern partners that will offer our students even more flexibility and support in their studies,” said Jim Madder, President of Confederation College.
Ontario is helping six northern colleges work together to expand access to in-demand programs and improve student access to education in the North.
Collège Boréal, Cambrian College, Canadore College, Confederation College, Northern College and Sault College are designing and delivering shared programming to improve and expand access to training opportunities in eight subject areas — business, hospitality, media arts, health, community services, technology, trades and aviation.
Ontario’s investment in the Northern Colleges Collaborative Programming Project will help the colleges work together to:
-Streamline resources to ensure long-term financial stability
-Use their proven experience in technology-enabled learning to provide more students with access to postsecondary education
– Improve the quality and efficiency of administrative and service delivery such as IT, program scheduling, curriculum generation and registration functions
