Northern Lakes College is partnering with the Black Gold School Division and Fort Vermilion School Division, located in northern Alberta, to establish collegiate schools.
Collegiate schools offer specialized programming in particular subject areas or fields, and provide students with a clear pathway to post-secondary education and careers in their chosen field. Collegiate schools provide experiential learning opportunities and work experience, as well as dual credit programming and/or bridging opportunities into post-secondary (source: https://www.alberta.ca/collegiate-schools).
Northern Lakes College has a wide reach when it comes to collaborations with high schools. The College has dual credit agreements with 25 school divisions across the province. In 2022-2023, students from 28 high schools across 13 different school divisions enrolled in 12 programs at the College. Power Engineering and Educational Assistant were the College’s most popular dual credit programs in 2022-2023.
“At Northern Lakes College, we understand the importance of connecting with students as early as possible in order to ensure they are aware of the post-secondary learning opportunities available to them,” said Dr. Glenn Mitchell, President & CEO, Northern Lakes College. “With both the dual credit and collegiate school initiatives, Alberta students have many opportunities to engage in college-level learning while they are still in high school. Graduating from high school while having already achieved college credits gives students a head start on their career and entering the workforce, and we are pleased to provide those opportunities.”
The Black Gold School Division will be pursuing opportunities for students to participate in trades’ training.
“Black Gold’s strong partnership with Northern Lakes College spans many years,” said Bill Romanchuk, Superintendent of Schools, Black Gold School Division. “Northern Lakes College works with our school division to provide knowledgeable instructors who work with our students to teach skills and attitudes that provide them with significant advantages as they embark on their careers in the skilled trades.”
Fort Vermilion School Division students can pursue careers in health care, education, and trades. Northern Lakes College has a Mobile Trades Lab currently in service in High Level to support the collegiate school dual credit initiative.
“We believe this partnership and the collegiate model will be the single biggest shift that will change the trajectory of students in education; putting purpose and passion back in the students’ hands,” said Mike McMann, Superintendent, Fort Vermilion School Division.
Learn more about the Black Gold School Division’s upcoming Calmar Collegiate School.
To learn more about collegiate schools, see https://www.alberta.ca/collegiate-schools.
For information on dual credit opportunities at Northern Lakes College, see https://www.northernlakescollege.ca/future-students/dual-credit.