**NORTHERN COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE**

As 2019 begins to settle in, Northern College is taking the time to note some of the achievements marked in 2018, a year that defined the College in the present, and laid down a firm foundation for the future.

2018 saw the completion of the Integrated Emergency Services Complex at the Timmins Campus, a state of the art facility designed to give students a hands on, real world learning experience while offering them the very best in technology, professional expertise and access to its Advanced Disaster Management Simulator, the first in Canada. The strength of Northern’s Police Foundations, Paramedic and Pre-Service Firefighter programs supported by this new facility will see the north’s next generation of first responders trained locally by Northern College.

The year also saw significant growth for the College’s international partnerships, with new agreements being signed with Chinese post-secondary institutions, drawing both students and teaching staff to Canada, further building on an existing exchange of expertise to the benefit of all parties.

The strength of these international partnerships helped to augment the student body at Northern College’s Campuses, seeing as many as 500 international students from around the world gain their first educational foothold in Canada.

A partnership with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology helped to provide these students and their domestic colleagues with further pathways to continue their education, providing routes to earn degrees in the fields of Commerce, Applied Health Sciences, Criminology and Justice, and Education to name a few.

By working to offer students numerous routes to higher education, Northern College is beginning to see the fruits of that labour, with 100 per cent of its Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree students passing their entry to practice National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, far outpacing the provincial average of 82 per cent.

As our Nursing students continue to excel as they enter the workforce, they do so with a well-rounded and diverse skillset, as the College places a heavy focus on patient centered care. Third year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree students are given the opportunity to travel to Ontario’s coastal Indigenous communities along the James Bay and learn the importance of traditional healing and diversity in treatment.

Innovation defined 2018 for Northern College, with its commitment to cutting edge Virtual Reality learning techniques garnering international recognition and a Silver Award from the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics.

As Northern College continues to work to create the best learning environment for its students, it continues to build community partnerships both locally and regionally, with the College being named by the Ontario Fire College as a Regional Fire Training Centre. Similarly, the college hosted researchers from the University of Toronto working to uncover the mysteries of ancient water discovered in the depths of the Kidd Creek Mine in Timmins.

While Northern College continues to shape industry leading graduates, it remains committed to attracting new students to its programs, hosting information days, campus tours and unique opportunities to place high school students in college classrooms, piquing interest in all the college has to offer with a view to preparing graduates for entry into the regional workforce.

With this in mind, 2018 marked the first year the College hosted Women in Welding at its Kirkland Lake Campus, inviting female high school students to explore their interest in a career in welding, helping to shrug off long held gender specific notions about the trades.

Throughout the year the college also hosted a number of events open to the public, fulfilling its role as a college and community hub, hosting guest speakers like Margaret Trudeau and regional celebrations like the Great Moon Gathering and annual Northern College Powwow.

“Northern College remains committed to innovation and excellence in 2019, building on the strong foundations set throughout 2018,” stated college President Dr. Fred Gibbons. ”Working tirelessly and collaboratively with our many community partners, we will strive to provide our catchment region, our campuses, students, employees, family and friends with a brighter future, rooted in first class education.”

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