**Northern College News Release**

Northern College and Université de Hearst are pleased to announce a new pathway agreement which offers bilingual students the opportunity to study in French.
Business, Social Work and Police Foundations students attending Northern College will now be given the opportunity to upgrade their diploma to a degree through a two plus two format, with their diploma counting towards the first half of their business degree with Université de Hearst.
 

“Northern College students can now benefit from generous articulation agreements, locally or close to home. These innovative bridges provide access to university degrees and experiential learning opportunities, both assets for college graduates and the labour market,” stated Marc Bédard, Université de Hearst Vice-Rector. “We are proud to enhance these French delivered non-traditional university pathways with our partner – Northern College.”
 

In an increasingly competitive post-secondary market, both Northern College and Université de Hearst remain committed to offering student centric programming, that offers the best educational upgrading opportunities to meet the complex demands of a modern workforce.
 

“Flexible pathways and opportunities are key to student success in post-secondary education in the 21st century,” stated Dr. Audrey J. Penner, Vice President of Academic and Student Success at Northern College. “Students in the 21st century will attend several institutions during the course of their career. Northern College recognizes this and is accelerating its pathway abilities and capabilities.”
 
As post-secondary institutions throughout the province continue to work together, students benefit from diverse educational atmospheres and dynamic training environments.
“Students who opt for these types of pathways experience the very best of both environments, work integrated learning at the College level combined with deeper knowledge and theoretical understandings at the University level,” stated Penner.
 

These new pathways not only benefit students, but contributes to a larger provincial focus on a highly skilled, bilingual workforce.
 

“As the organization responsible for developing a mature transfer system within the province, the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) is pleased that this pathway creates opportunities for bilingual students to remain in the north so they can complete both a diploma and a degree,” stated Yvette Munro, Executive Director of the organization.
 

This pathway agreement, which is funded by ONCAT takes effect in the Fall Semester of 2019.

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