Northern College and Algoma University are strengthening their partnership in Timmins.
Today, the post-secondary institutions announced two new transfer pathways that will allow students to earn a college diploma and university degree close to home.
“The old paradigm that if you wanted to take a university program there’s nothing offered here in Timmins, you have to go away. We’re changing that,” said Northern College president Fred Gibbons.
The new pathways are for Northern College's business program and Algoma's bachelor of business administration degree, as well as Northern's computer engineering technician diploma and Algoma's bachelor of computer science.
For students in the eligible programs, after earning their diploma they could transition to the university program and earn a degree.
For students starting the university courses in September 2019, they would have to attend Algoma's Sault Ste. Marie or Brampton campus, however there is a feasibility study ongoing that could see that component delivered locally as well.
"In September of 2020 we will have determined whether or not we have feasibility to offer those programs right here in Timmins,” said Gibbons.
For the computer engineering technician students, the schools have collaborated with eCampus Ontario for an online Computer Science Bridging Program. After earning a diploma, students would complete a series of online bridging courses from May to August, then attend two semesters full-time at Algoma University.
Algoma has offered two degree programs — social work and community development — at Northern College since 2010.
One has 30 students enrolled, which Gibbons said Algoma is very happy with, and the other one has about six or seven students.
“They’ve found a way to make it economically viable even with small numbers. So I’m thinking 12 to 15 would probably be minimal numbers for them to launch these new programs,” Gibbons said.
Planning for the expanded partnership started about a year ago.
As a Northern Ontario university, Algoma president Asima Vezina said they have a special mission to service the needs of Northern Ontario and the Indigenous population.
She said new pathways mean a seamless entry into university programs.
"They know that when they come to Northern College in any of those programming areas that they can just basically walk right into a university degree. You don’t have to leave for four years. And the beauty of it is, and we know there’s real strength in that, is that they come out with the college diploma and university degree, and employers are finding that the workforce that’s coming out of those college/university partnerships very, very strong because they’ve got theory and the application and….people want these graduates,” she said.
