Northern College is expecting a substantial increase in the number of first-year students attending the Timmins Campus this year. The number of students who have confirmed their acceptance of an offer to study at the campus is up 11 per cent over last year.
Leading the Timmins Campus in first-year confirmation growth is the School of Engineering Technology and Trades. Much of this growth is due to large intakes in the Motive Power Technician – Heavy Equipment and Electrical Engineering Technician programs, which have experienced confirmation increases in accordance with industry demand. Annual confirmation numbers in Engineering Technology and Trades programs are expected to continue to rise, as demand for skilled workers increases due to the ongoing shortage of skilled workers throughout Canada.
Northern College’s School of Health Sciences and Emergency Services is also experiencing first-year confirmation growth, with the Medical Laboratory Technician and Practical Nursing programs each receiving a greater number of students this year. Northern’s Paramedic program has also taken in a substantial number of students. The Paramedic program, which was previously offered every other year, will now be offered annually. The increase in demand for Health Sciences and Emergency Services programs is of major benefit to northeastern Ontario, where demand for skilled healthcare workers is high and expected to increase as the region’s aging population places an increasing burden on the healthcare system.
“An increase in enrolment at Northern College is positive for all of northeastern Ontario,” said Fred Gibbons, President of Northern College. “As the demand for skilled workers increases across the region, we will continue to produce graduates that meet those demands. Our position as a leader in Technology and Nursing education will result in enrolment increases as demand for workers in those fields continues to rise. We also expect further enrolment increases as we continue pursuing our goal of increasing access to post-secondary education across the region.”
The increased number of first-year confirmations at the Timmins Campus is reflective of a broader Northern College trend. Compared to last year, the first-year student count is up 24 per cent at the Kirkland Lake Campus, and 31 per cent at the Haileybury Campus. The number of first-year students at Northern’s Moosonee Campus has more than quadrupled over last year.
