News Archives: Lakeland College and GPRC Sign Emergency Services MOU
Friday, October 30th, 2015
(Edmonton, Alta.) Together, Lakeland College and GPRC are proactively working to expand access to emergency services training in northwestern Alberta.
Lakeland President Alice Wainwright-Stewart and GPRC President and CEO Don Gnatiuk signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today enabling the colleges to build a partnership to enhance their capacity to meet the lifelong learning and educational needs of the emergency services sector.
“Lakeland College welcomes the opportunity to enter into this agreement and further strengthen its relationship with GPRC. Together we will collaborate and grow educational opportunities in emergency services, especially for high school students,” says Wainwright-Stewart. “Our presence in northwestern Alberta, including Grande Prairie, and our emergency services programming has the potential to grow thanks to this MOU, which could lead to dual-credit programming opportunities in the future.”
To date, Lakeland and GPRC jointly offered the NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Awareness Level course to high school students in Grande Prairie earlier in October.
“Working with our colleagues at Lakeland College, GPRC will continue to explore ways to expand the range of opportunities for students in our region thanks to this new agreement with Lakeland College,” says Gnatiuk. “GPRC’s dual credit program is growing and providing high school student the opportunity to take college courses that earn them high school credits. Signing this MOU will help GPRC increase opportunities for high school students to earn college credit and make the transition from high school to post-secondary easier while opening up the discussion for future partnerships to increase emergency services training in northwestern Alberta.”
Under the terms of the MOU, Lakeland and GPRC will share information regarding industry trends, seek opportunities to contribute to each other’s planning initiatives and work to identify programming opportunities that increase access to emergency services training and professional development in northwestern Alberta. Lakeland and GPRC will also explore the development of a joint strategy to enhance partnerships with First Nations communities.
Lakeland and GPRC will work through their respective registrars to develop and maintain admission processes for students interested in attending, and increase student and industry awareness of programming offered as a result of the MOU.
As part of the agreement, Lakeland and GPRC will work together to identify opportunities for mutually beneficial research partnerships. To ensure the success of collaborative programs, Lakeland and GPRC will regularly review student success and explore new opportunities.
Lakeland’s Emergency Training Centre prepares firefighters and other emergency personnel to respond to all emergency events under all conditions. Core courses in firefighting and customized programs for client groups are available. Lakeland offers hands-on practical training with the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art training grounds in Canada.
Established in 1913, Lakeland College serves more than 7,500 students every year at its campuses in Vermilion, Alta., and Lloydminster, Alta./Sask., and through online and off-site programs and courses. Lakeland offers programming in the areas of agricultural sciences, business, energy, environmental sciences, fire and emergency services, health and wellness, human services, interior design technology, trades and technology, and university transfer. For more information visit lakelandcollege.ca.
GPRC, is a comprehensive community institution, publicly supported to provide opportunities in post-secondary education in northwestern Alberta. Established in 1966 in Grande Prairie, GPRC now includes campuses in Fairview and Grande Prairie, and learning centres in Edson, Grande Cache, Hinton and Jasper. GPRC offers a wide variety of career certificates and diplomas, pre-employment and apprenticeship trades, university transfer studies, and several opportunities for on-campus degree completion at baccalaureate and master levels through collaborations with four-year universities. For more information visit gprc.ab.ca.
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Katie Ryan Lakeland College 780 853 8796 |
Mark Evans GPRC 780 539 2951 |