A $74,800 grant has been jointly received by Canadore College and Nipissing University from the College-University Consortium Council to fund the development and implementation of two new collaborative programs.

The new programs are being developed in response to an increase in the number of students interested in combining a college and university education and the encouragement to find a complementary strategy to develop cooperative programs that deliver the best which both institutions have to offer.

According to Dr. Ted Chase, Nipissing University's Dean of Arts and Science, "The concept is to create two new four-year applied degree programs in the environmental and business information systems fields. The Bachelor of Applied Technology designation reflects the collaboration between a university which grants Bachelor degrees, and a college of applied arts and technology."

Over the next year, the 20-course programs will be jointly developed and ready for implementation by September 1998. Nipissing will take the lead role in the development of the environmental program, while Canadore will lead the business information systems program development.

Since the announcement, a more detailed workplan and budget have been approved by the College-University Consortium Council. Content experts and staff from each institution now make up the steering committees driving each program. The next step will be to conduct focus groups with relevant organizations to gain insight from workplace professionals.

According to Canadore College's Vice President Academic, Fred Knight, "These [new degree] programs will offer a unique educational experience that meets the students' demands and the contemporary needs of the workplace."

For more information, contact Fred Knight, Canadore College, 705 - 474-7601, ext. 5515, or Dr. Ted Chase, Nipissing University, 705 - 474-3461.

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) recently signed a partnership agreement with the Certified General Accountants Association of Alberta under which all accounting graduates seeking the CGA designation are now able to complete their entire courses of study at the Institute. With about 1,500 Albertans currently enroled in the CGA Program of Professional Studies, the agreement is exclusive to NAIT and SAIT.

"This agreement is indicative of the growing confidence that Alberta's technical schools are leaders in providing quality career education," said Anne Jacobs, coordinator of NAIT's Accelerated Accounting program. "It also provides our growing population of accounting students with an opportunity for flexibility and transferability in their career objectives."

The first four levels of studies to obtain a CGA designation can be achieved by successfully completing courses at most post-secondary institutions. Prior to the agreement, the fifth and sixth levels were delivered solely through the CGA association.

Prior CGA support for NAIT's business programs include its participation on advisory committees and by offering student scholarships.

In the fall of 1995, the Customized Training Centre at Loyalist College embarked on a unique partnership with Microsoft Canada for the establishment of one of the first Microsoft Authorized Academic Training Programs (AATP). Using software, software licenses, learning packages and books all from Microsoft Canada, 46 students enrolled in three programs - microcomputer support specialist, microcomputer programming professional, and microcomputer networking specialist.

Fifty weeks in duration, the program involved 30 hours per week of class time as well as the student's own time at home or in labs. Forty-five of the 46 students who started the program (selected from an application pool of over 250) graduated in September of 1996. The program was also supported by Human Resources Development Canada which provided income support to some of the students.

Although the program led to Microsoft Certification, the actual content of the program was modified to include other computer products. As an example, networking students (system engineers) also studied Novell Networks as well as PC and MAC systems to ensure a broader background and increased opportunities for jobs.

When featured on The National last November as a special feature, host Hanna Gartner noted in the program's post script that all of the students she had interviewed had found employment as computer technicians.

As a result of the close collaboration between Microsoft personnel and Loyalist College staff, this successful program has led to a second program which is currently underway at the College.

Collège Édouard-Montpetit's aerotechnical training school (École nationale aérotechnique or ÉNA) recently took the helm of a new Canada-European Community cooperation project in aeronautics training that will enhance the mobility of aeronautics students and provide recognition for prior learning between Canada and the EC. This project builds on an initial joint project of ÉNA and Belgium's Centre de formation en aéronautique (CeFAé), launched four years ago in order to enable students to obtain "double diplomas" from Quebec and Belgium.

The new project, which is financed by Human Resources Development Canada, aims to develop international standardized training at the pre-university level for Canada, Belgium, France and Guadeloupe. Other participants in the project include New Brunswick Community College, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, CeFAé, the Université du travail Paul Pastur (Belgium), the Lycée Tristain Corbière (Brittany) and the Lycée professionnel privé de Blanchet (Guadeloupe). As well, two organisations (Agence Québec Wallonie/Bruxelles pour la jeunesse and Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse) are contributing logistical and administrative support for student exchanges between Quebec, Belgium and France.

According to Christian Plouznikoff, academic advisor and coordinator of international exchanges at ÉNA, the project will "promote standardization in the area of aeronautic maintenance, so that students can pursue their studies and training both in Canada and abroad."

Lucie Cousineau has been appointed director of the École nationale d'aérotechnique (ÉNA) at Collège Édouard-Montpetit. (see PEOPLE section).

The Emergency Health Services Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Health has partnered with the Michener Institute of Applied Health Sciences to deliver Advanced Life Support (ALS) training over the next 2.5 years to ambulance personnel/paramedics selected by the Ministry.

Under the umbrella of the Ontario Pre-Hospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) project - a provincial study evaluating the impact of ALS procedures on patient outcomes - the Institute will work with the Ministry of Health, Metro Ambulance, base hospitals, employers and paramedics to offer ALS training which involves didactic, clinical and preceptorship program components at 11 participating sites.

Humber College in Ontario and Selkirk College in British Columbia have teamed up to offer an innovative new diploma program which combines challenging and pertinent Internet-delivered courses as well as mentored internship opportunities.

Based on open learning program delivery, the National Ski Area Resort Management program - the first of its kind in Canada - is flexible as well as practical. By accessing the programs over the Internet, students are able to learn at their own pace, thereby maintaining their employment and lifestyle obligations.

"With the convenience of being able to plug into the program at any time, day or night, students have a greater degree of freedom in terms of task completion," said John Walker, director of Humber's School of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism. "And this translates into greater commitment, increased motivation, and less pressure and stress."

The program curriculum, developed by both Humber and Selkirk, combined business and technical components and utilized experienced faculty and industry experts.

Business courses being offered include risk management in ski resorts, the resort community of the future: emerging global trends, ski resort legislation, principles of financial management, and communications.

The technical skills which students will acquire during the on-the-job mentored portion of the program include snowmaking, lift operations and maintenance, electrical systems, and ski area layout and design applications.

The program is expected to be available by October 1997 and is open to high school graduates looking to establish careers in the ski industry, to those already employed in the industry and seeking to upgrade and further develop their skills, and to those in career transition.

A unique partnership between Cambrian College and the Canadian Hearing Society is enabling the deaf to learn the ins-and outs of the Internet. Internet for the Deaf is a new program being taught at the College's Special Needs Regional Resource Centre in cooperation with the Canadian Hearing Society.

The 12-week program uses American Sign Language (ASL) as its base for instruction. It is being delivered by Wanda Berrette, an instructor with the Canadian Hearing Society, using the computer lab facilities and specialized equipment available at the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre. "Students are learning the Internet through an ASL instructor," said Berrette, "and this enables them to learn at a pace they can understand and communicate in their own language, thus providing a barrier-free classroom experience."

"The aim of the program is [...] for the deaf to improve their skills and marketability in the workforce. We want to ensure our clients upgrade their skills to gain or retain employment," said Marc Serre, Canadian Hearing Society's Regional Director.

Cambrian has been to providing the technical support, facilities and equipment and assisting with the marketing of the project. "This specialized learning experience is what the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre is all about. Specific learners - in this case, deaf people in our community - are able to take a course of their choice in an environment that promotes success," added Susan Alcorn MacKay, Director of the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre.

Both partners hope to duplicate the success of this initiative by offering the courses and programs adapted for ASL.

For more information on the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre, contact Susan Alcorn MacKay, Director, at (705) 566-8101, ext. 7793; TTY (705) 560-1889. For more information on the Internet for the Deaf program or other services offered through the Canadian Hearing Society, contact Marc Serre, Regional Director, at (705) 522-1020, TTY (705) 522-1090.

The partnership between Keyano College and Syncrude Canada Ltd., tagged Greener Pastures, Golden Opportunities, has been recognized as one of the Conference Board of Canada's 1996/97 National Partners in Education award winners. The award honours the partnership which involves Keyano College students training as heavy equipment operators at the Syncrude site, which is an opportunity for the students to gain experience in actual worksite conditions while in turn assisting Syncrude Canada Ltd. with its long term land reclamation objectives.