Northern College sees growth: applied research, expansion helping school flourish.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: TIMMINS

With a newly completed $17.3-million trades and technology centre, growing attendance numbers and approval for applied research projects, Northern College is on the move.

"This is a transitional time for Northern College, hut everything is going well and we're being strategic about our growth," said president Fred Gibbons.

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Although the grand opening of the college's long-awaited $17.3-million, 33,000-square-foot Centre of Excellence in Trades and Technology kicked off in October 2010, some of the video equipment is still being installed.

With a design incorporating an abundance of natural light and high technology, such as broad windows that can be digitally tinted, the centre allows space for 120 more students.

In the coming weeks, the centre will also see the installation of next-generation video conferencing equipment, allowing for multiple campuses to be taught simultaneously by a single instructor. This will prove particularly useful for the Moosonee campus, where the distance can be a daunting barrier, said Gibbons.

This is increasingly important, as the school's numbers continue to rise, with a 51-per-cent spike across the last two years. Mining activity is driving some of this growth as students seek to develop skills in related trades, a phenomenon that's also creating more demand for the use of Northern's corporate training facilities.

These are due to be moved to the school's 7,500-square-foot former day care area, following the completion of renovations in the coming months.

Aside from new apprenticeship programs such as millwright and heavy duty equipment mechanic, the centre will also allow for new programs such as alternative energy technician. This push for green technology also factors into Northern's new approach to applied research, for which it has received approval from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. This opens the door for funding opportunities beyond the $20,000 it already received from the Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation to develop research policies and structures.

These research projects are expected to touch on alternative energy, veterinary science, health sciences, as well as climate-specific construction techniques for roads and houses.

Northern College is also looking at moving into international education, the initial steps of which were taken in late 2010 with an agreement with Yangzhou College of Environment and Resources, located in...