The recipient of the 2022 Friend of Northern Lakes College Award is

Werklund School of Education

Due to a partnership with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Northern Lakes College is able to offer a Bachelor of Education degree to our service region. The Community-Based Bachelor of Education degree prepares students to teach from K-12, which means increasing the number of locally-trained high school teachers, as well as elementary and junior high teachers. The partnership has also increased the specializations available to students, meaning we can prepare senior high-level subject matter experts in a variety of fields to meet the needs of our community’s schools.

The partnership allows NLC University Studies students to transfer courses towards the completion of the Werklund School of Education’s Community-Based Bachelor of Education degree. This provides students living in the College’s northern, rural, and remote communities with an opportunity to complete the majority of their program requirements without leaving home. Specializations in the program include Early Childhood Education, English, Math, Revitalization of Indigenous Languages, Science, and Social Studies.

The collaboration has led to significant growth in enrolment in the College’s University Studies program. When the collaboration was announced in the fall of 2019, NLC had 120 seats in its University Studies program. With demand continually increasing, the College expanded to more than 260 seats by 2022, with the majority of students intending to continue into the Community-Based Bachelor of Education degree.

The Werklund School of Education provides students with an exceptional level of support, from advising to program planning and finding pathways. Not only is the volume of support excellent, but it is also very personalized. Northern Lakes College is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Werklund School of Education to meet the education needs of the region.