Northern Lights College is looking to build on its recent growth in health-care programming with plans to bring more hands-on training to communities across the Peace Region.
College representatives met with the Peace River Regional District board to highlight progress made over the past three years and outline proposed health programming and a new bursary framework.
Tara Hyland-Russell, NLC’s vice-president of academics and research, said the college felt a responsibility to help address health-care staffing shortages in the region.
“Our initial project started with the building of the Dawson Creek Hospital,” Hyland-Russell said.
“As the training provider in the Northeast, we felt a deep obligation to make sure that we were stepping into training the needed healthcare staff—not only for the Dawson Creek Hospital, but for the rest of the region.”
Hyland-Russell said the college wanted to help change what had been a “really challenging narrative around healthcare in the region.”
Since then, NLC has seen growth in its health programs, including the launch of a pharmacy technician diploma and a mental health and substance use certificate program.
Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services Nicole Dahlen also highlighted progress through the NLC Cares initiative, including bringing more health programming to the Fort St. John campus.
The expansion means students can complete practical labs closer to home rather than travelling to Dawson Creek, something Dahlen said has been particularly important during the winter months.
“This is the first year ever that we have equal numbers of students in both Dawson Creek and Fort St. John for our health programs,” Dahlen said.
Dahlen said the college has also seen significant growth in health sciences enrolment.
In the 2021-22 academic year, about 80 students were enrolled across NLC’s health science offerings. That number has now grown to more than 200.
The college is now looking to take that momentum into smaller communities.
NLC is proposing a three-year project focused on three areas: expanding hands-on health-care labs to communities such as Chetwynd, increasing youth summer health camps across the region and launching a new Medical Lab Assistant program.
The college is asking the PRRD for $75,000 annually over three years, for a total of $225,000, to support the expansion.
NLC is also proposing changes to its existing health-care scholarship agreement with the regional district.
A briefing note presented to the board asks for $60,000 annually for three years to transition the current agreement into a targeted NLC Health Bursary program.
The proposed framework would provide financial support while students are still completing their studies rather than waiting until after graduation.
It includes 20 “Choose a Career in Health” awards worth $1,000 each, 10 “Mid-Point Support” awards worth $2,000 for diploma students, as well as “Strong Support” bursaries ranging from $3,000 to $7,000 for local applicants who demonstrate financial need and a commitment to the region.
Electoral Area E Director Dan Rose praised the college’s focus on connecting with students early.
“I love the idea of the work with the high school kids,” Rose said, adding that introducing youth to health fields early helps plant the seed for future regional careers.
The regional district board agreed to support the direction of the initiatives and refer NLC’s funding requests to upcoming financial planning discussions.
