KIRKLAND LAKE, ON: Northern College’s Innovation Hub is investing provincial funding in student work-integrated learning programming at our Kirkland Lake Campus.

The Ontario Centre for Excellence has invested 80 thousand dollars in eight separate Innovation Hub initiatives at Northern College, half of which will help to expand experiential learning opportunities for trades and tech students in Kirkland Lake.

“Students participating in applied research and business improvement opportunities acquire essential and relevant skills in their field of study. This provides them with critical thinking, complex problem-solving, and communication skills, as well as work-relevant networks and resume building opportunities,” stated Amy McKillip, Northern College’s Manager, Applied Research, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “This year we focused on the third-year welding technology students at the Kirkland Campus by providing materials, equipment, travel expenses, and wages for the research they are doing with their private partners.

This funding will connect students to industry partners looking for help in developing new technologies in a variety of fields with the ultimate goal of further optimizing and expanding Ontario’s economy.

This funding provides students the opportunity to shape the field they are working hard to enter, including researching low energy welding processes, studying the effectiveness of various shielding gases, increasing the deposition rate in submerged arc welding and testing the joint strength of fibre reinforced plastics.

“Working collaboratively with industry partners, our students will have the opportunity to forge strong connections within the Ontario manufacturing sector. These relationships enable student-led technical research projects to play a part in shaping technological advances within industry,” stated Joshua Fuller, Program Coordinator for Northern College’s School of Welding Engineering Technology. “This is a win-win situation for employers and students. While students are able to see the relevance of the concepts they are learning, employers are taking note; a significant number of our students have received employment offers from the industry partner upon completion of their projects.”

Northern College takes great pride in offering its students the opportunity to contribute to the kind of cutting edge innovation that shapes industry, further cementing our institution as a leader in experiential learning opportunities and innovation.

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Kyle Gennings
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T. 705-235-3211 ext. 2276
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