TIMMINS, ON: Northern College is pleased to announce that it is the number one English speaking College in Ontario in Graduate satisfaction, once again meeting and exceeding student, and graduate expectations with its annual Key Performance Indicator (KPI) survey.

This annual poll, facilitated by Colleges Ontario, is designed to provide the provinces’ public colleges with direct feedback from current and recent students as a benchmark for strategic improvement.

“This is our annual litmus test,” stated Dr. Audrey J. Penner, Northern College President & CEO. “These surveys allow us a direct connection to our students and graduates. It’s a baseline for constant improvement, and one that we take very seriously.”

The survey covers a variety of different areas of the student experience, including the satisfaction levels of Northern’s graduates and employers, both of which saw Northern maintaining provincial averages with 87.2 per cent and 81.6 per cent, respectively.

“This is only one of the many ways that we examine and consider the progress and feedback of our students,” added Dr. Penner. “As a provincial benchmark, these KPIs are crucial and we include them in a broader approach to continuous improvement that includes our Alumni Association, specific surveys with employers and communities, and a sustained approach to student and graduate feedback throughout and after their time studying with us.”

Northern College continues to improve on its reputation as an employer focused institution, developing the kind of curriculum and courses that place students in the best possible position to find meaningful employment that they are prepared for in their chosen field – sometimes before they formally graduate.

Northern obtained the highest ranking of all English-speaking colleges in the province in graduate satisfaction, a considerable achievement, considering the high levels of satisfaction seen across the province in public post-secondary educational delivery.

“The employees we hire that have graduated from Northern College require very little upskilling or additional training,” noted employer Jamie Pouw, Business Optimization Lead of the Bucket Shop. “We continually rely on Northern to supply us with the talent and expertise required to remain profitable and relevant in our sector.”

“We hear these stories all of the time,” stated Aaron Klooster, Vice President Academic and Student Success at Northern. “Our students are in high demand with employers, and our employer satisfaction rate has always been high.”

“Our approach is straightforward. We work directly with local partners across all our programs to ensure that what is being taught in the classroom has direct correlation to what is needed in those professions,” added Klooster. “That, and we happen to have some of the best students any institution could ask for.”

Northern continues to strive for excellence for its students and these results play a key role in that pursuit, and when combined with other, in-house efforts the process of continuous improvement is quickly becoming second nature for the Institution.