Canadore College, Six Nations Polytechnic enter partnership

North Bay's Canadore College has announced it would enter into a formalized education agreement with Six Nations Polytechnic, an Indigenous educational institute in southern Ontario.

Canadore and SNP will immediately begin planning for programs, the college said, with the key areas of focus being health and wellness, media, and trades and technology.

George Burton, president of Canadore College, characterized SNP as "very progressive," and the prospects of working with the centre had college staff "thrilled."

"Our organizations place the highest importance on the well-being of each and every one of our students, a principle that extends to families and communities," Burton said in a press release.

Rebecca Jamieson, president of SNP, told CBC News the institute will look to draw on Canadore's experience tailoring education programs to Indigenous communities, and called the partnership a "win-win" for students of both campuses.

"We don't see these arrangements as a competition," Jamieson said. "We look at ways of how to make it a win-win for learners, and looking at ways of engaging those who haven't been engaged before. Or maybe tried and weren't successful."

"If [students] come to a learning experience where it's a culturally supportive environment, then they're on their way."

Classes are expected to be up and running soon at the SNP's Brantford campus.