Northern Lakes receives corporate funding for bursary program

Northern Lakes College has a new bursary program. The “Shell Canada Aboriginal Education Advancement Fund” will pay for course upgrades across the Northern Lakes community campuses and be distributed over a five-year period. Shell donated $250,000 to Northern Lakes College to provide funding for students who wish to enter a college or apprenticeship program, but do not meet the academic requirements. “Certainly we feel humbled that an international company such as Shell wants to partner with a small college such as ourselves to make a difference in the North,” Brad Hestbak, director of external relations with Northern Lakes College told the Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune. Hestbak said a good portion of the college students are Aboriginal, many of whom struggle with the resources to complete basic schooling. In addition to having 30 locations in northern Alberta, the college offers online programs and distance delivery and has over 4,000 students across Alberta.