Recent History – 2001
Feb. 13, 2001
DAWSON CREEK — The results of the 2000 Key Student Outcomes Indicators for BC show that students are able to achieve their educational goals at Northern Lights College (NLC) and derive a high degree of satisfaction from their experience at the College.
“Former students of Northern Lights College and 20 other provincial colleges and institutions are surveyed annually, by an independent agency, to gather information about their post-secondary experiences in the areas of: purpose for enrolment, skill development, overall satisfaction and employment outcomes,” explained Jim Kassen, NLC president.
“We are able to compare our performance in terms of the key indicators against other colleges and institutions in the province to get a pretty good picture of how we measure up. In the results published for 2000, students ranked NLC higher than the provincial average on 14 of the 18 criteria used to assess college experience and skill development.”
These results are not a one-time event. Kassen confirmed that NLC has consistently scored higher than the provincial average on most of the indicators since 1995 when the survey was first brought into use. “The College places a high priority on identifying the educational needs in the communities served by its eight campuses and invests a lot of effort in providing a high standard of programs to meet those needs. Our instructors and staff can be proud of the results demonstrated by this survey,” stated Kassen.
“While it is rewarding to have Northern Lights College distinguished provincially,” Kassen emphasized, “the main purpose of the survey is to let us know how well we are doing and it gives us an opportunity to improve and develop our services to the students. The results point out that we have a lot of students coming back to school who are already in the work force. To assist these students NLC provides a wide variety of upgrading and study skills support and opportunities for students to study part-time and receive credit for prior learning experiences outside of formal schooling. The survey also suggests a need for enhanced programming in the use of computer technology and development of entrepreneurial skills which the College is in the process of addressing.”
With the majority of students enrolling to applied programs to attain job-related skills and credentials, the survey results verify that students achieve this goal at NLC.
When interviewed, 84 per cent of students from these programs were successfully employed. As well, former NLC students scored the highest in the province for gross monthly salaries, earning, on average, $3,333 per month, significantly higher than the provincial average of $2,622.