Academic Upgrading Partnerships
The goal of Academic Upgrading Partnerships is “to help early school leavers develop the literacy, numeracy and essential skills required for entry into and success in college postsecondary and apprenticeship.” (Source: LBS letter of September 18, 2006).
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities introduced a partnership approach to help Literacy and Basic Skills programs more actively participate in AUP. This partnership approach encouraged shared delivery among colleges, school boards and community agencies.
Currently there are approximately 32 Academic Upgrading Partnerships operating across Ontario. A call for new partnerships is not anticipated at this point as time is needed to support and grow the existing ones. The majority of these partnerships are between colleges and community agencies; however, there are also several partnerships between colleges and school boards.
We are pleased to profile the Academic Upgrading Partnership between the Iroquois Falls Adult Learning Centre and Northern College. For more information on AUP, please check with your MTCU program consultant. To view a wide variety of AUP partnerships, please see CLO’s April 2007 newsletter at www.nald.ca/clo/newslet/07april/1.htm.
Iroquois Falls Adult Learning Centre’s Academic Upgrading Partnership
By Denise Tremblay, Iroquois Falls Adult Learning Centre
In the fall of 2007, the Iroquois Falls Adult Learning Centre (www.alctraining.ca) apprehensively entered into a partnership with Northern College (www.northernc.on.ca) to deliver the Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) program. I say “apprehensively” because of all that was involved, and of course the ‘unknowns’. Was there going to be enough space for everyone at our existing site? Could we find an instructor in time? Would training time be available for the new staff regarding ACE? What were the partner expectations on shared delivery? Would there be a quick implementation timeframe? AND, were any students actually going to come? Overall I must say it was worth all the hard work that was put into this endeavor.