Province gives Niagara College $825,000, St. Catharines university $174,000 for new equipment

When the Province sent nearly $1 million Niagara’s way to benefit both Niagara College and Brock University, the college saw the substantial chunk go their way.

With Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff holding the cheques, the college collected a provincial investment of $825,000 from the College Equipment and Renewal Fund, matched by the college’s matching contribution of $829,560 for a total project cost of $1,654,560.

Brock University received a provincial investment of $174,800 from the Training Equipment and Renewal Fund, matched by the university’s matching contribution of $262,262 for a total project cost of $437,062.

“This support will ensure students at Niagara College and Brock University have access to the latest instructional tools and equipment to meet business and industry standards,” said Oosterhoff.

“By investing in the renewal and modernization of postsecondary infrastructure, our government is supporting the growth of the regional economy right here in Niagara and ensuring local students get the knowledge and skills they need to get good-paying jobs.”

The grant to the college will help to purchase industry-standard PLC, process automation and mechatronics workstations, as well as mixed-reality headsets.

“We want to thank the province for their incredible support.  Their investment will help to make a significant impact on student learning at Niagara College as we continue to train skilled tech professionals for the careers of the future,” said Sean Kennedy, President of Niagara College.

The cash to Brock University will support the Nursing Clinical Simulation Lab and help to purchase lifelike patient simulators used to represent real-world nursing scenarios.

“Brock University is deeply connected to the community and has long-standing partnerships with health-care providers across the region,” said Dr. Lesley Rigg, President and Vice-Chancellor of Brock University.

“This funding will help Brock further enhance the learning experience for future nurses and health-care practitioners, who will apply their knowledge and skills in hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health-care settings around Niagara and across the province.”