Fanshawe College is partnering with four other Ontario post secondary institutions in a bid to ensure military students’ studies won’t be hampered if the Canadian Armed Forces require them to move.
Fanshawe, Lambton, Georgian, Humber, and Loyalist colleges signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday for the new framework that will allow military-connected students to complete their program.
Under the new agreement, students currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, honourably released veterans, and their immediate family members who move within the province due to military service will be able to transfer up to 100 per cent of their course credits to one of the five participating colleges. The colleges will also streamline the enrolment process and sharing of military-affiliated prior learning and assessment recognition practices to support consistency.
Fanshawe College President Peter Devlin, who is a former Canadian Army lieutenant-general, said he was delighted to be a part of this collaboration.
“This agreement will complement our promise to provide barrier-free academic learning and institutional support that military-connected students may need to complete their college education,” Devlin said in a statement.
The memorandum of understanding was spearheaded by Darryl Cathcart, a retired Canadian Armed Forces soldier. Cathcart is also the founder of Release Point Education, an organization that supports military-connected students through the provision of specialized, relevant and credible programming.
Additionally, it has been announced that the Ontario College Application System will now include a self-identification option to allow students to disclose their Canadian Armed Forces affiliation. Cathcart was also the champion of this new feature, which has been adopted by all 24 of Ontario’s public colleges.
