Contact North | Contact Nord’s newest online learning centre to help Midland area residents access education and training without leaving their community

Local MPP to lead ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 4

(Midland) – Contact North | Contact Nord’s newest online learning centre, within the
Gateway Centre for Learning, is set to help Midland-area residents get their degree,
diploma or certificate or upgrade their skills without leaving their community.

Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop will be on hand for the official opening of the centre, which
gives local residents access to a variety of free services, including:

• Information on available online programs and courses from Ontario’s 24 public
  colleges, 23 public universities, 9 Indigenous institutes, 76 district school
  boards, 200 literacy and basic skills providers, and 20 skills development
  training providers
• Help with registrations and funding options
• Free, in-person access to high-speed Internet, computers, web conferencing,
  extended reality (XR) headsets and technical support
• Support and encouragement to complete programs and courses
• Supervision of exams
  

“As Ontario’s community-based bilingual distance education and training network for over
thirty years, Contact North has been a leader in assisting underserved residents in small,
rural, Indigenous, and Francophone communities,” says Dunlop, who is Ontario’s Minister
of Colleges and Universities and a former faculty member at Georgian College.

“I am thrilled to participate in the grand opening for the Midland location, making an
active contribution to the economic recovery of Ontario through accessible education and
training for residents who no longer have to travel outside of their community to learn.”

Adds Robin Brushey, Director, Recruitment & Partnerships, North Central Region, for
Contact North | Contact Nord: “I’m thrilled to be opening a centre in Midland, where
there is such a clear need for services like ours. I can’t wait to see the workstations in
this building filled with students working toward their employment and education goals.”

And Jennifer Ellis, Executive Director of the Gateway Centre for Learning, adds she’s
pleased her organization is providing the physical space for the online learning centre.
“A Contact North | Contact Nord online learning centre is exactly what Midland learners
need to help them get the education and training they need for the job they want,” Ellis
says.

The official opening of the Contact North | Contact Nord Midland online learning centre
takes place on Friday, March 4, 2022, at 12:45 p.m. at the Gateway Centre for Learning,
488 Dominion Avenue, Midland, ON.