**NORTHERN COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE**

Northern Training Division is pleased to announce the addition of the Highway Maintenance Worker certificate program.

The 12 week program is designed to offer students the opportunity to find year round, entry level employment within the highway maintenance and trucking industry.

The course covers a variety of interchangeable, industry specific training components such as identifying road defects, steel guardrail maintenance and weather training.

The program is the latest addition to a suite of practical industry leading training programs offered by Northern Training Division.

“This is the only program of its kind across the province,” stated Christine Heavens, Executive Director, Community, Business Development and Employment Services. “With a mass of retirements occurring both in the municipal sector and amongst highway contractors, it’s partnerships like this that will help us address the demand for qualified highway maintenance workers.”

Offered through a partnership with Miller Paving North, the program aims to help fill a growing employment gap within the sector.

“A program like this means being able to hire trained people with a good skillset into an industry with a huge employment shortfall, said Shawn Dobbins of Miller Paving North. “When you have access to a school like Northern College to help bring people in, it helps to improve on what we do, not only here at Miller Paving, but across the industry as a whole.”

Northern Training Division is committed to continued educational partnerships aimed at addressing real world industry shortfalls, offering students a clear path to success, that provides access to the training for in demand skills required by industry.

“Graduates of the program will fill positions knowing the Acts and Regulations affecting highway maintenance as well as knowing how to safely and effectively establish traffic control, inspect rail systems, develop and read road reports, address highway conditions and plow snow,” stated Heavens.