As NBCC prepares learners for careers in their chosen fields, community and industry partners play a vital role. Whether they donate bursary funds or equipment, host workplace practicums, provide applied learning opportunities, visit classrooms as guest speakers or hire graduates, their contributions help make the NBCC experience extraordinary for students.
At the St. Andrews Campus, a local nursing home with a proud tradition of providing quality care to seniors, is one of the College’s most important partners. Passamaquoddy Lodge is a clinical host for Personal Support Worker (PSW) and Practical Nurse (PN) students and hires graduates from both programs each year. This caring employer is the recipient of the 2020 Partner Award for the St. Andrews Campus.
“From a partnership perspective, it’s a win-win for both of us,” said Lezlie LeBlanc, administrator of Passamaquoddy Lodge. “We’ve had the very good fortune of having PSW and PN students come here for practicums, and we’ve been able to hire graduates, which helps us get the skilled workers we need.”
But the partnership between Passamaquoddy Lodge and NBCC goes far beyond practicums and jobs. The nursing home and the school are intertwined in a number of projects that celebrate the best things each institution has to offer, like Santa for Seniors, which has NBCC students and staff distributing Christmas stocking to the residents of Passamaquoddy Lodge.
The two institutions are linked via a shared emergency measures plan. In the event the nursing home has to be evacuated, NBCC will provide emergency shelter and care to residents. The College invites Passamaquoddy Lodge residents to the Campus for special events. NBCC staff played a role in St. Andrews receiving an age-friendly community designation, and the Lodge has been a generous donor of bursary funds.
And each year, students visit the Lodge to interview residents one-on-one about their life stories, then present the stories to their peers.
“That’s really quite powerful,” said LeBlanc.
“We feel very fortunate to have the College in our community, offering health-related programming in our community and in our county.”
