Conestoga College President John Tibbits and Chief Superintendent Tony Parkin, Regional Commander of the Ontario Provincial Police Western Region, today signed the first-ever learning agreement between the two organizations and the first-ever involving the OPP Western Region and an Ontario community college. The signing occurred at a special ceremony attended by senior OPP and College officials, and faculty and student representatives from Conestoga's law enforcement programs of study.
The agreement creates a framework for mutually beneficial opportunities involving Conestoga students and OPP personnel who seek to improve career-related technical, business and general skills through use of College educational resources.
"We look forward to this partnership," says President Tibbits. "In these changing times, education and training are more important than ever. Law enforcement is one of our larger program areas, and I see this agreement as a starting point, because we count on this partnership to keep the program moving ahead."
Referring to Conestoga's newly earned designation as an Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (ITAL), President Tibbits indicates that the law enforcement area could be a prime candidate for the development of an applied degree program.
Chief Superintendent Parkin comments, "I believe the OPP and Conestoga are committed to building a partnership that allows us to meet our respective mandates successfully. The partnership will permit us to develop instructional initiatives that will allow both organizations to contribute through their professional skills and strengths."
Though details of the agreement are still in development, practical examples of activities could include specific on-site or in-college training for OPP staff developed and delivered by Conestoga College, as well as expert instruction provided by OPP personnel to students in law enforcement courses at the College.
Conestoga College offers two full-time law enforcement programs: Police Foundations, and Law and Security Administration. Each program is two years in length and leads to a diploma. Combined, the two programs have an enrolment of nearly 400 students. The College also has a part-time Law Enforcement and Investigation program, as well as a number of part-time courses dealing with related areas.
Headquartered in London, the Western Region OPP, which covers the area from Lake Erie to the Bruce Peninsula and from Essex County to Wellington County, has a complement of 1,500 employees.
CONTACT: Bill Jeffrey, Conestoga College, 519-748-5220, ext. 3435; S/Sgt.
Brad Seltzer, Western Region OPP, 519-652-4136