Public College System

• The College of the North Atlantic has all the necessary services to assist in implementing a concept like Bridging the Gap – including, student services counselors, community relations officers, and curriculum design specialists. They also provide a variety of resources, for example, personal development workshops, access to computers/internet, and resource/library services. In Newfoundland & Labrador, we are very fortunate to have one public college system, and from an administrative perspective this makes it much easier for ongoing communication. Unfortunately each campus has their own methods of administration.
• If Bridging the Gap is implemented in the future, it is important that ongoing communication continue between campuses that are partners in the Bridging the Gap Program. It is important to have consistency and the availability of all in-kind contributions should be the same at all college sites. It is important that the Bridging the Gap representatives consult with the Public College system regarding their future partnership with Bridging the Gap – this would include both financial contributions required and in-kind services that the college would provide.
• It should be noted that for Bridging the Gap, Pilot Phase II, a letter highlighting in-kind contributions from the College was signed by the College President and copied to all partnering college campus administrators. When Bridging the Gap, Pilot Phase II was funded, partnering college campus administrators should have been briefed and consulted regarding their role in implementing Bridging the Gap. This did not happen and resulted in a breakdown in communication and some frustration from some campuses. When looking at the amount paid to the College, there needs to be a base amount (tuition fee) per student; more inline with regular students at the College.

Academic Instructors

• The College of the North Atlantic (Public Training Institute) is responsible for the hiring of all academic instructors for Bridging the Gap, Pilot Phase II. The public college system is unionized and has to follow proper collective bargaining practices when hiring instructors. Unfortunately, with a program like Bridging the Gap, all staff directly in contact with the participants has to have a strong understanding and appreciation for this client group. The people that are hired for Bridging the Gap can either have positive or negative effects on the final outcomes.